[.ca] The Perfect Storm [HD DVD]

Interesting, but it just doesn't resonate on an emotional level:
Well, my love for disaster movies finally conquered my utter disdain for George Clooney, and I watched The Perfect Storm. The fact that the film is based on a true story in which several men did lose their lives makes it a little difficult to review, as I feel compelled to temper some of the comments I might have otherwise made. I'm sure the tragedy of the actual events made it hard to film, as well -- and I think that explains the slow-moving, problematic opening 30-40 minutes. The obvious intent is for us to get to know the men of the Andrea Gail, to see what life is like in a New England fishing community, and to see why and how these men risked the hardships of sword fishing out on the open ocean. It's not an easy life -- leaving loved ones behind for days or weeks on end, working like a dog to haul in giant fish without being injured or killed in any number of ways, never knowing if you were even going to catch enough to fish make the trip worthwhile. For some, it's about the money -- not greed, just a desperate need for the money to take care of you and yours. Mostly, though, it's about the love -- love for the sea, for fishing, etc. A lot of jobs don't really define the man (or woman) -- but a sword fisherman is a sword fisherman. That's what Billy Tyne was, but he was also a man on a losing streak, and his effort to redeem himself and his men led the Andrea Gail straight into disaster. Unfortunately, in terms of the movie itself, the first 30-40 minutes are insufferably long, failing to make me care about any of the characters -- even Diane Lane grated on my nerves as the girlfriend who didn't want her man to go back out again. Then the boat finally sails, and the men go fishing. An hour's gone by, and you're wondering when this storm is ever going to show up. As for Tyne and his crew, things just aren't right from the start -- they're not catching a significant number of fish, a couple of guys are almost killed, the crewmen are fighting amongst themselves, and no one is the least bit happy. Ignoring all these ominous signs, Tyne decides to head on east way over to the Flemish Cap, caring little for the weather at his back -- until it's time to head home, of course. You would think a fisherman, more than any other person in the world, would have a healthy respect for the weather. Tyne knows there's extremely rough weather in between the Andrea Gale and home, but he and his men decide to plow on through rather than risk losing all of the fish they have finally caught. Unbeknownst for the most part to Tyne and his guys, weather conditions are now going to heck in a hand basket, as a huge hurricane, another burgeoning hurricane, and an area of dangerously low pressure smack together to form the 1991 Halloween Nor'easter ("the perfect storm") -- and the Andrea Gale is heading right down its throat. Alongside the life-and-death struggle that now plays out aboard the Andrea Gale, we also get the chance to observe the efforts of Coast Guard rescuers trying to save the lives of some stranded boaters. A yacht on its way to Bermuda proves its just plain dumb "all I need's a compass" captain a complete and utter fool, and a helicopter is dispatched to try and save the three individuals onboard. Unlike the footage of the Andrea Gale's struggle, the Coast Guard rescue effort is downright compelling -- and gets even more compelling later on when the rescuers themselves need rescuing. The film is a great tribute to these real-life heroes (one of whom was lost during the events chronicled here); you just can't say enough about these brave guys. It's a pity the entire film wasn't about them. It's actually rather surprising just how little I, as a viewer, emotionally invested in the story of the Andrea Gale. The crewmen weren't men I really liked, especially the headstrong captain who puts his own selfish needs over the welfare of his crew, and they did pretty much know what they were getting into when they decided to risk heading home through the storm. The special effects were impressive, but for me, the emotion of the whole tragedy just never manifested itself in this story -- and that is the main weakness of the film.

lukewarm:
I really wanted to like this movie but it came off as a bland viewing experience. A lot of it had to do with poor casting...Clooney (IMO) is not a good actor so without a strong lead, the rest of the ensemble faltered. I don't remember much of a soundtrack-a good musical score would of greatly improved this film. As a New Englander, I find it quite tiresome to listen to ridiculous interpretations of the local dialects. Obviously most of the actors could not speak it, so the few who tried, looked even more stupid. I would of been happy if they had spoken in their natural accents (even if by fluke, someone was from the South, per se)-at least a viewer can justify it by interpreting the character as a transplant; a horrible rendition of a dialect is just that...horrible, and it is very distracting. The hollywood adaptation of New England locals always strikes me as an insult. It seems fair to state that these filmmakers from the west coast don't know enough about the people and culture of New England either.

Very depressing, but still a good movie.:
This film truely has some great special effects, good acting, heart, but the one thing that it lacks is that positive ending that even the saddest films have. The film was very depressing in every sense. George Clooney, Mark Whallberg, and the rest of the cast all did a great job. The cinematography was brilliant. All in all the film is something you need to follow up with a happier movie. If you are in the mood to be crushed stay away. I reccomend this film to people who love special effects films. Two sad thumbs up.

Once upon a time...:
... movies (the best as well as the worst) were made by people (actors & actresses, writers and directors), and used special effects to enhance the show. Nowadays, 'Special Effects' are the show, the story is written by accountants (whose creativity in accounting should not be extended out of this domain, since their concern is not about moviegoers, but shareholders), and, if actors are not yet out of work, it's only because their sex life can be used in tabloids to promote the release of the movie. But, of course, for those who think McDo is the most enjoyable culinary experience, they should not be disappointed.

No suspense whatsoever:
It's hard to get psyched for a movie when you basically know the ending. How can you sustain any kind of tension or suspense? That's a key problem with most movies which are deemed "historical". What most great historical films have done is examine the aspects of the history and demonstrate how the forces came together to create that ending. Think of GLORY or THE LONGEST DAY. They don't even have to be war stories. Think of A NIGHT TO REMEMBER or SEABISCUIT, for that matter. The problem with THE PERFECT STORM is that there is no suspense, essentially. We know the crew ignored or were deprived the information that things were going to get a little rough in the North Atlantic, and its boat got walloped. I don't know how Wolfgang Petersen or the script writers could have created the suspense, and it's not a reviewer's job to make recommendations. But as it is, I found myself increasing impatient during the first half of the film. Let's just get to the F/X and get it over with, I thought. The performances, I have to say in all fairness, are good, considering what the actors had to work with. The F/X were great, of course. But I still left this film with an empty feeling. Pass on this one.