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In the Heart of the Sea

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Chris Hemsworth in The Heart of the Sea (Warner Bros)
Chris Hemsworth in The Heart of the Sea (Warner Bros)

What it's about:

Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home.

What we thought:

I had the amazing opportunity of being one of the first people to see this movie and then to sit down with the cast and Oscar-winning director.

Talking to Ron Howard, Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker and Tom Holland made me realise just how much heart and passion went into bringing this true-life sea adventure back to life.

The fact that the film took almost 15 years to make can be seen in the attention to detail that was taken in making it as historically accurate as possible.

Set in 1850 it centres around author Herman Melville’s (Ben Whishaw) visit to interview ageing sailor Tom (Brendan Gleeson) a survivor of the walking ship Essex which sunk in 1820.

Through flashbacks the story of the Essex’s doomed voyage is told, where we meet a younger Tom (Tom Holland).

Under the command of first time captain, George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) the crew take to sea to collect whale oil. Seasoned seaman, first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and Pollard clash when the mission seems to go South, Pollard wants to turn back but Chase wants to go ahead with the mission.

After successfully hunting down and killing a whale they switch course to hunt down a legendary white whale. But things go horribly wrong when they do encounter said whale, sinking their ship and leaving the crew stranded at sea.

The men go to desperate lengths to survive against nature.

The film has enough suspense, drama and action to hold your attention.  It’s beautifully shot; even in 2D the special effects are quite good.

The cast add depth to the characters and you feel personally involved in their quest to survive. Chris Hemsworth is a charismatic leading man who you can’t help but root for.

It also brings to the forefront environmental themes and issues that will have you questioning if we have really progressed.

In the Heart of the Sea ticks all the right boxes of an epic adventure thriller. This is definitely worth the see!

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