Synopsis
In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.
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Cast
- Chris HemsworthOwen Chase
- Benjamin WalkerGeorge Pollard
- Cillian MurphyMatthew Joy
- Brendan GleesonOld Thomas Nickerson
- Ben WhishawHerman Melville
- Michelle FairleyMrs. Nickerson
- Tom HollandYoung Thomas Nickerson
- Paul AndersonThomas Chappel
- Frank DillaneOwen Coffin
- Joseph MawleBenjamin Lawrence
Recommendations
- 70
Time
The picture is sometimes wayward and unwieldy, its dialogue creaky and awkward, like an amateur’s attempt at scrimshaw.... But in a movie climate rife with superhero reboots and rehashings of childhood favorites, it’s a small marvel that In the Heart of the Sea exists at all. - 60
The Guardian
Director Ron Howard does a solid job of getting the smell of salt off the page and into the picture. The first half works quite well simply as a procedural, but when the action comes we run into trouble. The well-earned seriousness is washed away as we’re broadsided by B-movie tropes. - 60
The Telegraph
There’s so much incident crammed into this tale of misfortune that there’s never quite enough time to truly tangle with the sheets and sails of its meaning. - 60
Total Film
Given the weighty themes of Moby Dick, In The Heart Of The Sea doesn't have a lot going on behind the outward action. The composite parts are in fine working order; it's the sum that's slightly lacking. - 60
Screen Daily
Fluid, shifting and tense, the action here easily outstrips the film’s basic set-up (man tests himself against nature, is humbled), which can feel like unconvincing filler between surges of effects work. - 60
Village Voice
Howard is great at capturing the timbre of the ship, the creaks and snaps and the whir of the hemp lines, and the sonar clicks of the whales strategizing below. All his sound and fury has a befuddling purpose. His emotional climax is about, well, disaster insurance. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
A sort of maritime Donner Party, In the Heart of the Sea is a rugged but underwhelming true-life drama of a cursed 19th century whaling voyage. - 50
The Playlist
Visual daring is nice, but it means little in the end when the ultimately safe and harmless story never rocks the boat.
