March 2025

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 2 Hrs., 10 Min.

Released by Warner Bros. in 2000, director Wolfgang Petersen’s film adapts Sebastian Junger’s same-named 1997 novel. Both Junger’s ‘creative non-fiction’ novel and its cinematic counterpart, to varying degrees, present speculative accounts explaining the disappearance of the Andrea Gail, a Massachusetts swordfishing boat, in late October 1991, amidst Hurricane Grace.

In October 1991, Bob Brown’s (Ironside) rival fishing boats, Hannah Boden and Andrea Gail, return from long-line swordfish expeditions to port at Gloucester, Massachusetts, at the season’s close. Despite Boden’s captain, Linda Greenlaw (Mastrantonio), suffering a crew fatality, Brown is still pleased with her ship’s catch. Brown, however, chastises the Gail’s captain, Billy Tyne (Clooney), for his own insufficient haul, accusing an indignant Tyne of losing his once-reliable touch. Tyne’s weary yet loyal crew (Wahlberg; Reilly, Payne; & Hawkes), meanwhile, reunite with their loved ones for the next few days.

Tyne then opts for one more trip, as a likely lucrative catch could happen without competition. Recruiting moody “Sully” Sullivan (Fichtner) as a crew replacement, Tyne convinces the other four crewmates to join him – as they all smell an improved payday. If anything, Tyne seeks to prove to Brown and really more to himself that he is still among the best skippers in the business finding valuable pockets of fish.

Bobby’s (Wahlberg) girlfriend, Chris Cotter (Lane), implores him not to go, given her bad omen of this last-minute change of plans. Bobby reluctantly ignores her warning. Similarly, a divorced Murph (Reilly) seeks distraction having recognized his ex-wife (Kennedy) is likely re-marrying soon. Hence, he senses imminent competition for his adoring young son (Tank).

Apart from Murph and Sully’s mutual friction, the Gail’s usual voyage to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland proves uneventful. Opting to push further along the Gulf Stream to The Flemish Cap, Tyne is unaware that two storm fronts have converged with the subtropical Category 2 Hurricane Grace rapidly moving up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. A Massachusetts TV meteorologist (McDonald) realizes in horror what catastrophic weather conditions will now commence between Canada and New England.

Finding a treasure trove of swordfish (and a shark attack), the Gail crew’s joy is sabotaged by a malfunctioning ice system. Risking a hasty dash back towards Gloucester to save their catch for market sales, the Gail is caught up in the storm. Via radio, Greenlaw tries warning a distracted Tyne of his vessel’s predicament. The Gail soon loses its radio antenna – and with it, all communications. Inside the ship’s damaged bridge, Tyne and Bobby improvise trying to keep the overwhelmed Gail from capsizing.

Elsewhere, an isolated three-person crew (Gunton; Allen; & Jones) aboard a sailboat bound for Bermuda are among the storm’s prisoners necessitating rescue. An Air National Guard helicopter later risks also being lost at sea searching for the Gail. A U.S. Coast Guard rescue vessel may be the flight crew’s sole hope to escape the raging Atlantic Ocean. At Gloucester, the Gail’s family members anxiously await news at a dockside pub, as the ship’s location is now unknown.

Despite Tyne’s heroic steering, the oceanic onslaught shifts in the same direction as their desperate retreat. SPOILER ALERT: In the epilogue, Greenlaw contemplates friendly rival Tyne’s insights from an earlier interaction they had, as she departs on her next expedition.

Primary Cast:

Capt. Frank William “Billy” Tyne, Jr.: George Clooney

Robert “Bobby” Shatford: Mark Wahlberg

Christina “Chris” Cotter: Diane Lane

Dale “Murphy” Murphy: John C. Reilly

David “Sully” Sullivan: William Fichtner

Capt. Linda Greenlaw: Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Michael “Bugsy” Moran: John Hawkes

Alfred Pierre: Allen Payne

Bob Brown: Michael Ironside

Ethel Shadford: Janet Wright

Quentin: Sandy Ward

Melissa Brown: Karen Allen

Edie Bailey: Cherry Jones

Alexander McAlly II: Bob Gunton

Todd Gross: Christopher McDonald

Douglas “Dougie” Kosco: Joseph D. Reitman

Air National Guard flight crew: Todd Kimsey; Josh Hopkins; Dash Mihok; Chris Palermo; & Wiley M. Pickett

Irene: Rusty Schwimmer

Irene’s children: Katelyn C. Brown & Miles Schneider

Debra – Murph’s ex-wife: Merle Kennedy

Dale Murphy, Jr.: Hayden Tank

Alfred’s girlfriend: Jennifer Sommerfeld

U.S. Coast Guard Commander Brudnicki: Steve Barr.

REVIEW:

Given Wolfgang Petersen’s sturdy directorial reputation (not to mention, this particular cast), it’s reasonable to expect The Perfect Storm to be a relatively high-caliber effort. Yet, as other underwhelmed reviewers have noted since the film’s release, Perfect Storm’s “based on a true story” plot pushes disappointing and predictable superficiality from the get-go.

Too little too late in the gripping Titanic-like climax/epilogue can’t overcome Petersen’s excessive paint-by-the-numbers cliché-fest, i.e. a schmaltzy first twenty-plus minutes depicted on shore. Knowing full well Petersen wasn’t making a documentary, his ensemble cast at least delivers solid performances recreating a real-life tragedy. The underlying problem with Perfect Storm is instead twofold, as to its highly speculative premise.

First, by fictionalizing real-life participants, viewers witness mostly Hollywood-ized caricatures all too formulaic for the big-budget disaster film genre. Among such dubious character traits is glorifying foolhardiness by George Clooney’s “Tyne” and his crew for not retreating early on – despite still having time to do so. From a hit filmmaker’s perspective, having Tyne’s vessel fatally sunk in mere seconds or a few minutes (no matter how logical it sounds) obviously isn’t good business. Such grim realism would expedite this movie’s running time far too much, let alone diminish its need for fictional plot twists.

Of the few confirmed details known before the Andrea Gail’s fate, depicting Tyne and his crew as being impetuous for money and professional glory isn’t necessarily in the best taste. It implies that the Andrea Gail’s crew unwittingly engineer their own demise by daring a monstrous hurricane with little more than mortal bravado. Hence, the production’s desire to profit off this historic maritime tragedy by adding Hollywood hokum into the mix is again debatable, as far as exploiting the decedents and their families.

Petersen, to his credit, occasionally compensates with scenes demonstrating exceptional filmmaking. Among them is Clooney’s well-played last moment, along with those of the ship’s crew. A glaring exception, however, is the implied death scene for Mark Wahlberg’s “Bobby” – it comes off too ridiculously theatrical for its own good.

Secondly, it isn’t hard to spot the practical realities of how The Perfect Storm was safely filmed. Clooney, Wahlberg, John C. Riley, and others were no doubt working inside an enormous water tank later adding lots and lots of CGI ocean water. Apart from water cannons blasting Clooney and Wahlberg during their innumerable close-ups, Petersen’s cast, otherwise, can hide such phoniness only so much maintaining their dramatic composure.

By no means is the unconvincing Perfect Storm a blot on any cast member’s resumé, given the script they had. Their inability to manipulate viewers to become engrossed in the imminent tragedy instead falls on a paycheck-only effort from Petersen. His take on a real-life at-sea disaster had the opportunity to surpass James Cameron’s eye-rolling Titanic, as far as conveying believable character depth – not to mention, awestruck horror from the audience.

Though Petersen mostly avoids Cameron’s awful romantic dialogue, Perfect Storm doesn’t consistently muster the poignancy it needs to be taken seriously. Case in point: Clooney and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s thoughtful scene early on doesn’t belong in the same film as the unnecessary shark attack action-shlock seen later on. Big budget thrills (i.e. via the fake shark, not to mention, the dark monstrous CGI waves in the climax), becomes too much of a distracting eyesore for viewers.

Note: Coincidence or not, late composer James Horner supplied the instrumental scores for both Titanic and The Perfect Storm.

Hence, the relatable blue-collar overtones of Petersen’s film become lost within clichéd Hollywood melodrama and water-logged CGI for the sake of popcorn. Falling short of its cinematic potential, The Perfect Storm should have remained a creative, if not exploitative, nonfiction novel.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4½ Stars

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 1 Hr., 49 Min.

Released by Universal Studios for the 1982 summer season, John Carpenter directed this remake off Bill Lancaster’s script. The original source material extends back to John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella, “Who Goes There?,” from which Lancaster’s present-day storyline modified certain plot elements. The project was filmed on refrigerated sets in Los Angeles, along with location shooting in both Alaska and Canada.

Set in the winter of 1981-1982, the twelve-man team at a remote U.S. research base in Antarctica witness a Norwegian helicopter’s sniper (Franco) bizarrely targeting a sole wolf-dog. An explosive accident and foreign language miscommunication subsequently result in the deaths of the sniper and his pilot.

While the wolf-dog (Jed) is allowed sanctuary inside their base, the team’s physician (Dysart) and its hard-bitten helicopter pilot, MacReady (Russell), depart for answers at the Norwegian camp approximately an hour away. Probing the decimated Norwegian base’s ruins, the duo finds grisly evidence later identified via autopsy as a scorched half-human/half-alien hybrid.

The base’s biologist, Blair (Brimley), theorizes that the Norwegians stumbled upon an alien shapeshifting lifeform capable of assimilating and then impersonating its prey. Realizing that the hostile alien may have now infiltrated their own base, the dozen men desperately seek to contain the lethal threat.

Reviewing videotape footage that the ill-fated Norwegians left behind, MacReady and biologist Norris (Hallahan) soon confirm the existence of a frozen archaeological site. Norris calculates the spacecraft uncovered there dates back at least 100,000 years ago. More so, its parasitic inhabitant evidently thawed out from hibernation and destroyed the Norwegian base.

MacReady and his colleagues must resist panicking in facing the chameleon-like monster they are up against. Recognizing that any of them might be compromised, the team resorts to involuntary blood draws (proving who’s still human) and often flamethrowers to stay alive. Accelerated by sub-freezing temperatures, a lack of sleep, and deliberate sabotage of any means of escape, paranoid madness descends upon the base. A half-frozen MacReady (having forcibly taken command) insists on destroying the monster – in spite of a deadly collapse in trust among his colleagues.

With faint hopes of rescue likely months away, the team’s dwindling survivors ominously agree upon a common goal. The monster’s own escape must be thwarted – no matter the cost.

Cast:

R.J. MacReady (helicopter pilot): Kurt Russell

Dr. Blair (senior biologist): A. Wilford Brimley

Dr. Norris (biologist): Charles Hallahan

Childs (chief mechanic): Keith David

Nauls (base cook): T.K. Carter

Dr. Copper (physician): Richard Dysart

Windows (radio operator): Thomas G. Waites

Clark (dog team handler): Richard Masur

Garry (base commander): Donald Moffat

Fuchs (biologist): Joel Pulis

Bennings (meteorologist): Peter Maloney

Palmer (mechanic): David Clennon

Infected Malamute/Dog (interior scenes): Jed

Norwegian Sniper: Larry Franco (uncredited)

Computer Voice: Adrienne Barbeau (uncredited)

Norwegian: Norbert Weisser (uncredited)

Norwegian (video footage): John Carpenter (uncredited)

Other Norwegians (video footage): Uncredited Extras

Pilots: William Zeman & Nate Irwin.

Notes: 1. The same-named 2011 prequel explores the ill-fated Norwegian team leading up to the 1982 film’s opening dog hunting sequence. 2. The film’s 1951 cinematic predecessor, The Thing from Another World, relies upon the same Campbell source material, but Carpenter’s version more closely homages the original premise. 3. After his 1938 novella, Campbell, at some point, evidently penned an obscure expanded (novel-length) version retitled Frozen Hell.

REVIEW:

One might presume that ultra-gory special effects (courtesy of Rob Bottin’s top-caliber team) is The Thing’s most significant element. That’s only partially accurate.

As icky and even at times as cheesy-looking Bottin’s effects are, the tense blood draw sequence is just as, if not more so, wince-inducing. Along with Ennio Morricone’s eerie score (note: it echoes Carpenter’s 1981 Escape from New York), the film’s practical special effects mostly hold up. Even a few obvious matte paintings used as Antarctic backdrops are masterfully designed. Hence, credit is long overdue to Carpenter’s production team – keeping in mind what their $15 million dollar budget could/couldn’t afford at the time. Viewers, in that regard, get an excellent monster flick that doesn’t rely on blue-screen phoniness to work its magic.

Apart from special effects, like 1979’s original Alien film, The Thing devises a reliable sci-fi/horror-meets-And Then There None whodunnit formula. Think about it – as of 1982, this intriguing sub-genre, in a modern context, consisted of only these two films. That is – before the Alien and Predator franchises began over-mining the concept for the next forty-plus years. Still, Carpenter’s nuanced ensemble delivers far more character depth than one would expect – unlike derivative blockbusters merely recycling the exact same premise ad nauseum with different casts.

Before proceeding further, it isn’t a fair assessment without pointing out some dumb plot contrivances. Case in point: the Antarctic ‘science team’ woefully disregards sanitary precautions: 1. They don’t wear masks (rubber gloves are seen once, maybe twice), especially when exposed to potentially noxious fumes (i.e. the autopsies; the Norwegian base). 2. No one expresses concern about quarantining the fugitive wolf-dog, let alone ever self-quarantining themselves – aside from Brimley’s Blair later in the film.

Aside from ignoring basic scientific caution, the biggest eye-roller is a partially built, homemade spacecraft – which should be left as the less said the better. Still, some rounds of freaky shlock horror imagery (i.e. the gruesome attack during the forced blood draw) is supposed to be exactly that. One wonders if the makers of the subsequent Re-Animator franchise were inspired by Bottin’s grotesque genius.

As much heavy lifting as the macabre special effects must do, Russell and his castmates admirably carry their share of the necessary workload. A youthful, heavily bearded Russell leads veteran character actors (i.e. Donald Moffat, Richard Masur, Wilford Brimley, and Ricard Dysart – all in top form) and newer faces (i.e. Keith David, T.K. Carter, and David Clennon) in an everyman’s game of frostbitten claustrophobia shifting to catastrophic paranoia. Carpenter’s ingenious scene fadeouts ensure that enigmatic plot twists are teased without spoiling the grim suspense of what’s still to come. Accordingly, twelve distrustful characters, especially Russell’s MacReady, convey varying realistic shades of humanity in the face of imminent doom.

John Carpenter’s The Thing is by no means flawless (on its own merits or even as a remake). It is, however, definitely worthy of re-discovery. This movie, suffice to say, outclasses the vast majority of competition in its genre.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars