The Perfect Storm

I felt like this movie did a lot of typical things movies of this sort do: bad things are going to happen to these plucky guys, so let's give you some back story so you sympathize with them. Some of the back story in this movie was pretty cheesy. The movie picks up once the storm rolls in, but the weather guy at the TV station in Boston commenting on the meteorology to bring you along was pretty cheesy, too. Everyone has a pretty good idea how this ends up, but I'll try not to spoil it. There is a pretty good side story with a Coast Guard ship and an Air Force Reserve helicopter. The movie condenses down a couple of stories from the book, and takes some other liberties that have made other viewers skeptical about this plot. Yes, the Air Force helicopter really went out on a rescue in the storm, and it did in-flight refueling, although the helicopter's mission didn't have to do with the Andrea Gail. The rest of the helicopter's story is pretty much portrayed correctly. Usually when I've seen a fair to good movie based on the book, I'll find that the book is definitely worth reading, and that was the case here. As is also usually the case, I'm glad I saw the movie first.

I have been disappointed with this movie. I heard all the commentaries, I saw the commercials on TV, I went to the theater to see what they announce it's an epic movie full of emotions and full of good cinema... and here is what I found: a) Special effects not so perfect as they say. b) A sailor called George Clooney who only needed a stethoscope to be a perfect Ace from "E/R" (1984). Perhaps he thank that by using a strange grimace here and there he would become a perfect sailor...? Almost the whole movie it looks like he's posing for the girls at the other side of the screen. Is it perhaps that he was told to do that...? John Hawkes is a hundred times better as a sailor than him. A lot of people won't like what I'll say, but Clooney is for me an awful actor. While Paul Newman is a good-looking man and also a brilliant actor (try to imagine him (of course, a young Paul) in the role of the captain...), George Clooney is just a good-looking man. c) A child actor who does not convince at all. OK, he's only a child, but this is Hollywood at its best! d) A, let's say, strange story ending. When the film finished I was just waiting for another twenty minutes, so I said to myself, is that really all of it...? Of course, I don't want this to be a spoiler, so I won't say any more details. e) A suggested telepathy phenomenon out of place in my opinion. I won't say where it appears to avoid this commentary from being a spoiler. These are, among others, some of the things I dislike. This movie is nothing to write home about. It's entertaining, but it's mediocre. Perhaps the great mistake about it was the movie itself. In Twister (1996), for example, you see people running away from the wind cone, you see a bright day turning into a dark green sky, there is always something new to catch your eye and keep you interested. In this film we just see the giant waves here and there, and more waves, and more waves. When you see one, you have seen them all. If that's not enough, the actors don't do their best, and the plot is so simple that you wonder if there is really a plot behind the scenes. And now I'll be sincere: I went to the cinema to see special effects, just that, and even so I was disappointed.

This "HD DVD" is in a low definition format. Every other HD DVD I've seen is actually in a High Definition format. The horizontal resolution of this turkey is 960 pixels or less and the aliasing artifacts are noticeable and annoying in the extreme. Wonder if the Blu-ray version is any better.

The movie itself is quite good.

Stick to the book or try the film on a large screen when you want something noisy and active. The main scenes during the storm with Ahab's (Clooney's) boat had quite well-done effects and a zillion gallons of water, as you would expect, but they felt to me more like an extended car chase, where lots is happening while also not much is happening.

The fine cast did not get much chance to develop, except for some spark from Clooney and Wahlberg and a few spots here and there. Otherwise some talent is wasted on stock roles such as Diane Lane's. At least an almost gaunt-looking Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was a ship captain herself, and not some homebody.

The prelude to going to sea did not allow for much character development, which is ok, given that the movie is "The Perfect Storm" and not the drama of human interaction. However, that meant nothing of particular interest, either. The setup for Bugsy and Irene was unusual and almost embarrassing.

I liked getting an idea what a sword boat looked like, how it operated, what they did with the fish, etc. Some more of that would have gone over well with me. The conflict between Murph and Sully seemed artificial and added little.

It's probably not a good sign when the other rescue scene got me wondering about my tax dollars at work. Do we really send sophisticated, expensive forces into hurricanes to rescue dummies, risking others, Private Ryan style? You better "earn this", people.

Based on the true story of the ill-fated last voyage of the Andrea Gail which sailed out of Gloucester, Mass in '91 off into the North Atlantic only to fall victim to the "Storm of the Century". The '00 film `Perfect Storm' depicts the tragic event in dramatic style featuring a strong, likeable cast, superior special effects and a memorable soundtrack. If there's any fault to be found in this re-visioning of the last days of the Andrea Gail is would be the overly romanticized manner in which the crew is depicted. At times it was kind of like watching `The Magnificent Seven At Sea'.

Rating: Overall `Perfect Storm' is an enjoyable watch with lots of familiar faces and fine performances; -3 ½ Stars-.