The Finest Hours (2016)

All the characters seemed incompetent and self-centered, and the actors acted lazily. There wasn't much enthusiasm here. Is it just me, or did everything and everyone seem to move in slow motion? In any rescue mission time is of the essence, and I didn't feel that urgency - not from the pacing or the music. Yes, even the music seemed bland. The film really moved along at a dreary pace. Also, for anyone familiar with the story, they would have known how it was going to end anyway, so there are no surprises. During the storm, the waves were inconsistent. At times there were huge swells and then suddenly close-ups on actors revealed there were hardly any motion. The actors just didn't blend with their surroundings, rendering it unbelievable. Its still a heroic tale, though, and I did enjoy the film's final 35 minutes, and loved the ending.

The Finest Hours recounts the story of four brave men, who against all odds, went out to sea to save the life of some good 30 others in the midst of a treacherous storm. Though the events are based on reality the plot feels heavily scripted and the characters blown out of proportion. This, however, does not by any means hurt the film. Truth be told nothing in this movie, apart from maybe the score, actually under performs enough to make the film bad or mediocre. The actors play their parts well, certain shots are quite interesting and the film has a certain visual charm once you get used to the rain and darkness. It's just that nothing is truly... great.The rescue of the survivors of the SS Pendleton is an interesting story and the movie is a nice homage to the heroes and their actions. That's what the film set out to be and that's what it is.

I was surprised Walt Disney still produced a quality movie. Our whole family enjoyed it. We especially liked the fact that it was based on a true story. Folks kept their clothes and and every other word wasn't F this and F that. Self reliance and individuality was stressed instead of this over sensitivity and relying on group think. What some may not like is the respect shown towards rules and knowing when to over rule the rules. Gender roles are clear and defined i.e. women are women and men are men. Gasp,they even allowed praying in those days! It's the America we need to get back to in stead of this third world anything goes mentality. If you were not aware of the plot, you really couldn't predict the ending. There was suspense and the special effects were pretty good. It was very enjoyable. Thank you Disney! Produce more like this and we'll come back to being Disney fans.

The Finest Hours (2016) is absolutely average in every single way. Nothing in this movie was terrible, yet nothing exceeds the norm. The acting isn't really good, but it is certainly passable. The direction isn't memorable, but there is a distinctive mark left when it comes to the visual style. The special effects were very practical and convincing. The story is probably the most compelling part and is the only thing I found to be truly remarkable. Without that astounding real-life story, this would be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill rescue film. It was an entertaining watch and I wasn't bored throughout it. This is a story worth hearing about, but a movie worth watching when you've run out of movies to see on Netflix. Nothing more, nothing less.