The Perfect Storm is a disaster movie that shook me to the core the first time I watched it with my wife (who was my girlfriend back then), it is a movie that would stay with me on years to come because of the implications it had as well as the abrasive and brutal way it portrayed mother nature.
This is a 2000 biographical disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and based on the book of the same name by Sebastian Junger. This movie revolves around the 1991 Perfect Storm incident, also known as The No-Name Storm.
Based on a Real Story
This movie is based on the real-life tragedy of the Andrea Gail crew, a commercial fishing boat that was caught in the Perfect Storm and thus, lost at sea.
The Perfect storm is the name that was given to a natural disaster that took place in October of 1991 (which also gives it the name of The Halloween Storm), where a nor'easter (a macro-scale extratropical cyclone) absorbed the remnants of a hurricane (Hurricane Grace), causing a massive cyclone, and thus, a powerful storm that lashed into the northeastern United States with high waves. Two forces of nature combined each other to wreak havoc.
The Plot
In the film, we follow Billy Tyne, captain of the commercial fishing boat Andrea Gail. These fishermen have returned with a poor catch from their latest fishing expedition, and thus, are desperate for money, since that means they'll have a harder time sustaining their families.
The captain then convinces his crew to go on one final expedition, ultimately deciding on risking their lives during the Perfect Storm, being confident that they would be able to make it and collect enough fish to be well-sustained money wise during the rest of the year.
A Movie Hard to Forget
This film has spectacular visual effects (mostly CGI), it is truly an extraordinary spectacle and I was very impressed the first time I watched this film. It was terrifying, the idea of how brutal nature can be and how men just can't escape from it.
This movie has a stellar cast, where I'd like to focus on the amazing George Clooney as Billy Tyne, the captain of the ship, and Mark Wahlberg as Bobby, the least experienced member of the crew. These actors deliver scenes that had me biting my nails as I could truly feel the distress and was also amazed by how these characters were handling a situation in which I'd be panicking.
This movie has been heavily criticized for focusing on the storm or that the characters lack depth, its main drive being the visual spectacle, that we are not given enough time to heavily focus on the backstory of these people. Perhaps this is opinion is too personal but to me, the charm of this movie is this beautiful yet terrifying natural phenomenon that is able to kill even the most capable of men.
I do not have to know that much about this crew to care, as to me, this extraordinary situation is more than enough.
The Controversy
This movie has been very controversial because of the twists in its events to fit the Hollywood narrative, something that happens very often with movies that are based on real events. The real people involved in this incident and that knew what had truly happened, were baffled at the portrayal of the people they loved as an irresponsible crew that had gone on a highly dangerous fishing expedition even though they knew they could die.
The real crew of the ship were met with this storm by accident and they had been three days into their steam home when the storm hit. The ship was lost at sea and not much is known what happened during their final moments.
However, I'd like to point out that because of this film, many, including me, remember this tragedy. I was able to further educate myself on this topic and the differences between the movie and the real-life events.
The Suspense, the Dread and ultimately, the Doom
We are given the impression that these men are the best of the best when it comes to fishing, that they have been through so much they are the most capable to survive this storm and come back home with their impressive catch.
I truly admire the way these characters are portrayed when facing this life or death situation, and to me, it truly was an emotional rollercoaster when we, the audience, were given the impression that they'd survive, that these amazing solutions they'd have for the most dangerous situations would pay off. But then again, most of the people I was with in the cinema were as ignorant as me to the fate of the Andrea Gail ship and we were slapped with the harsh reality:
Men can't defeat nature.
The last moments of these characters were chill-inducing, I was amazed at that final scene and have never been able to forget about it.
Even though this movie has been criticized and is highly controversial, I can't help but applaud it for its achievements. I was heavily impressed when I watched it, I felt the dread and was terrified at what nature could do and felt the utmost respect for these men, able to make the most of this doomed situation, trying to save themselves until their very last breath.
This is an entry for League of Movies (HIVE WRITING CONTEST): Third Edition | Week 02 - "Mother Nature" sponsored by
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