In the Heart of the Sea Review

Ron Howard gets right to the heart of the true story that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Reteaming again after the success of Rush with Chris Hemsworth, and more importantly DOP Anthony Dod Mantle, Howard goes beyond Melville's story of man vs whale to reveal the harrowing tale of survival that followed the sinking of the whaling vessel Essex in the 1820s.

Melville (Ben Whishaw) visits an old Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), last survivor of the Essex and offers him a wodge of cash in exchange for the full story on what went down in the middle of the ocean all those years ago. So begins Nickerson's version of events; a story of conflict between Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and First Mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), as the two men hurl their ship across the oceans in pursuit of whales. Their quest for whale oil brings them into conflict with a giant monster of the sea; a white whale that won't even stop when it has destroyed the Essex itself.

Survival at sea has rarely looked so horrible, even after the likes of Life of Pi and Unbroken. The whale is the least of this crew's worries once the Essex goes down. Storms, sun, starvation; attack of the Hollywood skinniness. By the end, Hemsworth and his fellow survivors look like zombies as they resort to unspeakable actions in order to survive. You'll soon forget that you're watching Thor and the future Spider-Man Tom Holland face to face, as their eyes become sunken holes in their scrawny heads.

As the months aboard the Essex pass, there's a sense of excitement and adventure every time the crew find whales. But mixed with the majesty of the great creatures is the tragedy of their hunting, killing and butchering. Howard and Dod Mantle find the oily business grotesque and it shows in the inky, off-kilter cinematography. In fact, In the Heart of the Sea very clearly becomes Dod Mantle's film as it goes on. The shot choices become more bold and more stark as the situation for the crew gets more desperate.

In its heart, it’s a conflicted film. Hemsworth skips around the sails in typical hero style, but then the film mourns the first whale he manages to kill. He's clearly more cut out for the sea than his captain, who for the first half at least, is set up as the villain. But things get far more interesting once the monster whale turns up and cuts them all down to size. Howard does a decent job of making us sympathise with the men, investing just enough to make a few of the characters register above their blooming beards.

But the whale is the real heart of the sea. The tagline of Jaws: The Revenge said it best: This time it's personal. The incredible creatures might all be made of CGI, but that big white whale steals the show. Smashing, crashing and chasing his foes in payback for the family it has lost, it's a stark reminder of how nature can respond if men keep abusing the planet so arrogantly and recklessly.

In the Heart of the Sea is an epic odyssey of survival; much bigger, more emotional, and more exciting even than this year’s other great disaster story, Everest. 

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How I Live Now Review

Adaptations of popular novels for young adults are clogging up Hollywood production lines quicker than authors can write them. Following the success of Twilight and The Hunger Games comes a far grittier, grounded tale of ordinary kids at war starring Saoirse Ronan.

As American abroad Daisy, Ronan is outstanding, at first precocious teen before becoming a slowly budding flower when shipped to the English countryside to stay with her cousins. With World War 3 about to break out, her Aunt Penn leaves Daisy with the children; hunky Edmond (George MacKay), nerdy Isaac (Tom Holland) and their imaginative but annoying little sister Piper (Harley Bird).

Just as Daisy starts to let herself go, breaking down the barriers she puts up against the world, a nuke devastates London and worse still, she starts to fall in love with cousin Edmond. Heartbreak ensues as the kids are split up, forced to survive the war apart and desperate to find a way back home.

Director Kevin Macdonald creates two very distinct moods; optimism, hope, beauty and the joy of being young and free in the outdoors before the second half paints a bleak portrait of life under occupation. Despite the mood swing, Franz Lustig’s gorgeous bursts of close up photography stay beautiful throughout, adding pathos to the already emotional story.

While some elements of the novel appear lost in translation (the telepathic stuff sits uneasily with the realism of the rest of the film), Saoirse Ronan gives a magnificent performance transforming slowly from self-centred teen to terrified but determined victim and finally to something more.

Adapted from the novel by Meg Rosoff, it really treats its audience as adults containing mild incest, plenty of swearing, a dash of sex and some shocking moments of violence. It is admirable for not toning down the brutality of war (hello Hunger Games) or the language and lust of its protagonists (goodbye Twilight).

THE VERDICT A YA adaptation with the focus firmly on the adult, How I Live Now mixes forbidden romance with a bleak vision of World War 3. Twilight it ain’t.   

Certificate 15 Director Kevin MacDonald Starring Saoirse Ronan, George MacKay, Tom Holland, Harley Bird, Anna Chancellor Screenplay Jeremy Brock, Tony Grisoni, Penelope Skinner, Jack Thorne Distributor Entertainment One Running time 101 mins

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The Impossible Review

The Impossible opens with a terrible rumble sound. If you know what the story is about, you are immediately filled with a sense of dread that lingers long into the film until you realise the impossible has been achieved. The film is technically accomplished, brilliantly acted by the big stars and not as insensitive as the story of a family of foreigners affected by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami tragedy could have been.

 

Sadly the decision to cast Watts and McGregor to enable the film to have a big budget and sell to a large audience is necessary to attract attention and the level of investment needed to do the story justice. It is a shame that a real Spanish family become a British family in the film and that the deaths of 230,000 people are not the focus but on the other hand as a story of one family's experience of the disaster, The Impossible excels. The disaster is too huge for one film and so like World Trade Centre before it, The Impossible narrows its focus.

Though the film focuses on foreigners, the local people emerge as the real heroes. The hospital staff, villagers and others show incredible determination, sympathy and strength in the face of one of the worst natural disasters in history.

Tsunami survivors are unlikely to find The Impossible entertaining or have a desire to see it but this is because it is an incredible recreation of what happened; sickening, horrifying and breathtakingly realised.

For those not directly affected by the real life events depicted, it is enjoyable to an extent because although it is incredibly tragic, there is also so much hope and happiness (if just for this one family) in the film. However it is a tough watch and unbelievably sad, made more so by the bravura filmmaking and performances.

The eldest kid Lucas played by Tom Holland is amazing, carrying much of the film and doing a brilliant job. The two youngest kids waver a little bit but not enough to do any damage. McGregor is superb particularly in one heart wrenching sequence involving a phone call home, while Watts’ glamour and beauty are left bruised, battered and utterly redundant in the face of what her character endures. The production design is so convincing and the many extras around must have really helped all the actors, but especially the kids.

The moment the wave hits leads to an incredibly visceral sequence that is terrifying, shocking and impossible to take your eyes off the screen. The sound design, cinematography and practical effects combine to create a sickening sense of what it would have been like to be there. It is astonishing filmmaking; heart breaking and relentless and completely unforgettable.

Moments of the film may be sentimental but it's a story that does truly seem impossible. If Hollywood had made it up you would likely be disgusted. But the sentimental stuff is handled well and with the exception of a couple of scenes, it is not overly manipulative.

Real life tragedies deserve big screen treatments if they are handled sensitively and this film stands as a testament to the Thai people and their selflessness in the face of utter despair. What isn't appropriate is showing the trailer in front of The Hobbit without a warning. People should be able to choose whether or not they wish to be assaulted by such a film and the thought of somebody being ‘ambushed’ by the images in the trailer is saddening.

I hope that people will see the film and realise how wonderful the Thai people are and hopefully future generations can get a sense of what a tragedy it was.

The Impossible is a huge emotional and technical accomplishment. It manages to tell the small story of one family in a huge disaster and sensitively portray both the intimate and the epic of the tragedy. Though the focus is on a foreign family, half-drowned and lucky to be alive, it is the local people who surface as the heroes. The performances are amazing, aided in no small part by the incredible production design and terrifyingly real special effects.

The Impossible is a very powerful film, incredibly moving and emotionally devastating. Along with United 93, it is one of the most realistic depictions of a real life tragedy you will ever see. It is impossible to remain unaffected by the plight of the people in the story and by the credits it is impossible to move from your seat. Hopefully some of the profits will be put to good use in the places affected by the disaster.The Impossible is easily an early contender for my top 10 of 2013.