Moby-Dick has never been so angry

"In the Heart of the Sea" from 2015 is a film inspired by Herman Melville´s famous novel "Moby-Dick" and the events that supposedly inspired *that* work, the sinking of the American whaling ship "Essex" in 1820. I don´t deny that the film is well done, with an almost authentic early 19th century "feel", but it nevertheless comes across as boring and old fashioned. Perhaps for that very reason? I mean, there isn´t really much you can do with a story about an angry whale stalking a whaling ship! Especially not if the chemistry between the main non-whale protagonists is almost entirely lacking...

The plot revolves around the whaleship "Essex" and its strange odyssey around the world. Both the Atlantic and the Pacific turn out to be almost empty of whales (in 1820?), but the greedy Yanks from Nantucket finally get a pro tip from a Spanish captain which takes them to a mysterious part of the Pacific, the Offshore Grounds, where sperm whales are super-abundant. Unfortunately for our brave provider-males, one of the cachalots yearns for eternal fame through inclusion in an American Renaissance novel, and promptly sinks the "Essex" without further ado. Yes, this is the famous "white whale" (although it´s not really white in the film). The surviving crew descends into madness, despair and cannibalism, and soon realize that Moby-Dick is stalking them, still bent on avenging the Offshore Grounds massacre.  

Interestingly, the zenith of the combat ends with first mate Owen Chase *not* throwing his harpoon at the dangerous beast, at which point it quietly disappears into the deep blue ocean, never to be seen again. Cetaceans, it seems, have a sense of fair play! Years later, budding author Melville talks to one of the survivors of the ill fated journey and learns that the Nantucket whaling industry families covered up most of the story for reasons of profit. We also learn that crude oil has been discovered in Pennsylvania, heralding the decline of the whaling industry...

"In the Heart of the Sea" could work as matinée film on a rainy afternoon, but it will probably never take the pride of place of Ishmael and Ahab.