STOP! Sorry, what you are seeing is not a comic book hero fight, but the legendary adventure movie "Deep Ocean". Here, "Lincoln" becomes the captain, "Brother Hammer" becomes the first mate, and "Spiderman" and "Scarecrow" are the sailors. Of course, if we continue to identify, we can still find "Mad-Eye Moody" in "Harry Potter", "Mr. Q" in "007", and "Star" in "Game of Thrones". Mrs. Kerr" and "Uncle Bunyan". The team composed of such casts is already dazzling enough, not to mention that director Ron Howard is not a generalist. His previous works such as "Beautiful Mind", "The Iron Fist Man", and "Forster Conversation with Nixon" can be called temporary. select. Therefore, it is logical that this film, which brings together many famous characters and uses elements of the world famous "Moby Dick", attempts to compete in the Olympics.
Ambition is one thing, though, results are another. "Deep Ocean" won nothing at the 88th Oscars, not even a single nomination. In fact, this was to be expected. Every aspect of the film is not bad, but there is nothing that stands out. The genre and content of this film determine that it is difficult to come up with something new and surprising. There are not a few movies that tell stories of adventures at sea. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" series should be viewed as a spectacle, and the "Perfect Storm" should be adapted from a documentary. The script and There is not much room for breakthrough in special effects. As for the actors, the setting of the group show is obviously a shackle, the roles cannot be full, and the actors cannot have room to perform.
So, what are the pros and cons of this film?
Let's talk about the advantages first. First of all, the sense of rhythm is very good. The film is advanced through continuous interludes between Melville, the author of Moby Dick, and the memories of the crew Nixon. While the adventure plot is buffered, Nixon also faces the year from the side. The events of the film are supplemented to make the film more relaxed. On the other hand, what I think is a bit new is that the director took a compromise between "Moby Dick" and "The Old Man and the Sea".
how do I say this?
The status of Moby Dick in the history of literature need not be overstated. On the one hand, it has created the image of Captain Ahab in this episode of beauty and ugliness, with both the courageous and persistent fearless spirit, and the dark instinct of greed and cruelty. On the other hand, this image also coincides with the state of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – both the national vigor and pioneering spirit in the period of rising national fortunes, and the desire for expansion and expansion in the period of primitive capitalist accumulation. desire to conquer. Thus, in framing capitalism's attitude toward nature, Melville, intentionally or unintentionally, establishes a state of antagonism. The fight between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick is the fight between man (capitalism) and nature. It is not so much that the author has created a hero who symbolizes strength and will, but rather has established a negative example who has no reverence and remorse for nature. It's just that Melville didn't take a stand after all, leaving the right of interpretation to the reader.
Watch "The Old Man and the Sea". The old fisherman Santiago written by Hemingway is obviously very different from Ahab. Although he finally killed the huge marlin, he gradually developed admiration for his wisdom and perseverance in the process of fighting with the opponent. Feeling lost and sad. This is the same attitude that many hunting tribes treat their prey. They need to ask for food from nature, but they are also full of gratitude and awe for nature.
Thus, "Deep Ocean" takes a middle ground between these two similar literary works, telling a story about a sailor fighting a beluga whale on the one hand and Melville and his time as material, but not on the other hand The ending of Ahab and the giant whale in "Moby Dick" is chosen, but after the first mate and the white whale pass by and stare at each other, there is a "harmony is the most precious". The deep meaning contained in it is self-evident, that man and nature should coexist peacefully, which is also in line with the values of the public today's view of ecological issues.
Of course, there are also regrets in this film. First, in terms of characters and plots, it was said before that due to the limitations of the group play, the shaping of the characters was affected, but it is not without scrutiny. For example, in the first half of the film, the director made the captain from an aristocratic family and the first mate from a commoner disagree with each other. He should have been able to continue to create conflicts and increase the three-dimensional sense of the characters, but he did not expect to reach an understanding, which seems quite unnatural. Another example is the sailors running out of ammunition and food and living on a deserted island. It is a good opportunity to create tension for the plot by using the right to survive, but it is taken away. The friendship between the sailors is indeed valuable, but it also makes the film dull.
More importantly, this film is short-term in terms of the theme, without digging in depth, and it is very thin in spiritual temperament and connotation, which cannot be compared with "Moby Dick" and "The Old Man and the Sea", leaving only one relative. Old-fashioned adventure stories. It is also a movie inspired by "Moby-Dick". After watching "Jaws", at least I can remember Quint, the shark catcher, but after watching "Deep Ocean", I may forget it after half a month.
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