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In the Heart of the Sea

Play trailer 2:42 Poster for In the Heart of the Sea PG-13 Released Dec 11, 2015 1h 56m Adventure Action History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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42% Tomatometer 237 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In 1820, crewmen (Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy) aboard the New England vessel Essex face a harrowing battle for survival when a whale of mammoth size and strength attacks with force, crippling their ship and leaving them adrift in the ocean. Pushed to their limits and facing storms, starvation, panic and despair, the survivors must resort to the unthinkable to stay alive. Their incredible tale ultimately inspires author Herman Melville to write "Moby-Dick."
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In the Heart of the Sea

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Critics Consensus

The admirably old-fashioned In the Heart of the Sea boasts thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can't claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires.

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Critics Reviews

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Kate Muir The Times (UK) As the tale unfolds, told within another tale, it becomes clear that this is also about narration and narrators, unreliable and otherwise. Aug 17, 2022 Full Review Edward Porter The Times (UK) ... A plain but still rewarding account of a true story from the 1820s. Aug 15, 2022 Full Review Brent McKnight Seattle Times Thor and Spider-Man fight a whale. Rated: C Jul 3, 2020 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The effect is largely a drab and plodding experience onscreen, with the occasional strong performance to keep us involved. Rated: 2/4 Apr 23, 2022 Full Review Hosea Rupprecht Pauline Media Studies In the Heart of the Sea chronicles well a fascinating era in American history. Sep 13, 2021 Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension How can we care about the whale when we don't even care about the men he's tormenting? Jan 7, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Katherine V Thoroughly recommend. Must see if you enjoyed Moby Dick. Call Me Ishmael. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review tim s I believe this movie received undue criticism. While it's not the best movie based on true events, it's far from the worst. The movie is solidly crafted, boasting an inspired sea-faring aesthetic. As the story unfolds, the escalating trials endured by the sailors become increasingly dire yet undeniably gripping. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review Blu B It's alright all around. It's a pretty standard stuff honestly for a sea faring adventure. Chris Hemsworth isn't bad and for sure the best thing. The other crew members are all pretty forgettable, don't have much character, and thus it really doesn't resonate when they die off. The all sort of blend in and that's saying a lot given Murphy and Holland are in this. The music is pretty forgettable too and at best just your standard adventure stuff. Not really catchy but not terrible. The cinematography is the biggest problem. It ain't that good man. This is overloaded with way too much CGI in it and it's so noticeable. Than other times it's dark, dull, and lifeless. The whale is fully CGI too. There's nothing really tangible in any of the sea action scenes and it's really noticeable because most of this movie is on water. Everything else is ok though. It makes sense and is pretty standard lost at sea type of stuff. It feels like though when we hit those key beats of a story like this we bounce around to pointless interactions with the side crew that doesn't really add up to anything and drags things out. If you take any of those things out nothing much changes. This needed a much more tangible production, better direction, and better side characters. Just stick with Moby Dick and skip this. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/12/25 Full Review Kayleigh B My husband and I watch this one on a whim the other night and thoroughly enjoyed it. So many movies these days reuse ideas and setting over and over, so it was refreshing to see something I've never seen before. I've never thought about the whaling industry in the 1800s, but was fascinated by that world and the people for whom it was reality. The movie took on some really dark themes without being overly heavy, which I really appreciated. I'm shocked by the negative reviews, but can only think it's because people were expecting Moby Dick. This movie is not about Moby Dick. It's the real-life story of the whaling ship that was sunk by a whale and the fight for survival that ensued. I thought the acting and visuals were both stellar. Loved it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review abraham l Amazing movie! Love the story and the effects ! Totally worth it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review K I Started off well, but kept descending into darkness. A totally unpleasant experience to watch. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/25 Full Review Read all reviews
In the Heart of the Sea

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1820, crewmen (Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy) aboard the New England vessel Essex face a harrowing battle for survival when a whale of mammoth size and strength attacks with force, crippling their ship and leaving them adrift in the ocean. Pushed to their limits and facing storms, starvation, panic and despair, the survivors must resort to the unthinkable to stay alive. Their incredible tale ultimately inspires author Herman Melville to write "Moby-Dick."
Director
Ron Howard
Producer
Paula Weinstein, Joe Roth, Will Ward, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
Screenwriter
Charles Leavitt
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
A.I.E., Cott Productions, Imagine Entertainment, Roth Films, Spring Creek Productions, Enelmar Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action|Brief Startling Violence|Intense Sequences of Peril|Thematic Material)
Genre
Adventure, Action, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 11, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$23.1M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Datasat
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