The Perfect Storm: Remembering the Movie 20 Years Later
We take a look back at one of the most underappreciated films in George Clooney’s career and the disaster genre, The Perfect Storm.
Sharing similar themes to George Clooney’s new film Midnight Sky, both that and The Perfect Storm are centered around the idea of voyages, going beyond what is expected.
Triumphing over all odds. The Perfect Storm is the ideal reincarnation of that but with a killer cast, that of George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C Reilly, Karen Allen, Diane Lane and William Fichtner.
The film is a cinematic retelling of the tragic storm of 1991 that shook Boston and the crew on board the Andrea Gail to the core.
It is obvious that director, Wolfgang Peterson who previously directed Harrison Ford’s Air Force One and the currently topical Outbreak, aimed to capture the scale and heroic nature of this disaster with a universal approach and a specific focus on the crew on aboard the Andrew Gail.
He does this with a strong sense of appropriate charisma and comradery throughout the experience.
It depicts real events but with a blockbuster appeal, making it a drama blockbuster, which is the best combination for this source material.
The chemistry between all of the characters is handled well, you feel that you are a part of the crew as they set into the ocean.
You see their personalities clash and exchange plenty of humorous lines. In particular, I loved the dynamic between Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney, it’s one of the films main selling points.
Although this film is driven towards excitement and not exactly the characters backstory, It’s the excitement and unpredictable nature of enduring the storm that makes you overlook some of the predictable and cliché development of the characters.
Due to the severity of the storm, you find yourself rooting for most of the characters, you want all of them to survive from beginning to end.
Most audiences are aware of this story and know the outcome, but no one knows specifically the details of how the ship went down with the crew.
The film interprets this speculation and decides to portray the crew as bold and chooses which characters to give the heroic gestures towards.
Within the opening, it spends most of the time developing characters that the writers want us to root for the most.
We get to know the crew’s personalities, the good and the bad.
The film takes you on a rampart emotional ride as soon as the crew step foot on the boat.
You feel the weight of this storm and believe that there is significant danger.
The film takes you on victorious fishing spells to facing immediate danger.
The score complements the sheer chaos with a sense of calm and heroic sincerity.
An odd combination and contrast, but it’s that aspect that to me makes this film more thrilling.
This film could have been much darker, but it is handled with a different tone that was needed.
However, it still shows audiences the destruction and scale of the storm, which is important.
The score is composed by James Horner and its uplifting at times even at the most desperate of scenarios.
The best tracks include ‘Let’s go, Boys’ and ‘Coming Home from the Sea’.
Other themes this film includes is the awe and fear of nature and how it can become literally unstoppable when given the chance.
In recent years, Everest (2016) was a fantastic example of this theme.
The most important elements that this film could have done was pay respect to the crew and that is exactly what this film achieved.
I left this film with a range of emotions, I couldn’t stop thinking about this crew, it brings a tear to the eye.
The first half of the film is certainly more subtle to the frantic 2nd half.
Yes, this film is known to be much more Hollywoodized than the book adaptation but I believe the producers did their best to handle the subject material with respect in the current Hollywood tradition of depictions of true events on screen.
Although Mark Wahlberg shines in this role, this really is George Clooney’s film.
Everything about his persona is likeable and he has a very unique ability to instantly connect with audiences with his charm and experience.
Clooney would do this later in one of my favorite performances in The Descendants (2011), but The Perfect Storm is his film.
He recently commented about the production of this film, saying that he got ‘beat up in the water’ in this article. He leads this crew right throughout the storm and even embraces it.
This to some extent sounds out of order or not in tune with rational thought, however it gives the audience a sense of adventure and portrays the real-life crew as risk takers with bravery ingrained in their psyche.
With this element, the film would not have been as exciting and makes the characters ever more likeable.
The camera work by John Seale is also impressive. The use of shaky cam is handled appropriately but not overdone.
There is both use of practical and CGI effects. The CGI effects were handled by the crew at Industrial Light & Magic, which needs no further introduction.
We get a nice balance of wide shots of the destruction but also internal camera work on the boat, making the film feel claustrophobic when appropriate.
I believe the real-life crew have left a legacy and this film captures that on a magnificent lens.
John Seale would later control the camera work in Mad Max: Fury Road.
A part from being nominated for two Oscars for best sound and visual effects, the film scored a shocking 47% on rotten tomatoes.
I believe it’s that rating that has made audiences tread with caution when considering the film.
Although, one of the finest film critics of our time, Roger Ebert commended the film giving it a 3 ½ star out of 4.
The film would gross over 328 million dollars worldwide against a budget of 120 million dollars, making it a financial and audience reception success.
Although, it has been 20 years since the film was released, it has been nearly 30 years since the disaster.
The film is showing on Amazon Prime and Netflix UK, I recommend this film in the anticipation process or in the same vein as films such as Midnight Sky and Greenland, its fits in that genre to some extent.
What sets this film apart from those films is that The Perfect Storm is based more on real events.
Cinematic disaster films that have more truth and realism tend to be the stronger ones.
The Perfect Storm is a timeless film, that will appeal to all audiences and it’s always been one of my favorites from George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.
Go check it out!
