Over the past hundred years Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick" has been studied for its epic story and its encyclopedic understanding of the whale. The book is considered one of the great American novels that will continue to confound some and fascinate others. Ron Howard, who has always been fascinated with historical films, used his latest effort "In the Heart of the Sea" to explore the origin story of Melville's story. The result is a mix of "Life of Pi" and the documentary "Leviathan" and a film that is, while interesting and solid, falls below the standards one is used to from Howard.

The film opens with Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) arriving at a hotel looking for Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), the last survivor of the Essex. Now an older man, Nickerson is tortured, hiding behind the guise of alcoholism and refusing to tell the story of the Essex and its ruin at the (figurative) hands of a white whale.

Once his wife convinces him to tell his story to Melville, the film goes back to the past and the audience now follows Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), the second in command, and his journey as he battles with captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker). Once on seas the story continues through the eyes of Chase with some instances from Nickerson as a young boy (Tom Holland). However, it is never clear whose point of view this story is from and in many ways this is where the biggest issue is.

"In the Heart of the Sea" follows the same formula of "Life of Pi" as it goes back in time. However, in Ang Lee's Oscar-winning film, Lee always stays with Pi and audiences are always following him. In this film, Chase becomes the central figure and instead of it being Nickerson's story and his journey, it become Chase's film. Hence, Nickerson's narration seems pointless since the audience is trying to identify with Nickerson and his conflict but ultimately connects most with Chase. Ultimately, the whole narration seems disconnected from the overall story of the whale.

But the issue goes further. At one point in the narration, Nickerson says that Chase and Captain Pollard continued to be at odds during the voyage. However, throughout the first act, the audience only sees one fierce discussion between the two and never again do these two really fight. The tension between them is never felt as it is described and the rivalry theme, which Howard so masterfully captured "Rush," seems completely glanced over.

Many times Howard opts to tell us what is happening and not show the atrocities of being shipwrecked and on these type of voyages. For example, when Nickerson is told to take the oil out of the head of the whale, Howard cuts to old Nickerson and while he definitely captures young Nickerson's disgust, one is left unsatisfied by the wholeness of the experience. At another moment Pollard's cousin tells him that his crew is upset but that tension is never really seen and thus not fully felt.

Finally, a big issue is the CGI and special effects. While the whale's details are meticulously crafted and look very real, a lot of times in the wide shots it is clear that the whale is CGI. It takes the audience out of the story. And this is enhanced by the chaotic camera work. At some points the film is shot from the POV of the whale in GoPro-style and looks similar to "Leviathan." At other times it is beautifully refined camera work. However, it never feels like there is a cohesive style and instead feels chaotic. Perhaps Howard's intent was a desire to create a frightening and frenzied environment for these sailors. But it is hard to actually follow with the dizzying editing style.

But despite all of these defects, the film is still enjoyable. Once the sailors are shipwrecked, Howard is really able to capture their suffering, their loss and their starvation. It is enhanced by the masterful makeup work which creates a decaying and starved Hemsworth. It also helps that the boats are so detailed in the deterioration as the white whale continues to attack them.

Howard also masterfully creates suspense particularly when the sailors first encounter the white whale and are attacked. The auteur utilizes close-ups and its limited vantage point to create suspense. He rarely cuts to the ocean and when he does it is to follow the whale. Ultimately the disorientation leaves the viewer constantly guessing as to when the inevitable will happen. The sound editing also works well as he emphasizes the ships movements and the whale's breathing under water.

The performances are nuanced with Hemsworth continuing to show he is more than just Thor, and Tom Holland, who is future Spider-Man, continuing to show promise. Benjamin Walker and Cillian Murphy also turn in good work.

Ultimately, one wonders if the Melville sequence is even needed in this film as the adventure is enjoyable enough and makes for a good story. Whatever the reason may have been, Howard unfortunately never truly brings it home. However, with all the qualms this review had with "In the Heart of the Sea," it must be made clear that film is still solid if not the masterpiece one expected.