The Finest Hours Review: Great action sadly spoilt by too much sugary subplot.
Way before the studio became synonymous with Marvel superheroes and Star Wars, Disney was known for two things, animation and cheesy true-event live action movies. Well the years may has passed but it seems that some traditions die hard; the latest addition is this week’s The Finest Hours. Set in the early 1950’s The Finest Hours recounts the events of what is still considered the greatest rescue in the history of the Coast Guard.
The story begins softly and sweetly as we meet the shy, devote rule follower (and incredibly handsome) Bernie (Pine) as he meets with Miriam (Grainger), a girl he has been speaking to over the phone. The pair are instantly smitten but have a major hurdle to overcome in their relationship, she is afraid of the sea and Bernie is a member of the Coast Guard. Cut to a year later and the pair are on the brink of marriage, though Bernie is doubtful it is a good idea as in his line of work ‘sometimes you go out but you don’t come back.’ Before they can reconcile anything, along comes the storm and the pair are wrenched apart.
Both Grainger and Pine work hard to make their pairing work, and whilst they are very charming together, there’s an odd disconnect so they never quite feel real enough. It doesn’t help that once Bernie is out at sea he seems to forget about Miriam, whilst all Grainger is left to do is sit around and mope from the shore. This lack of real progression is a waste of Grainger’s talent, as well as the audience’s time, as it adds too much unnecessary padding to the run time.
Events only really kick into life once we meet the crew abroad the ill-fated Pendleton. As we meet the mish-mash of stock characters who make up the below-deck crew, the film finally gathers speed. The audience arrives just in time to witness the destruction of the Pendleton, something that makes the iceberg in Titanic look like a scratch. The scenes on Pendleton are tense, action-packed and could easily be a film all on its own.
Similarly soaked in action are the scenes with Bernie and his crew as they fight their way ‘over the bar’, you haven’t seen the sea this angry in film in a long time. The sequences onboard both ships are exceptional and exhilarating. With all these high impact set pieces the only way to truly experience The Finest Hours is in IMAX. The technology has been utilised brilliantly and certain moments, especially the crossing the bar scene, make you feel that you’re there, to the point where you’ll find yourself holding your breath along with the crew.
It being a Disney film, and being based on true events, The Finest Hours sadly gets weighted down by too much schmaltz which makes the pacing suffer. Too much time is spent on the relationship between Bernie and Miriam which oddly doesn’t actually go anywhere. Were The Finest Hours to focus primarily on the rescue mission and the Pendleton crew’s plight it would be a much more rounded and solid action adventure story.
The Finest Hours review, by Kat Hughes, February 2106.
The Finest Hours arrives in cinemas from Friday 19th February.
