The Perfect Storm Reviews

• A Perfect 5

  
  By on 2000-08-19
  The Perfect Storm is a really good movie. The special effects were MORE than perfect, and the acting was great. I didn't think the characters were paper-thin at all. At least ~I~ found myself sad at the end.

  The fact is, people - who really went to see a 2 1/2 hour-long movie and expected a fully ACCURATE portrayel of a ship lost at sea? To act disappointed that they made half the movie up is ludicrous. It was LOOSELY based on a real-life account. I found it to be a great fictional story that had me on the edge of my seat.

  Through all this people still tend to shoot this movie down based on the fact that it is more sentimental than action-packed. Maybe so. But I think that the main point of the film was to make the audience feel for the characters on board and their families and friends waiting back home. The sentiment really made the movie. (BTW, I thought there was TONS of action)

  I really liked this movie and would recommend it to anyone.
  
  

• "The Perfect Storm" - The Perfect Film

  
  By on 2000-09-06
  The Perfect Storm is the best picture I have seen all year! Director Wolfgang Peterson shows us the emotion and depth of man's struggle against nature, and it's ultimate consequences as the fishing boat Andrea Gail heads through the worst storm in recorded history. The film does a terrific job of entering us into the world of fisherman. The storyline and characters are very wonderfully delved into. The actors do a fantastic job of showing us these are real people, and the film does great job showing us this emotional true story! The film includes stellar performances from George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Diane Lane(who provides extreme heart to the film and is a serious oscar contender!)who make us really care about the characters they are playing, plus a very strong supporting cast - John C. Rielly, William Fichtner, John Hawks, Mary Elizabeth Mostrantonio, and Allen Payne. The film is loaded with suspense, and will keep on the edge of your seat! As the Andrea Gail makes it's way through the storm, you will have sweaty palms and bite your nails. The film aslo includes a rescue attempt by the coast guard, to not only rescue the passengers of a doomed yacht but to rescue four of their own men, so terrific, that by the end of the action sequence you will be going wow! The massive Oceans are downright terrifying! The special effects are so good, that at no point in the film can you tell the ocean is computer generated! Not to mention this film has one of the best original scores in recent history(beautifully executed by James Horner). The film's climax is amazing! The end is very emotional aswell and will bring tears to your eyes. It is one of the most beautiful endings to a film ever( George Clooney's speech is wonderful and Mark Wahlbergs goodbye to Diane Lane is heartbraking!) In a summer of not so stellar films, "The Perfect Storm" shines on top. This film was absolutely amazing in theaters, the DVD has to be spetacular. Be sure to pick it up, a must have! Absolutely the best film, not only of the summer, but in recent history!
  
  

• an opinion from Gloucester

  
  By A3T6YZ95PONEHF on 2000-11-03
  Believe it or not, I scanned all 110 reviews to see if anybody who even lives in a coastal town put in their two cents about this movie, and found only two folks from Sitka, Alaska. My business is intimately related with the fishing industry and with this story, so when I saw it for the first time, for me it was like attending a memorial service, and I cried for hours afterwards. To know that six men drowned, even to know what happens to the body when one drowns (I am of course referring here to S. Junger's excellent book, The Perfect Storm) is one thing, to watch a depiction of that on film is something else entirely.

  I was profoundly disappointed in the emotionally manipulative score and the absolutely awful dialogue, and hey you guys, all of our lighthouses have been automated for years--there is no lighthouse keeper's son on Ten Pound Island waving at the boats going out to sea! Honestly, the story is sad enough without that blatent heartstring pulling crap.

  But holy cow....to watch Hollywood put together with special effects that storm--so impersonal and so devastating--that in itself almost balances out the negatives of this film. Really though, the pros and cons if the film have been explored ad naseum here--let me tell you what you don't know.

  Wolfgang took extreme pains to "get it right" with the town and with the fishermen. He hired many of them to make sure that every single detail of the fishing scenes was right on. And it was--every fisherman that I've talked to has said that it was absolutely accurate. And the swordfish--one of my friends works for the fisheries, setting regs for swordfish catches, and he said he didn't know until deep in the credits that all of the swordfish used in the movie were fake. In fact, somebody called the department of health here concerned that a swordfish had been sitting out in the sun on the dock all day...one of the props for the movie.

  How realistic were the characters? This has been the feedback I've gotten. Bugsy was right on--just like that. Sully was not anywhere near such an jerk. Mark Wahlberg captured something about Bobby Shatford that was almost intangible--the way he smiled, the way he laughed--just the energy around him. Billy Tyne, in spite of what his ex-wife is alleging (and trying to sue WB for) was not a suicidal tyrannical maniac (and I don't think he came off that way in the film either). The woman who played Ethel Shatford also managed to capture something of Ethel's energy.

  And here's a blooper for you--check out the movie poster--major proportional screw up! The Andrea Gail was 100 ft long. So if you do the geometry, the wave depicted is over 200 feet high! It was out before they could catch and fix it.

  If you even remotely liked this movie, I would strongly urge you to get the book. Sebastian Junger took great pains to not put words in the mouths of these men (something Hollywood unfortunately has no qualms doing), but instead built a strong, journalistically solid structure of buttressing information, interviews, details, research--all on every single detail of what the men on that boat probably experienced on their trip. Sounds dry, it's not--he even makes wave mechanics fascinating (how does a wave get to be 100 feet tall, anyway?) It also goes into much more detail about the Coast Guard rescue (wow, talk about heroes) and the other boats in distress.

  The movie? Eh--I won't see it again--the dialogue would probably lead me to throw something heavy through the tv screen. It's a shame-not that anybody's expecting Shakespeare, but cliche after cliche? Blech.
  
  

• The Average Movie

  
  By A38G64S5VMRI1P on 2000-11-14
  I wasn't one of the cynics. I wanted to see this film. I was optimistic. Heck, I even live in Rockport, the next town over from Gloucester.

  But this movie, except for the special effects, was awful. If you were to strip away all of the digital imagery, the alluring ocean storm, and okay acting, you would be left with a half-baked story that does not establish any basis whatsoever for respecting the protagonist(s).

  I, for one, was not moved by Clooney's "powerful" Act 2 climax declaration of "I always find the fish!" It was almost laughable. They were going for Scarlet's "I will never go hungry again," and they got something much, much less to put it kindly. The problem was that they were unable to mask - despite a *valiant* effort - what really happened here. A group of men made bad decision after bad decision, with money and greed as their motive, ignoring their loved one's advice, and they got themselves killed. When you strip away all the rhetoric, that's what you get.

  And I was literally embarrassed for Diane Lane. You know when you go to a talent show and the performer is so bad that you actually feel embarrassed for her? That's how it was with Lane. Not only the accent - I mean please - but the acting. They had her going for the Oscar in every scene, and when I was supposed to feel bad for her, I was literally chuckling and shaking my head. I have never seen such overacting in any movie, ever. Ever.

  And what about the "Perfect" storm? Why was it perfect? What was so amazing about it? There is almost *nothing* in the movie about the dynamics of the storm system that led to these events. Other than telling you that 3 systems are colliding, there is nothing else mentioned about the uniqueness of this situation.

  Had it not been for the special effects I would have given it one star. The ocean was magnificent. I'm not even going to talk about the ridiculously unrealistic events that occurred, because you expect that sort of thing in this kind of movie. But I also expected a few other things: Related storylines, believable characters, LIKEABLE characters, and decent acting. In these areas, the film is wanting.
  
  

• "Perfect Storm," Perfect Movie

  
  By A1J2931UBBJPXM on 2000-08-14
  In late October, 1991, the commercial swordfishing boat Andrea Gail left Gloucester, Massachusetts, headed for an area just off Nova Scotia known as the "Flemish Cap." The weather in the North Atlantic in the fall is always chancy, but Captain Billy Tyne (played here by George Clooney) had been the victim of some poor harvests of late, and he needed fish; moreover, he knew where to find them. He was also aware of the risks involved at that time of year. What he didn't know and could not foresee (nor could any meteorologist have predicted), was that three major storms were about to converge to form one huge storm, the likes of which comes along only once in every hundred years or so. And the course he had set was about to take him, his boat and crew of five men, right into the middle of it. Director Wolfgang Peterson recounts this incident in "The Perfect Storm," a deftly crafted and intense rendering of the story of the Andrea Gail, and its encounter with the storm of the century. What Peterson did with this film, the way he tells the story, can be likened to what Melville did with the novel, "Moby Dick;" as it moves along, he fleshes out the characters and subtly provides an intimate portrait of what this kind of life is all about. He pays such meticulous attention to details, that by the time you're in the middle of the storm, the impact is extraordinary; you know what this boat is and how it works, you've smelled the fish and the sweat and the sea, and worked alongside the crew. You know these people and what's at stake here. You know the feel of the fishing lines and the grappling hooks, felt that rush of adrenaline that comes when you hook a big one, or when a huge wave washes over the deck. He gives you so much in this film, puts you in it so completely, that it primes your senses for whatever's to come. Combine all of this with the best special effects imaginable, outstanding performances, and a terrific score by John Horner, and you're in for the thrill of a lifetime. The charismatic Clooney is exemplary here as Tyne, and is able to convey a real sense of who this man is without resorting to unwarranted theatrics or bravura. He simply knows him from the inside out, and it shows in the way he carries himself, the way he walks and talks, right down to the look in his eye; the seasoned professional with all the skill and confidence required of his job, but a man who is nevertheless also aware of his own shortcomings. It's a commanding performance with nuance and depth, all there on the screen, and Clooney makes it real. Mark Wahlberg is also outstanding as Bobby Shatford, the rookie fisherman who can't stand to be more than two feet away from the woman he loves, Christina (Diane Lane). Another notable performance is turned in here by John C. Reilly, who does an emotional turn as "Murph," the veteran fisherman who is divorced, has a young son he loves dearly, and lives with the remorse of past mistakes that ultimately destroyed his marriage. Rounding out the exceptional supporting cast are William Fichtner (Sully), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Linda), Allen Payne (Alfred), John Hawkes (Bugsy) and Michael Ironside (Bobby Brown). There are thrills and heroics to spare in "The Perfect Storm," but it's also inspiring; once you've seen the Coast Guard in action, for example, you'll never take them for granted again. What makes this such a great movie, though, is that it's about real people, an instance of ordinary people getting caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and Peterson has made them accessible; these are people with whom anyone in the audience will be able to identify. This is a powerful, emotionally charged and unforgettable film; it will take you to places and you'll experience things from the comfort of your seat in the theater (or on the couch) that most people will never get close to in real life. And therein lies the true magic of the cinema; this is one movie you absolutely do not want to miss.
  
  
• Glorified TV movie!
  By A35D7QZPIMT6T4 on 2000-10-21
  The Perfect Storm is not much more than a glorified TV-movie. Sure, it wasn't lacking goodlooking stars (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane) or money for special effects (the sea is quite terrifying), but really interesting, no.

  This movie tells the story of a group of fishermen, who go out into "one of the biggest storms of all times", to catch some fish because they have kids to feed, people to support, they need the money. the tragedy can easily be foreseen of course.

  What makes this movie attractive, is the emotional buildup, seeing the crew of the boat bond, set themselves over their prejudice, and risk their lives for each other, even those they thought they "hates". It is the story of courageous men who don't walk away, but face their enemy up to the point of losing, the real story of simple fishermen who risked their lives for others.

  Regardless of the big stars, the money that went in, and the great ratings, I don't think this movie is worth buying. If it's on tv on a friday night, turn the tv on, (or if you're a big George Clooney fan, go see it cuz he looks sexy) but other than that, don't waste your money on this, there are much better movies out there!
  
  

• The Perfect Disapointment
  By A4821U19QIH28 on 2000-11-09
  Don't be fooled by the big wave in the trailer for this movie. That's the best part, and you have to wait two hours to see it. And while you wait, you have to sit and listen to horrific dialogue, watch a bunch of sailors curse and fight each other, and see a bunch of New Englanders sit around a TV and watch hurricane coverage on the local news. This movie is boring! There's nothing new about the concept, just another cliched film about man versus nature. Trust me, it's not worth the effort to stay awake throught this movie.
  
  
• Exciting, but long
  By A2GPEV42IO41CI on 2003-01-13
  George Clooney stars as Billy,the no-nonsense captain of a Massachusetts swordfish boat. He gets caught in the worst storm of the century. Mark Wahlberg co-stars as his newlywed deckhand who has to leave his wife and mother behind. The crew of the fishing boat is made up of the usual stereotypes (tough-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold, divorced-dad, etc.) and they take turns falling overboard, getting on each other's nerves, and being heroes.

  The photography is great, considering the storm scenes were filmed on a sound stage. They look real and are thrilling. The actors are all very good. It's a true story and worthy of a movie.

  If the film had stopped there, it would have been a 5-star movie; unfortunately, we get subplots involving a yachting crew also caught in the storm, their rescuers, a freighter, and all the folks the fishermen left behind. These subplots clutter up the film and take so much time, that the movie feels way too long. All we want to see is what happens to the fishermen in the storm; that part is excellent.
  
  

• Not a Perfect Movie, But All Around Good Movie
  By on 2000-06-17
  I recently saw the special sneak preview of the movie. This movie is one of the coolest sea adventure movie like other such movies i.e. Titanic, The Odyssey, and some other movies I have forgotten.

  The plot is about fishermen wanting to fish really big fishes to get a lot of cash. Sounds lame, but then they are confronted by a storm. Not just any storm, but a "perfect" storm. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but lets just say someone dies, but who, I will let you guys decide.

  George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg each gives a good performance and the story is pretty ok. What I really like about the movie is the ending and the music. The music is good because it is composed by James Horner (Titanic).

  Not a perfect movie, but it has good acting, above average story, cool special effects, and an awesome score. I suggest you go watch it and see for yourself.
  
  

• Of course it's "Hollywood," but so what?
  By AYTGG6XTVUG7G on 2000-11-24
  The book version of *A Perfect Storm*, on which the movie is based, is a fascinating study of meteorology and oceanography, and people who have seen the film definitely should go back and read it if they have not already. As technically informative as the book may be, however, it would have translated into a "Nova"-type documentary film rather than a "movie" had the film producers stuck faithfully to the contents of Junger's text.

  Instead, producer Gail Katz and director Wolfgang Peterson (who also directed such classics as *Das Boot*) have taken the hoary Gloucestermen-gamble-and-lose theme and turned it into a spectacular action film complete with some of the finest computer-generated special effects that have appeared on the big screen in many a year. Some of the dialog and thematic material is predictable, and yes, unabashedly "Hollywood," but so what? The end product is extremely well-crafted, technically breathtaking, and thoroughly absorbing. The film is worth seeing just for the computer-created storm effects, but on top of this, the acting, direction, and editing are all first-rate.

  After all, don't most of us go to the movie theater with a willingness to surrender to a few cliches, as long as these are presented in a form that is powerful and entertaining? This film is definitely of the "Hollywood blockbuster" genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think most other viewers will, too.
  
  

• Entertaining, but not "Perfect"
  By AAQ5V8IAEOTMK on 2000-09-14
  I read the book then saw this movie at the theater. And it was a very entertaining movie, although it did have its flaws.

  In the beginning, I agree with other writers here that the movie did push too hard to make you care about the characters. Although I'm not sure what the alternative was - make a longer movie to allow more time to develop feelings for them?

  The special effects were amazing. The rubber fish looked real, and the waves looked incredible! Breath-taking!

  The movie did a good job of creating tension. You know something explosive will happen once the Andrea Gail reaches the storm (or vice versa), but you must wait for it a bit. The movie flashes between the wild storm scenes and the still-peaceful waters surrounding the Andrea Gail. Exciting.

  Now some bad news - the scipt and scenes were at times unbelievable and silly. My fiancee and I joke about the scene (PLOT SPOILER) when the Andrea Gail is going down: Capt. Tyne apologizes to Bobby for "getting you into this mess" and Bobby replies "That's alright cap." The water is quickly rising to their chins and they look downright nostaligic as they chat. Also at the end, when Bobby is in the water and waiting to die - he's peaceful and serene while thinking of his girlfriend. I couldn't help wondering why he wasn't a bit afraid or angry about dying. And yes, the movie does manipulate for tears.

  So, my final word is this - it's an entertaining movie. See it on video. But don't expect too much because you'll be disappointed.
  
  

• Uneven, Hollywood-ized
  By ABN5K7K1TM1QA on 2004-07-29
  This is not as bad as I feared. I would never have watched it except that it was mentioned twice in a noncommittal way in a book I had just finished reading, Stuart Pimm's The World According to Pimm: A Scientist Audits the Earth (2001). It starts out like something from any of half a dozen big project Hollywood directors, e.g., James Cameron (Titanic) or Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat), with faux realism and intrusive atmospheric sights and sounds and bits of background sound-bite conversations played too loud. I'm already shifting in my seat when I realize that Wolfgang Petersen, who produced and directed The Perfect Storm is none other than the very same Wolfgang Petersen who produced and directed the internationally acclaimed German language classic, Das Boot (1981), one of the best war movies of all time. So now I'm thinking, how bad can this be?
  
  Turns out that The Perfect Storm is one of those movies that can't decide whether it's a man's action flick or a woman's relationship saga. Petersen spends an inordinate amount of time giving each of his crew members some kind of relationship before sending them off into the mother of all storms, reminding me of movies where the guys go away to war and the women stay behind keeping the home fires burning. Enough time is spent in the bar to make me think we're watching "Cheers" or we're on shore leave before the final assault. Strange thing about this is that Petersen, in making Das Boot, didn't care in the slightest about establishing relationships or engaging the female audience. But times have changed. Today's Hollywood director knows that to get people into the theaters you've got to make sure that women's issues and interests are addressed.
  
  "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" (A quote from Seinfeld in a different context, that you might recall.) But imagine how diluted and unfocused Das Boot would have been had Petersen spent half an hour delineating each of the crew's fraus and frauleins.
  
  However, some of the work was worth the effort. The relationship between Irene and Bugsy (Rusty Schwimmer and John Hawkes, both doing a good job) was different and compelling: "I wish it was night so I could say, Goodnight, Irene." He speaks true corn. "There'll be a time for that" she rejoins, to the point and suggestively. (I'm paraphrasing from memory.) But the relationship between male and female fishboat captains (George Clooney and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) never got off the ground, and I yawned through the all too familiar quandary of the young lovers, Mark Wahlberg and Diane Lane.
  
  Anyway, at last we are out the harbor and onto the fishing grounds. I was hoping for some real authentic, little known color about long-line fishermen, and I got some: the storage cells where the fish are packed with ice, the lines going out baited, the shark on deck, still biting. But that was about it. I was also hoping for a fisherman's point of view on the world-wide controversy about over-fishing and the "Tragedy of the Commons," but all we get is that they're not making as much money as they would like, and the boat's owner gets more than seems fair.
  
  Okay, so let's see the storm. And we do and it's a monster, with massive waves throwing people all over the place threatening to swallow up the little fishing boat. Best action shot: the wave blasting the cargo containers off the deck like toys (actually they were toys). But I kept thinking, who really knows what it was like on that boat in the middle of that storm? The boat flips over and flips upright and then flips again. Nobody knows who tried to get out and who didn't. And were the lights still on? I would think it would get pitch black at night under the water. What I'm saying is, the cheap cutouts used for some of the water scenes in Das Boot were more effective than the millions spent on special effects for The Perfect Storm. At least in the former we knew they were merely simulations. Here the attempt at realism underscores the fact that I'm watching a movie. Oh, and the musical score: not only intrusive, but unnecessarily directive in the sense that it's telling me how I should feel about what I'm watching.
  
  Bottom line: This is just interesting enough to keep a drowsy couple awake on a Sunday night. But be forewarned, the kids will want to stay up and see the storm.
  
  
• "The Perfect Storm" Sinks
  By A367SHOUJ850W8 on 2000-08-30
  An incredible storm was not the most destructive force in thisfilm. The most destructive force in this film was the over stuffed script. That's what sinks this film.

  I cannot remember the last time I sat through a film that thought it was this important. Every element in this film smacks of arrogance. From the over inflated characterizations to the audacity that the writers had to "dramatize" the events that happenned on the Andrea Gail.

  This film could have been fantastic. All the elements were in place. A wonderful, heart wrenching true story; a superb cast; an accomplished director. But sadly, the screenplay is very subpar. It takes too much time telling us why we should care for these characters without actually accomplishing that goal. The methods used to make the characters likeable were so obvious it was like seeing how a magican saws a woman in half. The fact that these are based on real people should be able to stand on its own. It is filled with dialogue so bad that its laughable.

  But that's not to say that the film is without any redeeming qualities (Yes, they are there even though they are few and are between). As the commercials boast, the special effects are quite stunning and the action sequences are masterful.

  But that eventually becomes a problem as well. The movie was more concerned with the storm than with the characters on that ship. The effects were great but everything else was thrown to the side.
  
  

• What a manipulative piece of c**p!
  By A21XZ396MM2Y17 on 2000-09-11
  I simply can't believe that this movie is so popular. The first 45 minutes are a ham-handed attempt at getting us to care about the characters, but the dialogue is so generic and the characters so hackneyed that the attempt is laughable. We are not shown real people, we are *told* what to think. Then we are taken to sea, where we are introduced to some random other characters (in a sailboat, and a helicopter) who are also in trouble. But who cares? I don't care about the main characters, much less these completely random unknowns. The special effects are decent, but even in the storm the writing and acting are wretched. The sailors are stupid and incompetent, and even though they are continually on the edge of death, they have little cheering/bonding sessions every time they fish one another out of the drink. The ending of the movie is embarassingly maudlin, pumping (and pumping, and pumping) for tears after cheating us of any real human beings to care about.

  To top it off, the musical score is intrusive and, like the rest of the flick, ham-handed and manipulative. Strings swell every time somebody so much as twitches, until the audience is numb.

  I was insulted by this movie, and I'm insulted that audiences no longer have the capacity to be outraged when they are pandered to and their intelligence is repeatedly insulted. Screw special effects -- give me one, just one character that resembles a real human being and not a paper-thin idea in some hack scriptwriter's mind.
  
  

• Shape Shifting Liquid Mountains
  By A1Q0AQ2HVNSYYW on 2000-10-01
  They said it couldn't be done, but director Wolfgand Petersen has managed to make a sensational film out of a thoroughly mediocre script. Petersen's film is more of an exhilerating showcase for ILM's magnificant storm effects then a moving account of the real life events that took place off the coast of Nova Scotia in the fall of 1991. As a result the film's final scene with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, which I won't describe here, is more uncomforatble then moving. Given the fact these characters were based on real people, that last sentence may seem offensive, but the fault lies squarely with William Wittliff's one dimensional characterisations.

  The film opens with the fishermen returning home with their catch. Petersen works extra-hard to capture the flavors and accents of the small town of Gloucester,Mass. There are scenes in a local saloon where Springsteen's Hungry Heart plays and the fishermen are reunited with their lovers, mothers and ex-wives. But Petersen's attempts are thwarted by Wittliff's shallow writing. We are introduced to skipper Billy Tyne(George Clooney) who walks around in a flannel shirt, looking like a movie star and spouting lines like "I am doing what I was made to do". Then there is Bobby Shafford(Mark Wahlberg) who is deeply in debt and deeply in love with Christina Cotter(Diane Lane). The rest of the Andria Gail's six man crew are Murph(John C.Reilly) who maintains a friendly relationship with his ex-wife, Sully(William Fichtner) who is made, by the screenwriter, to hate Murph and thus provide the film with some badly written scenes of tension and reconcilation before the storm arrives, Alfred Pierre(Alan Payne) a Jamican fisherman who remains entirely in the background and Bugsy(John Hawkes) who is the film's most endearing character and infact would seem like a screenwriter's idea of comic relief if he weren't a real person. Where some screenwriters manage to create real people out of thin air, Wittliff has taken real people and molded them into convenient stock characters.

  James Horner's score, which is a fine piece of music, is terribly used. If the film-makers intention was to present us with real people so we could care about their peril, why does Horner's orchestral score accompany them on a seemingly routine fishing trip. These six guys are heading out to sea to catch some fish, and Horner's music all but tells us, that they are infact destined to meet The Perfect Storm of the title. It gives the game away.

  Gradually, Petersen abandons his futile attempts at human drama, and shifts his attention to what is ultimately the real star of the film, that awe-inspiring and genuinely terrifying storm. There is a completely perfunctory cameo from Christopher McDonald as the meteoroligist who exists only to describe what a the "Perfect Storm" is, and frankly I would have preferred a narration over the opening credits doing just that. A parallel story line involving the rescue attempts of a sailboat called the Mistral exists only to tease the audience with the spectacle of the storm the crew of the Andrea Gail will soon encounter. But by that time ridiculous lines such as "Its time to seperate the men from the boys" and "You're heading right into the heart of the monster" have been uttered with straight faces, that the audience is forced into the criminal position of eagerly awaiting the dreaded storm rather then fearing it.

  There are so many things that are wrong with The Perfect Storm that I now realise that my review looks like a pan. It isn't. Infact this is one of the most visceral cinematic experiences I've had all year. The granduer, the size, the force of the raging sea could never be adequatly described in a review. Out there, in the dark the black water takes on a viscous quality, and the 100ft waves of that Perfect storm resemble mountains formed and crumbled by a mindless force that couldn't care less about six fishermen trapped in the middle of it all. Yes, I would love to see a Terrance Malick version of The Perfect Storm with more psychological, emotional and scientific depth, but lets face it, that version wouldn't have grossed one tenth of its cost. The credits for this one say "A Wofgang Petersen film, starring George Clooney", I think "An ILM film starring Big Wave" would have been more accurate.

  If you plan on seeing The Perfect Storm on the small screen then downgrade my rating to 3 stars.
  
  

• This film is barely worth it.
  By A3TFFSO47Z3BX8 on 2000-10-17
  When this film was being produced it was done with the flair and enthusiasm of that of a big Hollywood movie, which it is. But what is so disturbing is that this tragic story is based on a real event, and one fairly recent.

  Like "Titanic" the audience knows of this film's ending. But "Titanic" had 80 years for the world to heal a bit. The tragedy of "Perfect Storm" occured in 1991. I feel sorry for the families of the fishermen in the film, they have to relive this in their minds everyday and now it's on screen for everyone to laugh and cheer at.

  The subject matter of "Perfect Storm" is hardly appropriate for a big budget actioner. This film owes more to "Twister" than "Titanic" in that it is presented as a roller coaster ride type of film.

  Dealing with the film itself, it's full of story and acting problems. One major problem is the two separate storylines that have no relation to eachother. Two ships lost in the storm, one makes it one doesn't. But the biggest problem with this film has got to be Diane Lane's terrible accent. Man, the producers of the film must really be pushing for an Oscar nomination for her because you couldn't get her off the screen! Why are we so concerned about her when it's Clooney and his crew who are in jeopardy? Because the producers are going for that "Apollo 13" wife at home Oscar nod.

  The acting in the film is fair, Clooney and Marky Mark to a pretty good job in getting the audience to fear for them. The effects are first rate, sound, music... all of the technical stuff is good. But the overall effort is disgraceful. I hope that Warner Bros. seriously issues out some major royalties to the families of those dead fisherman for making a shameless entertainment based on their tragedy. And it wasn't even entertaining either.
  
  

• Petersen's folly
  By A1G0RWUE33DTF on 2001-01-19
  Ah, Wolfgang... you made such an impression on me when I was just 10 years old, "reading" my first foreign film, Das Boot. That movie sticks to you, scares the hooey outta ya, makes you think... but this... this "Storm" this thing... this hideousness.. total lack of subtlety.. makes a guy wanna barf.

  I didn't read the book, but of course I knew what was going to happen and being from Boston and all there was a certain allure to this film, the local angle and what-not, but what a gigantic let-down! Here's my experience of the movie in an nutshell.. you can send me your heartfelt thanks for saving you the... rental charge:

  1. Some fishing guy gets his pride all hurt and has to go out to prove himself a tough fishing guy in front of his crew and a competing lady fishing guy.

  2. You don't know anyone's name on the boat, even a good hour into the film. You're saying to yourself, "Is that guy Murph or Eddie? Is there even an Eddie in this film? Does anyone want me to go get popcorn?"

  4. In line getting popcorn you find other movie patrons each with a fixed stare, a sense of impending doom. It's "Rime of the Ancient Snack Bar" as the undead who have been watching this film seek respite from it by standing in line as long as possible. I give everyone behind me "cuts" and stare at the Dove Bar poster behind the counter. Twenty minutes pass.

  5. I return with popcorn and ask my date, "What happened?" She says, "The storm is coming." I ask, "The fat guy. Is his name Dougie?" No reply.

  6. The big wave from the movie poster comes and kills everyone. I think I hear some muted cheering behind me. I sigh in relief. The fat guy says, "This is going to be hard on my boy." Is that what you'd say if you were in frigid salt-water with a boat on top of you? I think a stream of expletives or frantic praying to the deity of your choice is more apropos. I mean, really... What did he expect Micky (or Dougie or whatever) to say? "Yeah, I'll let your son know you said that after I swim back to shore. See ya." I am dying for another box of popcorn, another peek at the Dove Bar poster

  7. Wolfgang Petersen, in a move I believe inspired by custom airbrush paintings on the sides of many 1970's cargo vans, superimposes the angelic softly-focused visage of Wahlberg's girlfriend's face on a far and wide shot of Wahlberg floating quietly in the north Atlantic, so much cinematic flotsam. The voice-over reads some corny letter he wrote to the girlfriend. The End.

  I hate this movie almost as much as I do "Twister"
  
  

• it shows how it really is
  By A305134GXF2257 on 2000-08-16
  Coming from a fishing town in Alaska, this film hits especially close to home. Although the Bristol bay crabbing fleet has lots worse weather and loses lots more lives and boats than we do, we still have our share of boats that sink in bad storms. Some people complain that The Perfect Storm doesn't have a happy ending, well "welcome to the real world". It wouldn't have been realistic at all if any of the crewmen would have survived. There has also been some complaints about the weak roles that the actors play. I know alot of fishermen and deckhands, I have done some long-lining myself, and those men and women acted perfectly normal; no great, awesome speechs; you never see a bunch of fisherman get super emotional and powerful; but often there is alot of passion shown for fishing since it is not only a job, but a way of life. All in all, the movie was very realistic and powerful. Last of all, hats off to the coast-guard men and women who risk their lives daily to save others. It is very much appreciated among all fisherman and sea-farers; especially those who have been rescued by them. It's a great film that hits close to home. I highly recommend it
  
  
• I Enjoyed It
  By AWFDFLR1DA23A on 2001-05-12
  I quite enjoyed this film as it was far better than i thought it would be. The film is about a group of fisherman who have come across hard times with their catching, so they decide to go back out to sea once more to make up their quota and earn some more money. From this it sounds boring, but with this being a hollywood blockbuster you know this isn't the case. While out at sea there just so happens to be the worst storm in history and the film progress with the crew trying to fight their way through the storm and back hope to safety. This film is fuuny in parts and sad in others so it has all of the criteria to be up there with all of your other favourite movies. Worth a watch!!
  
  
• Read the book! Watch the movie if you must....
  By on 2000-09-07
  I am a victim of Hollywood hype! Usually a sensible movie goer I always check review before I plunk down my cash on ever more expensive movies. The Perfect Storm was uniformly panned by critics, and for a good reason which I will get to later. So why did I watch it? Let me explain. I had decided to get the book instead (I have some sailing experience and love true life nature struggles) which was a bargain on Amazon for $6 or so. Where the book is far superior is in its detailing of storm technical details such as the maximum possible wave height in a storm (over 200 feet!)or what a fishing boat captain must do to keep his boat afloat in a storm. But my favorite part of the book is the various stories of ALL the vessles caught in this storm of the century, not just the Andrea Gail. As you read the book you suffer the anxieties of "will they make it?". Your mind adds detail to the fates of the doomed fisherman. That is truly effective. The suggestion of the tragic outcome is far more realistic than the movie outcome. Because no one knows what really happened to the Andrea Gail the author offers possibilities only told in a narrative that is truly frightening. Wait? Hollywood invented the story in the movie? Ah ha! Yes, unfortunately I feel that the story as shown in the movie is weak compared to the unknown reality of the book. In fact I would have loved to see more time in the movie devoted to the sailboat rescue( which is more elaborate in the book), or the other ships in trouble. Not the phony emotional scene of Mark Wahlberg in the ocean with a vision of his girlfriend. So why after reading the book did I subject myself to an inferior story? Marketing hype. After seeing the preview with the giant killer wave 100 times I got suckered in. And although I found the water special effects to be impressive, effects alone do not make for a good story. In fact this movie is an example of how a bad script can ruin a great story. As a recent DVD owner who picks movies that combine good stories that entertain me AND have great cinematography, The Perfect Storm will not be joining my collection.I give the movie 2 stars out of 5 overall with 3.5 stars for the FX and 0 for the script. And order that book now which I give 5 stars.
  
  
• The Perfect Cure For Insomnia
  By A2B7LP1CE8DN5Q on 2000-09-23
  Let's take a natural disaster movie and mix it with a boring story line and see what we get...Nothing! Just the same predictability in every natural disaster movie mixed with a story which may or may not be true. I hope what really happened was more exciting than this. The movie just drags on and on. I am an AVID movie buff and this was the first time ever that i fell asleep in the theater. The special effects were beautiful and thats it! The acting was dull which went perfectly with the storyline. This movie should sink to the bottom of the sea!
  
  
• A Parable -- Facing Death
  By ARF5OI5V9OI00 on 2006-03-09
  ** Spoiler Alert! **
  
  By the time most people got to the theater to see this film, or rented it, they already knew the ship and its crew would be dead in less than two hours.
  
  Surprisingly, this does not diminish from the film's power. Even on second or third viewing, the film never delivers a moment that is false, maudlin, or sentimental. The plot is not what keeps people engaged during this film. It is the issue. How do people face death?
  
  In this film, the people are the captain and crew of the boat. They know commercial fishing is a difficult and dangerous job, even when the weather is good. The weather is not good. The men need the money. They go out even though they know they will meet a storm. They are used to risking their lives every day.
  
  The storm turns into a hurricane that traps the men, and kills them. They struggle to save their own lives. They fail. When they are neck deep in water in a compartment of the overturned boat, they face death squarely. They talk, briefly, and unsentimentally, about things they will not be able to do, people they will miss. The stark, plainness of the acting achieves a powerful effect.
  
  At the beginning of the film, the viewer meets the crew. On repeated viewings, the film shows nothing milked -- nothing artificial. The men are solid, working people. There is no sappy foreshadowing.
  
  The director deserves kudos for maintaining iron-fisted control of a vehicle that could have been campy.
  
  The viewer will learn a lot about meteorology. The special effects are indistinguishable from live action.
  
  All the actors, including George Clooney, maintain a stoic engagement with life, and they struggle to live, with no appeal to our pity, until they are dead.
  
  The Perfect Storm is more than a film. It is a parable. One could invest in such a classic work of art.
  
  
• Perfect Storm: Not so Perfect
  By A7CDB2QCLFKWB on 2000-09-25
  After watching this movie, with it's awkward, stumbling dialogue and its pedestrian cinematics, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the masses of movie viewers who were packing themselves into theatres all over the United States to watch this overly formulaic piece of manufactured emotion.

  There is absolutely no saving grace to Perfect Storm. The dialogue is outright laughable and the characters, which were created through a five minute diatribe of impotent conflict and rhetorical nonsense, are hardly incarnations of the actual heroes. The story, which is an outright rape of Junger's novel, revolves around a group of sword fisherman who's voyage to the flemmish cap is wrought with peril. After much useless, unrealistic dialogue and a few gratuitous tears, the movie ends and the audience leaves, most of them completely captivated by the movie's manufactured emotional content.

  If you don't like to think and are easily entertained by low-brow story-telling, buy this movie. If not, try something else.
  
  

• Oh man, I tried to hate this movie, but I can't.
  By A3D6OI36USYOU1 on 2004-02-06
  George Clooney is not one of my favorites, for obvious reasons, but there's just something about this film. Maybe it's the hopelessness of it all and the total helplessness of the crew that just makes you wish you were tatooing your eyeballs with a used crack needle or something but ....... the cinematography and the FX are absolutely amazing.

  OK, the characters are a little stale and we all know these guys arent coming back, but that fishing trip must have been one helluva'n adrenalin rush. It was for me and like I said, I really wanted to hate this thing cause I think Clooney is nothing but a modern day William Shatner, but he actually surprised me here, and I aint surprised very often.

  The features on the disk are as satisfying as the transfer and the 5.1 which will just blow you away. No complaints. 4 Gaffs
  
  

• Riveting Man Against Nature Action Film (Guess Who Wins?!)
  By A2SRZQU1SZG4RR on 2004-09-29
  I watched this film the Thursday before Hurricane Ivan veered North/Northwest into the Gulf of Mexico, setting its course for the Florida Panhandle and Alabama. I was transfixed watching this film, as real events unfolded out on the Gulf ... for the third time in one month ...in Florida. Although this film starts slowly, once the fishermen are assembled and out to sea... the action is non-stop and gut-wrenching. The entire film is powerful and suspense-filled. Overall, a true depiction of how serene waters can suddenly become life-threatening ...
  
  As the men innocently cast their nets, and work to haul in their catch of swordfish, the weatherman in Boston gives the viewer a satellite view of three storms that will likely converge exactly where Capt. Tyne and the fishermen are headed. Meanwhile in Gloucester Massachusetts, the families and friends are huddled at the corner bar ...watching the television that seems to confirm their worst fears about the lives of their loved ones. As they watch and hear of the news about the storm, they pray for the safe return of the fishermen, wondering ...
  
  The cinematography of the rescue attempts are superb as is the filming of the Andrea Gail attempting to overcome the perils of the storm. Although Capt. Tyne appears a tad fool-hardy, the Coastguard who comes to their rescue and the fishermen themselves are depicted as men of courage and valor, which they truly were. The fate of the swordfishermen seems inevitable. The memorial service at the church is very realistic and sorrowful ... the final scene which shows the names of the men who died ... written on a wall plaque ... is so final, and such a small tribute for what they experienced. Highly Recommended. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
  
  
• Big budget Hollywood's ode to the working man
  By A3HE7BC5JW9JFJ on 2000-08-04
  To use an appropriate phrase - I was blown out of the water! If you've read nothing about this film, read no further - just see it. If you are familiar with the events that took place on the Grand Banks in October 1991 - all I'll say is that this film is a leap of the heart. We don't know exactly what happened onboard the Andrea Gail, but let this film take you along in its speculations. How easy it would have been to make a sensationalised, tacky film. But the prevailing feeling with this piece is one of respect for the crazy/brave working-class guys who risk everything for several months every year - giving up family, home, comfort, solid ground and a whole lot more - for the financial rewards that deep sea commercial fishing can once in a blue moon provide.

  Sebastian Junger's novel of investigative journalism has been faithfully transferred to the screen, with powerhouse performances by the entire cast - particularly that of John Hawkes as Bugsy Moran (but you would be hard pressed to go wrong with a cast that includes George Clooney, Bill Fichtner and John Reilly). It would seem that with The Perfect Storm and Three Kings, Mark Wahlberg is setting out to redeem himself for such past efforts as The Big Hit. He absolutely shines here! Obvious comparisons to Das Boot will and have been made - I won't bother, only to say that this is Wolfgang Petersen's best work since.

  Dialogue is rich and realistic. Structure is intriguing and well paced. Technical work is of the highest standard. I have little bad to say about this film. A note on the visual effects - they are so good and there are so many of them, that you soon forget about them - isn't that how it should be?

  As someone who spent time at sea on a similar sized vessel to the Andrea Gail (though in much calmer weather) - I was knocked out by the reality of this film. But don't think for a second that you have to have been in these men's shoes to appreciate who they are. You'll fall in love with all the characters in this film within the first twenty minutes.
  
  

• Perfect Review
  By A279TOQGFV0TSJ on 2000-07-03
  Having just seen the movie I can say that although it wasn't a "perfect" movie ...it was truly enjoyable. George Clooney gave a great performance and I found him very believable. I never knew anything about the Andrea Gail or her crew and I found it fasinating to expore the life of fishermen. The sappy parts in the movie could have just as well been left out but the storm special effects really put you right in the middle of it. Great direction by Peterson.
  
  
• Near Perfect
  By A2Q96NHN9N10WE on 2000-07-03
  Perfect is loosely used term, so I'd have to say this movie is near perfect. There was hardly a thing I couldn't like about it. First off, the special effects during the storm were truly spectacular. You HAVE NOT seen this before. The "scenes of peril" during the storm are great suspense. Some complain the characters are paper-thin, but I have to disagree. They spend quite a bit of time characterizing them before the storm starts. John C. Reilly (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia) turns in another spectacular role, and Mark Wahlberg steals the lead role from George Clooney. I cared about what happened to these characters. And lastly, don't go in knowing what will happen. I didn't, and I tried very hard to make sure I didn't, avoiding any and all information regarding the outcome. You'll enjoy it more. Something to think about: would you rather listen to James Horner's annoying score or the sounds of the storm?
  
  
• Starts Slow, but Wait Until It Gets Going!
  By A1TFH5Y9I9M3YN on 2000-11-08
  Okay, so for the first 1.5 to 2 hours you may be bored, just a lot of BS about cutting & cleaning fish. However, during that time you really bond with the characters and get to know them personally. Then, they go broke. They need to score a big load of fish. When better to fish then during "the storm of... forever"? (None, because the fish come out when it rains). But with the storm comes some violent seas. Some sato-machismal, be all that ends all, VIOLENT seas. From the first flash of lightning, until the very last second, WOW! Believe me, you've never seen anything like it! If you bave a big screen & digital surround, this is a must-have. If not, it's a must-rent.
  
  
• "Das Boot" for dim bulbs
  By AST7UNIXVOAVA on 2001-01-13
  What can I say? P.U.

  Poor Wolfgang - he borrows material shamelessly from his own "Das Boot", from the opening "party" (funny how these Glouchester types are even cruder than the U-Boat crews!) to the stocking-up of stores on-board to the shot of the departing ship (although at that point, *I* was whistling "a threeee hour tour"....)

  But where "Das Boot" was authentic right down to the claustrophobic set, "Storm" gets downright silly. I was astonished at the scene (obviously made-up to create empathy for our silly sailors) where one man gets dragged overboard and two other hard-drinkin', hard-SMOKING guys dive right in after him and swim about 100 yards UNDERWATER in a HURRICANE, FIND HIM, grab the poor sap, and then CATCH UP to the boat. Uh-huh, yeah, OK. THAT'S what kind of movie ya got here, folks. (I also want to know the secret of how they managed to light those cigarettes in a hurricane, while we're at it.) Let's not even get into the total absence of life vests, use of transponders, or why the poor TV weather-guy is made to look like a villain. ALL of the characters were of the flimsiest cardboard (except George Clooney, poor guy, who simply can NOT be ANYbody other than George Clooney: dress him up in surgical scrubs, a sailor suit, desert camo fatigues - same George.)

  The James Horner soundtrack suffers from extreme emotional bloat - but the RANGE of emotions is from drippy to gooey to simply sacharine. Ugh. And was it my imagination, or did those big bad waves GROWL just like the tornadoes in this flick's foster-father "Twister"?

  No, I haven't read the book. I've read "South" (long before "Into Thin Air" re-popularized the disaster genre) and several books on Great Lakes shipping disasters. I've heard that the book is a fine look into the chain of decisions that seemed reasonable at the time but lead inevitably to the watery fate depicted. This film, though, is a waterlogged piece of Hollywood-ized history, insulting to all but the most feeble of intelligences and yet another example of CGI technology overcoming plot and character development. Better "adversity at sea" movies: along with "Das Boot", there's "The Caine Mutiny", "The Cruel Sea", or even "Moby Dick" (the original, not the one with Capt. Picard.)

  Leave this hulk for the video scavengers.
  
  

• Twister
• U-571 (Collector's Edition)
• The Mummy (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
• The Mummy Returns (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
• Top Gun