In the Heart of the Sea

As the tale unfolds, told within another tale, it becomes clear that this is also about narration and narrators, unreliable and otherwise.

... A plain but still rewarding account of a true story from the 1820s.

Thor and Spider-Man fight a whale.

In the Heart of the Sea loses the human intimacy that makes this epic what it is, the resulting movie is nothing more than an empty voyage to nowhere that sinks far more often than it swims.

It's sturdy, watchable, competently mounted, of course -- Howard is nothing if not a pro -- but except for the visuals, which can be quite stunning, it never roused me.

The huge, whale-sized problem is that Howard can't decide if this is dark, adult fare or a rollicking tale of derring-do.

The effect is largely a drab and plodding experience onscreen, with the occasional strong performance to keep us involved.

In the Heart of the Sea chronicles well a fascinating era in American history.

How can we care about the whale when we don't even care about the men he's tormenting?

Despite having a strong cast and a talented director, the movie struggles to get going, and even when it eventually begins to chug along, it fails to be as exciting as it believes itself to be.