Cast: Chris Pine, Holliday Grainger, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, John Ortiz, Eric Bana
Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: Drama
Duration: 117 minutes
Now showing: Cinema Magic Metroplex Mall Naalya and Century Cinemax Acacia Mall Kisementi
The year is 1952 and Bernard C. Webber (Pine) of the US Coast Guard has only one major worry –getting his boss’ permission to marry his girl, Miriam (Grainger); something about Coast Guard crew only being able to marry people from the area in which they are stationed with permission from their commander. Just when he has worked up the courage to ask, his boss (Bana) instead sends him on a rescue mission. An oil tanker and its crew are in distress and Webber must get into his lifeboat and help them out. That is all well and good except the fact that the weather in that side of the waters is unpredictable and the locals, including Miriam believe he is going on a dangerous mission.
Still, Webber takes three men along and together they venture into the unknown. This and the events that follow is the plot of The Finest Hours.
If you have read Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman’s book of the same title, then you have an idea of how this ends. Also, since it is based on actual events, you might have read about it somewhere.
Whether you know the story or not, the movie is still worth watching. Because the events were more adventurous than dramatic, seeing them come to life, especially in 3D should give you that boost of excitement we seek when we hit the cinema. Still not convinced? I’ll point out that this is a Disney production and one thing Disney excels at is taking you on an adventure. You may not remember the cast of the movie but you will remember the thrill of being in a life boat, the waves hitting you.
However, away from the excitement brought on by the effects, the movie is a little slow in some scenes, something that is noticeable when the action takes place. Also, and this is something anyone who looks out for a love story will like, a lot of attention is placed on Webber and Miriam’s love story. Sure, some of us eat up this stuff like ice cream and Disney knows it so they keep including it, but it is not a cup of tea for everyone. That said, this should be a good movie for date night if one of you is more into adventures and the other into love stories.