"In the Heart of the Sea" has the style, but very little substance

An "epic" of whale proportions, if you will. Chris Hemsworth is first mate on a ship called Essex, and his adventure on that boat in trying to capture an elusive giant whale will be the inspiration for Herman Melville's great American novel, Moby Dick. The movie looks great: it's made with just the right visual style worthy of its scope, and the production design seems grand. The problem is, the characters and the writing just aren't up to par, as there are cliches aplenty, and I don't mean just because we've read about them in Melville's tale. The third act of the movie takes way too long to show the whale hunters stranded in the middle of the ocean, then stranded on an uninhabitable island, only to be stranded in the middle of the ocean yet again, for what felt like an eternity. Ultimately, Hemsworth, even though he has the looks, does not possess the acting skills to carry a movie this ambitious for entire two hours. I'm also not sure that Ron Howard is the right director for it, but who am I to judge? This movie's RT rating and it's box office "success" speaks for itself.

C+