In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
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A 19th-century whaling voyage turns into a desperate struggle for survival after the crew encounters a mysterious and deadly white whale.
The story
In 1850, author Herman Melville seeks the story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex from its last survivor, Thomas Nickerson. The narrative flashes back to 1820, where a Nantucket whaling company sends the Essex on a hunt for lucrative whale oil. The crew, including a young cabin boy and a skilled first mate, faces internal tensions and the dangers of the sea. After venturing into the Pacific, they are warned of a vengeful 'white whale' that destroyed a previous ship. Undeterred, the crew sails toward the 'Offshore Grounds' to find their prize, unaware of the peril that awaits them in the vast ocean.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1850, Herman Melville interviews Thomas Nickerson, the sole survivor of the whaleship Essex. The story recounts the 1820 voyage of the Essex, which set out from Nantucket to hunt whales. Despite internal friction between Captain Pollard and first mate Owen Chase, the crew successfully hunts their first whale before heading toward the Pacific. After being warned of a 'white whale' that destroyed a Spanish ship, they reach the 'Offshore Grounds' and encounter a massive, scarred whale. The beast attacks, sinking the Essex and forcing the crew to flee in small boats. They land on Henderson Island, where some are left behind while others sail for land. In the desperate journey, some survivors resort to cannibalism. After the boats are reunited, the white whale reappears, and Chase faces it in a final confrontation. The survivors eventually reach Chile, while Nickerson's story concludes with Melville's inspiration for Moby-Dick. The film ends with the revelation that the whale was never truly conquered, and the truth of the voyage was suppressed by the owners to protect the whaling industry's reputation.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United States; Spain
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- Ron Howard
- Writers
- Charles Leavitt · screenplay; Charles Leavitt · story; Rick Jaffa · story; Amanda Silver · story
- Cast and characters
- Chris Hemsworth · Owen Chase; Benjamin Walker · Captain; Cillian Murphy · Matthew Joy; Tom Holland · young Nickerson; Ben Whishaw; Brendan Gleeson · Thomas Nickerson
- Genres
- historical adventure drama; action adventure; adventure drama
- Themes
- Survival; Man vs. Nature; Greed; Truth vs. Deception
- Tone and mood
- Dramatic; Epic; Tense
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical Fiction; Survival Drama; Sea Adventure; Based on True Events
- Source material / true-story basis
- In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office failure.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 42% · scale: percentage · review count: 235; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 47
- Production trivia
- The film was in development as early as 2000.; Nearly 200 wooden barrels were fashioned for the film by master cooper Alastair Simms.; The cast underwent a strict diet of 500–600 calories a day to portray starving sailors.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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