IN THE HEART OF THE SEA : Tuesday 8th December 2015.

Back in 1820 a whaling ship from Massachusetts captained by George Pollard Jnr, was sunk in the Southern Pacific Ocean by a sperm whale - that ship was 'The Essex'! As a result of its sinking the twenty man crew spent months at sea having to go to extreme physical and emotional lengths in order to survive before the final eight men were finally rescued. Cabin Boy Thomas Nickerson and First Mate Owen Chase wrote an account of their ordeal at sea at the mercy of a sperm whale and that inspired Herman Melville's 1851 book, 'Moby Dick' - the story upon which Director Ron Howard has based his latest film taken from the 2000 book of the same name by Nathaniel Philbrick - 'IN THE HEART OF THE SEA', which I saw earlier this week. Released in many of the major territories around the world, including Australia on 3rd December, it gets it's US release on 11th December, and having cost US$100M to make it has so far clawed back US$19M as of 6th December.

Out story opens up in Nantucket in 1819 which we are told is the centre of the world whale oil business, the fuel the lights and warms the homes and streets of the nation and beyond. It is a valuable commodity being traded for huge sums across all the major markets, and such whaling ship owners grow ever more hungry for the rich rewards to be reaped from the ocean depths and the various whale colonies that can be harvested for their oil, blubber and other by-products. One such shipman is Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) - a sea hardened whaleman who is as comfortable mid-ocean as he is back on dry land, and hungry for his first captaincy. With the promise of one such captaincy by the whaling fleet owner Paul Mason (Donald Sumpter), he is summonsed as First Mate to the offices of Mason for his next voyage on the recently refitted 'The Essex'. But, Mason renegs on his previous commitment and announces that this time George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) is to captain the vessel, and should they return with 2,000 barrels of oil, then Chase's captaincy is assured, without question, for the next voyage. Under duress, but with an extra financial incentive, Chase agrees, and 'The Essex' sets sail. Leaving Peggy (Charlotte Riley), his expecting wife behind, Chase says see ya later - will be back in under three years!

With the crew assembled, we quickly learn who's who in the zoo including young greenhorn Thomas Nickerson (Tom Holland) on his maiden voyage, and Second Mate, Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy) a long term friend of Chase. What is also apparent early on is the seafaring differences between tried tested proven and experienced First Mate Chase, and the Captain who was born with a silver spoon in his arse and handed this captaincy on a plate with high expectations from his sea faring father. Needless to say it doesn't go well when Pollard over rules a decision made by Chase, and as a consequence steers the ship into a squall, and a fierce one at that resulting in the death of two men and much damage to the ship. This in turn sets the tone for the relationship between Pollard and Chase, with the Captain commanding that the ship returns to Nantucket for repairs. Chase convinces him otherwise and to continue the journey with the ship repaired and to go in search of whales.

Soon after they reach a happy hunting ground and spear their first sperm whale which brings in 45 barrels of whale oil and various other by-products, and the men rejoice in their success, but after this it is slow going and very slim pickings. They continue south and round Cape Horn, and then continue north up the west coast of South America crossing the Equator and coming into dock in Ecuador. There they meet up with the Spanish crew of another vessel who talk to them of a place 1,000 miles west following the line of the Equator, where whales blow as far as the eye can see. But the Spaniards also talk of a monster whale, the like of which has never been seen before that stalks ships, destroys them and hardened men with it - and they have the battle scars to prove it!

This raises the spirits aboard 'The Essex' and off the men set, having dismissed the talk of a monster whale. They venture further and further away from land with still no sight of any whales, and becoming increasingly despondent, and then in the distance, there they are - in their hundreds, and easy pickings. Launching three whaleboats armed with whaling spears and fathoms of rope they have easy pickings, this time, or so they think . . . not counting on the monster whale of the deep that attacks Chase's whale boat leaving it to return to the mothership for hasty repairs. Leaving the other two whaleboats out amongst it chasing down their prey, they are oblivious to the fate that awaits 'The Essex' when the deep sea whale monster returns for the attack striking at the heart of the ship puncturing a gaping hole in its side and causing all manner of irreparable damage, destruction and death.

When Pollard's attention is grabbed of his ship listing a short distance away, taking on water and with a downed mast Chase must explain that the damage was done by the mythical whale, who returns once more to make his presence felt and reinforce the fact that his a mean MoFo whale of a thing not to be messed with, and to leave his kind alone! Pollard gives the order to abandon ship and all surviving men gather what they can into the three remaining whaleboats, while 'The Essex' slowly sinks to the depths beneath.

What follows is the plight of the men stranded mid Pacific Ocean; 1,000 miles from land; with limited supplies; baking in the sun or tossed about in raging storms; slowly dying one by one from exhaustion, lack of water, starvation or their injuries sustained earlier on. Bobbing up & down the three whaleboats eventually become separated, and as the days become weeks which become months lost at sea with little hope of rescue, the men have to resort to extreme lengths in order to survive. Eventually they spy land by which time the boats have reunited - a remote island in the distance and their spirits lift, but only for a moment before the gigantic whale appears again and takes out another boat, leaving the survivors washed up and barley clinging onto survival. But they do, they regroup, get stronger and ready themselves to leave - four choosing to stay behind and take their chances, including a badly injured Joy.

The remaining two whaleboats cast off, venturing once more into the unknown. More weeks pass and suffering despair, panic, hunger, and thirst one whaleboat is picked up by a passing ship, and the other drifts close to land and is picked up too - the men all near death. Only eight survive, including Chase, Pollard and the young Nickerson, and of those eight, three remained on that island which Chase subsequently went back for.

The young Nickerson grows up, marries and the story is told by him almost thirty years later throughout the film by his older self in the form of Brendan Gleeson, recounting his story reluctantly one night to Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) a budding Author of fiction who had heard tale of the great whale and had hunted down Nickerson wanting a first hand account for his new novel. Nickerson had never before spoken of that fateful voyage but does so finally tempted by a financial incentive and the need after all these years to  bear his sole and cleanse his guilt and remorse. In 1851 Herman Melville published the fictional 'Moby Dick' based on the real life experiences of Nickerson and Chase abroad 'The Essex' thirty years earlier.

This is a film worth seeing on the big screen, and the story is well realised and delivered. At times though the CG is a little too obvious and as such a let down particularly when the action is up close and personal with jumping dolphins and whales en masse in an early whaleboat scene, or the close ups on or beneath the surface of the great whale. Benjamin Walker for me was a little stiff, and Chris Hemsworth with a Nantucket accent I am not so sure about. That said, it stands proud as a period piece with a number of redeeming features, will be fare better than the 2010 'Moby Dick' stinker but unlikely to top Gregory Peck and Orson Welles 1956 John Huston classic 'Moby Dick', but, it is entertaining enough to warrant the price of a ticket.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-