There’s a new No. 1 film on top of the most popular movies on Netflix, and it’s In the Heart of the Sea, a film that will celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year. We’ve seen some films come out of nowhere and race to the top of Netflix’s standings before, but rarely one that flopped to the extent that this one did. And its failure wasn’t because of its quality. In December 2015, Warner Bros. decided to release this film just a week before Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Star Wars sequel broke domestic records with $936 million in North America, while In the Heart of the Sea splashed ashore with only $25 million domestically and $93.9 million worldwide.
In this case, In the Heart of the Sea was the wrong movie at the wrong time. But it’s time has finally come now that fans are rediscovering director Ron Howard’s historical epic, which is inspired by a true story. Another reason for this film’s resurgence is that it’s filled with stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, and Cillian Murphy. Now that the movie has resurfaced, we’re sharing the reasons why you should watch In the Heart of the Sea on Netflix in January.
Call me Prequel
Although the script takes some liberties with the real events and people, it’s still a largely true account of what happened on the whale-hunting ship, the Essex, in 1820. It’s also, in a strange way, a prequel to Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, one of the most famous novels in American history. Melville was so moved by the account of this tale that he was inspired to write his book. The connections between the two works are so overt that Melville is actually a character in the movie, as portrayed by Black Doves‘ Ben Whishaw.
As a narrative device, most of the film is related in flashback by Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), one of the few survivors of the Essex disaster. The story checks in on Melville and Nickerson in 1850 from time to time, which actually adds to the emotional impact of the events of the past. The end of the movie even has a callback to Melville’s famous first line of Moby-Dick, “Call me Ishmael.”
Chris Hemsworth gives one of his best performances
In the Heart of the Sea was made after Chris Hemsworth began starring in Marvel movies as Thor, but before he decided to embrace playing a comedic goofball in most of his movies. This film serves as a reminder that Hemsworth has dramatic chops when he chooses to use them. Owen Chase isn’t the narrator, but he is arguably the main character of the movie, and many of the scenes take place from his perspective.
Chase’s bitter disappointment at being passed over as captain colors his relationship with the man who got the job, George Pollard Jr. (Benjamin Walker). Pollard also overhears Chase’s reaction, which sours their relationship from the start. The subsequent contest of wills between these two men almost destroys the ship early in the film. And when their worst instincts land on the same page, they cause even more damage together. Ironically, Chase and Pollard come to a place of mutual respect. All it took was a disaster that may claim their lives.
The Spider-Man of the moment
Tom Holland played the younger Thomas Nickerson just a few months before his debut as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. In a fun coincidence, In the Heart of the Sea hit No. 1 on Netflix’s most popular movies on the same day that Holland’s engagement with his Spider-Man co-star, Zendaya, was confirmed.
He’s a grown man now, but Holland plays up every bit of his youth as Thomas. He’s the youngest member of the crew, and as such, he gets the worst jobs. Because Thomas is the narrator, there’s no suspense about his survival. But we do get to see the emotional impact on Holland’s face and body language as the ordeal weighs down his character.
Gleeson might have been a little too old to play Holland’s aged counterpart, but he carries that same weight during his scenes with Melville. Holland’s version of Thomas doesn’t get as much development as Chase, but he definitely feels haunted by the end of his ordeal.
Cillian Murphy and the supporting cast are excellent
Nina Gold (Game of Thrones), the casting director for In the Heart of the Sea, deserves a lot of credit for surrounding Hemsworth and Holland with either established stars or performers on the rise. Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) co-stars as Matthew Joy, the second mate of the Essex. Fear the Walking Dead‘s Frank Dillane also has a strong performance as Pollard’s cousin, Henry Coffin. Henry doesn’t have a very big part, but you won’t forget his standout scene.
Michelle Fairley — who played Catelyn Stark on Game of Thrones — also has a supporting role as Nickerson’s wife in 1850, and she shares one of the most emotionally affecting scenes in the movie with Gleeson. There isn’t really a bad performance in the entire movie, and that’s also a credit to the cast and the casting director.
It’s a harrowing tale of disaster at sea
The first half of In the Heart of the Sea plays like the spiritual successor to Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, another underappreciated nautical epic. The arrival of the giant sperm whale — which we’ll just call Moby Dick for simplicity — is foreshadowed before it actually arrives. When the ship encounters Moby Dick, the movie turns into a more intense tale of disaster and survival at sea.
Many of the actors in this film went on extreme diets to portray the starving sailors stuck in the middle of the ocean for months. Their physical transformations — and the realistic makeup used to convey the effects of exposure and dehydration — were very convincing. Unlike the Moby-Dick novel, the sailors are less interested in revenge and more invested in staying alive. But they do get one last showdown with the whale before the end.
Watch In the Heart of the Sea on Netflix.
