Against the Sun (2014)

Why so much hype?

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Nice effects though.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

It could be a great movie pf a fantastic story. Director mess it up. Were they shaved after 20 days adrift? A shark biting a hand and causing minimum damage? Just poor. One of the views movies I could not finish watching

No spoilers. Just general information about the film. This is not the greatest film ever made but compared to a movie that I saw with Robert Redford some time ago -also a survival story at sea it kept my interest. I rented it from Itunes the first ever film I have rented in this way. It also recalled the survival scenes of Mutiny on the Bounty as well (1935). I gave the Redford film two stars and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) four stars. It also recalled THE OLD MAN IN THE SEA in that it had a few brief flashbacks and dream sequences. OLD MAN IN THE SEA is a near classic 3 1/2 stars. It also seemed to recall the OPEN BOAT a story by Stephen Crane. This is a solid workman like film. I give it high marks for historical accuracy. I could not notice any anachronisms in the gear or script. It was, in a very real sense, a tribute to the stoic courage of the "greatest generation." I found the film very well acted and I enjoyed the way they framed it with pictures of the era and the real-life characters. Definitely worth seeing. A good WWII survival film. I would give it 3 to 3 1/2 stars. Definitely above average. Music not overdone. And though it was predictable in some places there were some thrills. I can't understand people who gave this a zero. They could not have seen the film. Very good performances by the actors and solid directing. If you like WWII films you will like this one.

I'm not going to concentrate my review on one scene involving a CGI shark. I will say it looked obscenely fake and did somewhat detach you from that scene as you were too busy preoccupied with the leftover Sharknado prop. Otherwise the film was pretty good. Felton, Delahunt and Abel were all very solid and really evoked the feelings of desperation and humanity relating to the subject of the film. Their performances were enough for me to actually care about the characters and given its also a true story, I found myself more than adequately emotionally invested in the film. There's definitely issues with the film. The score is very hit and miss. Especially the second rate Jaws music in some of the scenes. I've watched hundreds of films worse than this in the last year or so. Did more than enough to keep me watching for 1hr 40mins.

Before I start the review I would like to thank Kurt Graver for the early digital copy.I just finished watching this movie and I must say I'm surprised. The performances were great, the second I saw Tom Felton I remembered Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter) but I have to admit he did an amazing job playing Tony and I immediately forgot about Malfoy. So congratulations to him, Jake Abel and Garret Dillahunt for their amazing performances. I loved the make up, it seemed very real. And of course, the story was amazing. Sometimes this kind of movies with historical events might be a little boring but not Against the Sun. I enjoyed every minute of it and I hope I can see it again soon on the big screen. Congratulations to everyone who made this movie and keep working in great projects like Against the Sun and Parkland.