The Finest Hours Movie Review
(I was given tickets to a prescreening of The Finest Hours to facilitate my review. The views and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.)
Recently I was given the opportunity to go on a date with my hubby to a prescreening to Disney's new movie The Finest Hours.
Disney's new Action Thriller was presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D. To be honest, I am not usually a fan of 3D films. They often give me a headache and make me sick. However, thankfully this movie was soo well done I often forgot I was watching it in 3D until the film would seem to reach out to me.
Before going to the movie all I knew about The Finest Hours was that it was based off the events of one of the Coast Guard's most epic rescues... and that it had Chris Pine in it. That was enough to get me excited on both counts because I both enjoy Chris Pine as an actor and I absolutely LOVE true stories. They are more powerful than imagined ones because you know that they really happened.
The Movie
I'll tell you one thing, if you are expecting a Wham, Bam, Bang action packed movie that jumps from one intense action scene to the next you will be in for a surprise. The movie actually starts off slow (almost like a drama) then steadily builds in suspense and action as the movie progresses. It was a real change of pace from most action films these days and personally I liked it. Alot.
The movie starts out by introducing you to Petty Officer Bernie Webber (Chris Pine). He is a shy, reserved young man meeting up with a girl named Miriam (Holliday Granger) who he has never met in person but who he has already fallen quite hard for thanks to numerous conversations over the phone (Miriam works as a Massachusetts switchboard operator). After the initial awkwardness of finally meeting each other, their relationship progresses quickly over the coming weeks to the point they decided to get married.
Before he is able to follow the book (he is that kind of by the book guy) and ask his commanding officer permission to marry Miriam a storm of hurricane proportions hits the coast.
Next the story moves to the Engine room of a 500-foot Oil tanker named the SS Pendleton. Worried that they needed to slow down because of the buffering of the storm Chief engineer Raymond Sybert (Casey Affleck) calls the captain with his concerns. Sadly the captain doesn't listen. Next thing you know, the storm hits the ship so hard it literally rips the ship in half. The side of the ship with the Captain, crew members, and radio (to call for help) sinks into the ocean. The half of the ship with it 33 remaining crew members remained temporarily afloat thanks to air in the Ships ballast tanks.
I found my heart beating faster and my admiration grow as the crew of the Pendleton led by the quiet, and competent chief engineer worked together to keep their half of the boat afloat long enough for someone to hopefully come and rescue them. My heart ached when Bernie was given orders to gather a crew (of 3 other men) and take a 36-foot wooden boat out past the Chatham bar and rescue those men knowing that it was a suicide mission. When urged by the locals to not go telling him there was no way to get past the bar he stoically replied, " In the Coast Guard they say you have to go out. They don't say you have to come back."
My husband and I flinched as we listened to the loud booming sound of the waves hitting the bar and wondered how it was possible they were able to make it through. And when they did only to discover they had lost their compass I wondered how they would make it in time and if they did where would they put all the men??
I absolutely loved the movie, and from the sense of quiet reverence that filled the theater as it came to a close; I know that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. All I could think of throughout this movie was I can't believe this really happened. After coming home I had to look up more information on this event, and all I can say is wow. Now I want to read the book that this movie was based on.
I think that Disney did a great job in capturing the feel of New England in the 1950's while utilizing modern movie effects to make it seem like you were really truly there (especially on the ocean in the frozen storm during the rescue. They managed to create a powerful Action Thriller that has no blood and gore and no bad language.
I have to admit this is the First time I have seen Chris Pine in such a humble self-effacing role. I loved that the two main heroes were the typical confident, assertive, charismatic heroes. Rather they were shy, quiet, competent men who were not respected or accepted by their peers. They stepped forward because they knew they had to. They put aside their fears to get the job done. I love how the crew of both the Pendleton and the small rescue boat had to work together and trust one another to survive. Every man was needed.
There were soo many great principles showcased in the movie that I would highly recommend it to everyone. If you haven't heard of the Finest Hours (which opened in theaters today) and my article hasn't convinced you that you have to see this movie yet, here is the extended trailer. I am sure after watching it you will want to see this amazing movie.
