In 1952, near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a young man named Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) and a young woman named Miriam (Holliday Grainger) fall in love and plan for a marriage right away. But Bernie works at the Cost Guard station in Chatham, and the storm on this particular day is monstrous. When the SS Pendleton, an oil tanker literally breaks in half due to the stormy conditions, no adequate rescue is possible. Bernie, simply because it's the right thing to do, risks his and a small crew's life to bring a tiny lifeboat out into the merciless sea to rescue the men on the Pendleton. The crew struggles to survive, coming up with creative ways to stay afloat and in one spot, but they know that their hours are numbered. Despite constant urging from Miriam down at the station, Chief Quirey refuses to call the men back, stating that it's their job and they knew the risks.
Being a film shot for a 2016 audience, much of The Finest Hours' storm scenes are accomplished using computer-generated water, which frankly becomes the star of the show. Combined with the sound design, the waves and the storm are incredibly visceral, especially in IMAX 3D. However, there's so much water, and so many scenes that start to blend into one another, that the use of CG becomes overuse, and has a numbing effect. The VFX used for the split ship are really well done, but unlike the aforementioned Titanic (which used mostly practical sets and models), the stakes don't feel all that real. This isn't helped by the flat writing of the characters; Bernie is too much of a Gary Stu to get invested in and has no perceivable character flaws. Miriam keeps edging on being interesting, with her insistence on calling back her husband, but I just don't know anything about her besides the fact that she lived in a time period that has strong restrictions for her gender. Performances from the cast are fine, but Ben Foster in a supporting role steals the show entirely (as he often does).
I was much more invested in the story of the men trapped on the oil tanker, but once again, there aren't really any "characters" to be found. Oh, look... there's the asshole. Oh look... there's the timid one. Oh look... there's the genius that no one wants to follow but clearly need to. These aren't characters, they're archetypes; shells that the writers need to fill with fleshy goodness. I understand that designing a story based on truth has its limitations, but I still feel more could be done here. This doesn't help that the plot is paper-thin; there's really only enough material here to be interesting for about an hour, and the film pushes on two. As a result, parts drag here and there and by the end there's a feeling of fatigue rather than relief. The film has a sweet center, and a refreshing sense of optimism, but it doesn't have much staying power.
The Finest Hours rides on its spectacle, of which there is much. There are moments that truly stun, like a grandiose image of the half-ship sticking emerging from a dark fog amidst the black, stormy sea. The rescue of the men at the film's climax is also very well-choreographed, with some breathtaking shots and a few inventive extended shots. Dialogue can be a bit corny at times, but that's not a problem for me; what sours it is the lack of investment I feel with the characters. It isn't a bad movie, it's just a disappointingly hollow one that tries to honor a man for an incredible act of heroism without making him interesting.
5/10
