Review No.97: Big Miracle

I have to say I'm a sucker for a film about animal rescue my favourite being Fly Away Home however if we're looking at films about whales it has to be Whale Rider. Combining both of those elements is Big Miracle which is based on a real life story in which several groups of people banded together to help three whales trapped in a hole in the ice of the Arctic Circle. Initially breaking the story is John Krasinki's local news anchor Adam Carlson who has been reporting on local stories in Barrow for a month forming a good relationship with the locals in particular Nathan a young lad who looks up to Adam as someone who is exciting as opposed to the old native Inuit culture from which he comes. Adam's former girlfriend Greenpeace activist Rachel Kramer, played by Drew Barrymore, becomes obsessed by the story haranguing Oil Chief Ted Danson and Chief of the National Guard Stephen Root to band their resources together in order to help. As the story becomes national news more and more news anchors descend on Barrow leading the locals to up their prices for accommodation and food. One of the reporters, Kristen Bell's Jill, wants to use the story that everyone ignores to further her own career and with help from a smitten Adam is able to do this. Though everyone, including the office of President Ronald Regan, has their own agenda for helping the whales eventually they decide to help purely so the whales can survive. At the end of the day there are careers furthered, minds changed, new romances formed and old couples reunited.

I have to say I'm a sucker for emotional manipulation and Big Miracle has that in droves especially when the focus is on the CGI whales which it is mainly in the film's final twenty minutes. It's less pleasing however when dealing with the multitude of characters that director Ken Kwapis' film has decided to deal with and while I'm aware that all of these people were involved in the true story one of the beauties of this being a film is that you're allowed to edit. If there was a way of doing it I would've removed Barrymore's Rachel because while I do like the actress the character was far too annoying plus her romance with Adam was dealt with in a very slapdash manner. The focus on politics, international relations and big business were all dealt with well however neither really got the chance to develop while the eventual love story that developed throughout these elements was really only afforded a handful of scenes. The best story about the film was about the people of Barrow and the traditions of its elders which are being tested by the influences from outside a plot point which is represented through Nathan respecting Adam more than his grandfather. The comedy that arises from the over-charging of the world's news that has descended on Barrow's doorstep was also a good story slightly reminiscent of Local Hero. Kwapis definitely is able to create a descent family film here as he did with his first big name movie Dunston Check In however with so many stories it's hard to focus on just one. There's no denying that Big Miracle is a superior family film, and indeed I was entranced all the way through especially by the whales, however given some time to edit the source material it could've been much more than that.

Verdict: An engaging and involving true-life tale with some cute CGI whales is a more than passable family film however due to an over-abundance of characters it fails to be anything more than that so for that reason it gains only 6.5/10

Review No.28: The Grey

Isn't that film just Liam Neeson punching a wolf in the face for two hours? That was my friend's reaction when we were mentioning The Grey in conversation the other week and at that time that's what I thought it was as well. Looking at the posters and the trailer it seemed to be almost Taken goes Arctic but in fact it is more of a survival film think Alive with less cannibalism and more Arctic wolves. In the opening scenes of The Grey we meet Neeson's John Ottway a man who is paid to keep the wolves at bay while others work on an Alaskan oil rig. In flashbacks we see that Ottway has had some troubles with his wife and it seems now that he is trying to commit suicide but ultimately feels he can't go through with it and is back on the plane home with the rest of the men. However disaster strikes and the plane plummets down with only a few survivors left it us up to Ottway to lead the charge and help the less experienced navigate their way through the snowy landscape in hope of finding some kind of rescue. Anybody who has seen any film like this before knows what to expect there's in-fighting, unexpected deaths and scenes in which the survivors gather round a campfire and say what they're going to do when they get home. The main threat though is a pack of wolves that are constantly on the tail of the men as they edge closer and closer to possible shelter it seems that this pack aren't too happy with these men infringing on their territory.

The Grey is an interesting film in so much as I feel I've seen it's like before but thanks to Neeson's gripping lead performance it keeps you watching. The theme of the film seems to be what are these men living for? Some like Dermot Mulroney's Talget have got family to get back to while others like Frank Gillo's Diaz just don't want to die without one more shag. Neeson though is a man torn and director Joe Carnahan keeps you guessing to what it is that happened between Ottway and his wife. Carnahan is also good at presenting the wolves as a constant threat even when they aren't seen on screen the men's fear of them is enough to keep you guessing when they'll strike next. One thing that I do like is that there are no scenes of mutiny here and while Diaz bitches and moans from time to time you never think that he will usurp Ottway's authority. On the negative side I did feel a bit weary a times as the scenes of the men constantly making their way through the snow were a little boring but I suppose there's nothing else that could've been done to further the plot though things to get a bit repetitive at times that's only because this does feel fairly realistic. I have to say this was a pleasant surprise of a film but don't fear because Neeson does get to at least wrestle a wolf if not punch one directly in the face.

Verdict: A surprisingly gripping disaster film with a really engaging lead performance from Neeson I'll give this one a 7/10