A beautiful well made movie

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2018)

The Finest Hours: Directed by Craig Gilliespie and written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
This is a based on a true story Disney film, one of the few rated PG-13. Almost none are ever released through the official Disney with the big castle channel with that rating intact. This was a fairly under the radar release. I remember a big standin located just outside of the arcade at my local theater. It looked fascinating from a disaster movie stand point. But this was a bit more than that. It does fit the mold of this type of movie to a T. This could turn a lot of people off but hear me out on this one. This one is different enough. It has the swelling music cues and you know how the arcs of the characters may turn out.
Chris Pine is incredible in this movie. He transforms into this character completely. He still looks like Chris Pine but his speech, his body language and his demeanor feel completely Bernie Webber, a stauch rule following meek man. He believes in the system and the way of doing things. His character is the centerpiece of this movie along with Miriam played by actress Holliday Grainger. This is where the movie takes a different route. It is the way the movie opens that really changes how things are perceived when they head out to sea in this crazy storm to rescue the crew members of the Pendleton.
The movie opens with a 20 minute scene where Chris Pine and Holliday Grainger meet for the first time. They just talk and reveal bits of themselves. The bar scene then reveals more. The dance hall scene after that reveals the true crux of their relationship.
This is not to say that it's the only thing worth mentioning about this well made movie. The effects of the roiling sea and the split ship were incredible. They were so beautifully done that you believed every second of it. The crew on the ship also reveal their ingenuity in trying to stay alive long enough to rescued.
This is a solid well made movie. It makes you believe in the situation and feel for the characters. It is beautifully shot and just a really good movie. I give this film a B.