Fascinated by the mysterious story of the whaling ship Essex, which disappeared in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Herman Melville tracked down Thomas Nickerson, one of the ship’s sailors, who was still traumatized by the events. From this he wrote his greatest novel, Moby-Dick. Howard’s movie tells the story of the Essex, which left New England in the winter of 1820, captained by the young and inexperienced George Pollard, and assisted by his first mate Owen Chase. As they go off on their hunt, they come across a huge sperm whale that fights back…

Picture gallery

Ron Howard’s filmography doesn’t shine with originality or by taking risks: A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon, Rush and of course The Da Vinci Code and its sequels are all very Hollywood. In the Heart of the Sea is another such example: despite some great moments, this adventure movie that reunites Chris Hemsworth with Howard in the wake of Rush is too tame and simplistic to meet its ambitions. Although full of wonderful special effects that drive the adventurous aspect of the movie, it also is bogged down by lifeless characters, syrupy dialogues and a flat plot (especially the colorless scenes between Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson, and Howard’s choice of ellipses to move things along). Scheduled for release last March, the movie was reslotted for the Oscar season. But what has been hyped as a flamboyant adventure does not meet its real potential.