Home » 5 Reasons To Get Excited About In The Heart Of The Sea

Ever wanted to know where Herman Melville found his inspiration for Moby Dick? You’ll have an answer on 11 December when In The Heart of the Sea hits the big screen. Directed by Ron Howard, the movie is based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s book of the same name, relating the sinking of the Essex in 1820. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Ben Whishaw as the crew of the lost whaleship.

Here are five reasons to get excited for the In The Heart of the Sea!

1. Story

Whether you’ve read it or not the movie looks like a good way to be introduced or re-introduced to Moby Dick, as it casts a new light on the story. The book “In The Heart of the Sea” won the 2000 American National Book Award for Nonfiction and is a true story -a story about men chasing a large sperm whale on the Essex. It focuses on fates of the first and second mates (Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy), Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), and various members of the crew (Thomas Nickerson, Ben Whishaw) after the ship has sunk.

2. Cast

Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson. It seems like a surprising choice to put them all together because we’re used to seeing each of them in very different genres, but it should work out because they’ve already shown they can be part of an ensemble cast and we can bet that their personal strenghs will be emphasized by the setting.

3. Setting

Think about it. A boat. A big monster. And water, water as far as the eyes can see. Add to that a group of men, afraid and full of doubts, torn between their human needs and their humanity. It will be great to see how Hemsworth’s toughness, Murphy’s sensibility, Whishaw’s spontaneity and Gleeson’s roughness play off against each other.

4. Director

Remember A Beautiful Mind and how Ron Howard took advantage of the story to play with your understanding? If there’s a director that can take this emotional maceration to the screen, Howard is certainly the man. The trailer shows how he’s coloured the movie with a cold dark blue lightened by a poisonous yellow, giving it a very unhealthy visual identity that hints at the direction of the plot.

5. Special Effects

You just need to watch the trailer to realise that the special effects look very promising. A huge monster in an enraged sea. I expect the movie to be epic at the very least!

In The Heart of The Sea is released in cinemas on 11 December 2015.

Pauline Chabanis

Freshly arrived from France, I am a bit of a Fantasy wanderer and a Young Adult adaptations worshiper.

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