Who exactly is Ron Howard as a filmmaker?
But when you really start wrestling with the question, it gets a little thorny.
Is he the merry prankster ofNight ShiftandThe Paper?
Credit: Jonathan Prime
The three-hankie sentimentalist behindCocoonandParenthood?
The Oscar-courting purveyor of middlebrow prestige pictures likeCinderella ManandA Beautiful Mind?
Or is he the four-quadrant populist behind rollicking adventures likeApollo 13andThe Da Vinci Code?
Hes an artist without a school or discernable style.
He wouldve been perfect under contract to a studio in the 40s.
That sort of jack-of-all-trades dexterity is as impressive as it is rare.
But it can also lead to movies that feel slightly workman-like and bland.
Its light on personality and spark, which is a bit of a problem for a white-knuckle whaling tale.
Some of this, obviously, rests with the director.
Hes a strapping, seafaring cipher.
In other words, its a survival story and one thats already holding itself to a pretty lofty standard.
But tell it, he does.
Right off the bat, Pollard makes rookie mistakes.
The whale hunting scenes are undeniably thrilling and, at times, unflinchingly brutal.
But they also have a slick CGI patina that lessens their visceral impact.
Youre always aware of the scenes artificiality.
Its too polite to give us a real feeling of life or death.
Its sense of danger is watered down.B-
