The Perfect Storm movie poster
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The Perfect Storm movie poster

The Perfect Storm Movie Review

Earlier this year, a wet and wild thrill ride was released at theaters and served up tons of action and suspense. Another thriller dealing with the Atlantic Ocean has come to town, The Perfect Storm, and it is just about as impressive.

George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are the leading cast, but they are by no means the star. The star is the ferocious storm that causes havoc to the Andrea Gail, a small sailboat, a Coast Guard cruiser, and several tankers. With the help of ILM (Industrial Light and Magic), the storm is brought to life with pounding results. In the theater, the storm can be heard raging all around. The water is splashing the entire time. The waves look incredibly realistic.

Once the storm starts, the action never stops until the end of the movie. Though there are a few tidbits of family members waiting on shore (which just cut into the action), the screen is filled with waves, water, and wind. The movie is extremely suspenseful as the cast members are thrown about like rags, but the show is stolen from Clooney, Wahlberg, and the others by the daring escapades of the Coast Guard rescuers. This is where the movie really shines as the people who were meant to save become victims themselves.

As far as acting goes, it is forced down by the script. There are a lot of hokey lines, such as seen in the previews, about how much they like being fisherman and all that. There's nothing wrong with being a fisherman but having the characters talk about it in the way they do is sort of cheesy. Oh well. While the one-liners aren't quite as clichéd as in other action movies, they still aren't totally intelligent. Even with the limited script, I wasn't overly impressed with the acting, even though I am well aware that all of the people in the movie can act. George Clooney and Mark Walhberg sound a little artificial at times. And I wasn't impressed with Diane Lane who plays Walhberg's girlfriend; she seems too fragile.

The other interesting aspect of this movie is the fact that it's an action drama. This movie's based on a real life incident, and it treats it as such. There's not much in the way of cheesy comedy like there is in Armageddon and things like that. Furthermore, the movie is pretty said, as some of the main characters do die. The question is: Which ones?

The Perfect Storm is a viciously intense film with lots of action, loads of special effects, and real-life tragedy. This is one of those movies that you have to see at theaters and that you can't miss.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.

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