Chris Hemsworth & Tom Holland’s Pre-MCU Team Up ‘In the Heart of the Sea’ is Streaming on Netflix

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As a seasoned critic with a lifetime of cinema-going experiences under my belt, I must say that Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea” has proven itself to be quite the enigmatic film. Initially dismissed as a box office flop, this historical action adventure has managed to resurface and captivate a new audience on Netflix.

The tale of a ship’s encounter with a sperm whale may not have initially sounded like a blockbuster hit, but with a cast boasting the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, and Benjamin Walker, it certainly has a few tricks up its sleeve. It’s almost as if Warner Bros. threw together Marvel’s Thor, Spider-Man, and a former Batman villain for an adventure that would leave audiences bewildered, not exactly the kind of adventure they were used to!

The film’s failure to recoup its $100 million budget at the box office is certainly a sore point for Warner Bros., but it’s a testament to the ever-evolving nature of the movie industry that a forgotten flop can find new life on streaming platforms. It just goes to show that even movies with grand aspirations, capable casts, and a story within a story, can still fall short in captivating audiences.

As for the film’s critics, they were certainly divided in their opinions. Some found the whale more intriguing than the ship’s crew, while others felt the entire tale was simply too plodding to keep an audience engaged. However, with its current rating of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems that some recent viewers have found the film worthy of praise.

In the end, I must say that “In the Heart of the Sea” serves as a reminder that even a movie flop can find its place in the hearts of audiences, much like the elusive white whale at the heart of the story. And who knows? Perhaps one day we’ll see a sequel titled “In the Heart of the Streaming Service,” starring none other than Thor and Spider-Man battling it out with a new Batman villain – a former Netflix original series character, of course!

As a cinephile, I find it fascinating how certain movies, like the seemingly forgotten Ron Howard historical action-adventure from 2015, can resurface years after their initial release and achieve success. The film, titled “In the Heart of the Sea,” which provides a dramatic account of the real-life events that would later inspire Herman Melville to pen the timeless novel, “Moby Dick,” has unexpectedly climbed to the second spot on Netflix’s chart.

The tale of a ship’s run-in with a sperm whale from 1820 might seem like an odd competitor to Christmas comedy favorite Carry-On, which remains popular on Netflix following several weeks at the top, but it does offer some compelling factors…such as Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland. Yes, the movie that unites Marvel’s Thor and Spider-Man for a unique kind of adventure and adds a past Batman antagonist to the mix, has a star-studded cast that attracts viewers, but it might be the allure of the casting choices that is currently exposing this film to many more people than originally saw it in cinemas over a decade ago.

Initially, it appeared that the movie was heading towards obscurity as it struggled to recoup its $100 million budget at the box office, managing only $25 million domestically and relying on $69 million from international markets to barely break even. Warner Bros., who have grown accustomed to suffering losses from expensive productions in the past decade, have faced criticism for hastily writing off some films as tax-deductible losses. Movies like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme, which were recently written off, might not have flopped to the same extent as In the Heart of the Sea did a decade ago.

Even Marvel Stars Could Not Save This Moby Dick Flop

Movies can vary greatly in form and scale, but merely because a film isn’t expected to draw blockbuster-sized audiences doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be produced at all. Unfortunately, Howard’s historical movie about the untold tale behind Moby Dick, the world’s most renowned white whale, didn’t garner the positive critical reception that would typically entice viewers to visit cinemas.

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 42% rating, noting that while it aimed high, it often failed to reach those goals despite boasting a talented cast. Some viewers found themselves more emotionally invested in the whale than the ship’s crew, which was central to the story. Others felt the narrative within a narrative moved too slowly and lacked the excitement necessary to captivate an audience.

Concerning the viewers, the rating for the movie right now is slightly improved at 54%, with numerous positive reviews from newcomers who found the film on Netflix recently. Although this won’t affect the movie’s standing as a box office disappointment, it does hint that any film can eventually find an audience it may have missed during its initial release.

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2025-01-03 19:31