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In the Heart of the Sea

Play trailer 2:42 Poster for In the Heart of the Sea PG-13 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

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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Stuart M A movie that doesn't pull any punches. It outright impales your soul, forcing you to think about humanity's place in this world, and how insignificant we really are. The tutor, a very angry 100ft spermwhale. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/29/25 Full Review Daniel C Ahhhh the incredible era of super bad cgi, the story is not even immersive, also in the 21st century i don't think most people like to see whales being hunted, cgi or not, this movie add everything to fail from the start. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/14/25 Full Review Michael M Freaking awesome true story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/14/25 Full Review Leprechaun K Based on a true story. Visually, the movie could have benefitted from less use of CGI, which was mediocre. Cinematography could have been better. Some of the deleted scenes should have been left in the movie, and would have added more depth to character development, particularly for Captain Pollard. Overall a good movie from Ron Howard. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/05/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review 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 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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