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CINEMA
REVIEWS
35
ALSO SCREENING
IN DECEMBER
The latest franchise reboot in a year full of franchise
reboots is J.J. Abrams' continuation of a sci-fi series
that began way back in 1977. Will J.J.'s take on
a galaxy far, far away be a force to be reckoned
with, or a phantom menace? Either way, it'll be the
biggest movie of 2015 and will surely knock
Jurassic
World
from the No. 3 all-time box office position.
But can it sink
Titanic,
or topple
Avatar
and claim the
top spot? Over the wait is, on
Dec 17
.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
A young apatosaurus befriends a caveboy in the
latest animated adventure from Pixar. Ok, so
it's not prehistorically accurate, but it is more
family-friendly than its Jurassic kin.
Dec 26
.
THE GOOD DINOSAUR
At last! It's been four long years since we saw
a bit of 'munk madness on the big screen, and
now Alvin and the gang are back, hitting the
road to prevent Dave from proposing to his new
girlfriend. Hilarity ensues on
Dec 26
.
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS:
THE ROAD CHIP
Tis the night before Christmas and Seth Rogen,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie are
hitting the town for their annual night of festive
debauchery. The party starts on
Dec 3
.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
O
scar-bait doesn’t get any more by-the-
book than this salty adventure by all-
purpose director Ron Howard. Based
on true events, this epic tale follows 19th
century whaling vessel
The Essex
(a time
when crude oil was yet to be discovered),
which embarks on another flammable gold
nectar whale-oil mission via plundering the
innards of Earth’s biggest mammals with the
most intimate and dangerous methods one
could imagine; that is until one ghost-like
behemoth simply says "no", and turns against
them with horrific consequences.
It's told in bookended hindsight, with author
Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) consulting
the lone survivor of the ill-fated journey (in the
shape of Brendan Gleeson), and interspersed
with the actual events aboard
The Essex
with Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and
Benjamin Walker as the reluctant lower-class
first mate, best mate, and privileged ‘no
mates’ captain, respectively. With tension
mounting and macho ‘watch this, I’m better
than you!’ style decision making pretty much
stuffing up the lives of everyone, our whalers
soon find nature cares little for the trivia of
men; and life is fragile, lawless and futile in
the face of certain, lonely and isolated death.
It’s a gritty, water-in-your-face, man-versus-
nature, boat-versus-storm, man-eats-man style
affair that while unfolding with grace, extreme
production values and genuine beauty,
still reeks of clichéd safety amongst the
impossibly flawless visuals and atmosphere.
All performances are top notch – Howard
has always been a great director of actors –
but the script and edge of your seat narrative
opportunities lack real dramatic revelation.
This is a blue-rinse dream spectacle that
reminds discerning audiences just how
amazing, unforgettable and engrossing
John Huston’s original
Moby Dick
, Roger
Donaldson’s
The Bounty,
and (to a slightly
lesser extent) Peter Weir’s
Master and
Commander
all were. They provided far more
stimuli for the memory and soul of the viewer,
rather than simply dazzle with the best visuals
money can buy.
Chris Murray
FURTHER VIEWING:
Moby Dick (
1956)
, Orca
Ritchie Cunningham hunts his very own white whale with his 'tick every box'
adaptation of the true events in 1820 that inspired the literary classic
Moby Dick
.
IN THE HEART
OF THE SEA
RELEASED:
Dec 3
DIRECTOR:
Ron Howard
CAST:
Chris Hemsworth, Cillian
Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
RATING:
M