Deepwater Horizon Mini Review

Well, here I am again, jotting down my brief thoughts on a movie I should have reviewed last weekend, but didn't have time to, due to work obligations and other matters.  To my readers, I apologize.  I feel lazy doing this, but at the same time, I do want to get my thoughts out there for those of you who want to hear them.  Things continue to be hectic, but hopefully they will calm down soon.  At least I have a Fall vacation coming up in about five weeks.

Okay, so Deepwater Horizon.  This dramatization of the horrendous 2010 oil rig disaster that cost lives and stands as the worst ecological incident in this country’s history is easy to admire on a technical level, but is never as strong as it should be on an emotional level.  A lot of this has to do with the fact that director Peter Berg focuses so much on the special effects and the disaster itself that he kind of loses the humanity at the center of the story.  We learn little about the crew, which is mostly represented by Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell, who play veteran workers on the ill-fated rig.  The movie does an excellent job of creating what seems to be a minute by minute rundown of the events leading up to the disaster.  And when the explosion that not only destroyed the rig but claimed many lives actually happens, again, it seems very well-realized and does a good job of giving a feel of chaos and confusion.

But this is all at the price of characterization.  Nobody comes across as a fleshed out individual, and we learn so little about the people in peril.  Yes, we naturally feel sorry for them.  And the film's final moments dealing with the aftermath are emotionally powerful.  But while it is going on, I felt like I was watching a very well done recreation that never truly let me in on the people it was happening too.  A lot of the victims and survivors are more or less faceless extras who never get the time they need for us to know who they were outside of their jobs.  I understand, it's a roughly two hour movie, and it's hard to squeeze everything in.  But even the main character, portrayed by Wahlberg, never comes across as fleshed out as he should. 

It's not so much that I did not enjoy Deepwater Horizon, as I feel it's a well executed film.  It simply feels a bit hollow under the surface, and could have used a bit more emphasis on the people behind the disaster.  Everybody is written in kind of a stock and generic way.  We have the do-no-wrong heroes, and the cold and callous villain in the form of a B.P. oil executive (portrayed with icy arrogance by John Makovich).  That's about as deep as the movie gets.  And given the potential for emotion the actual story holds, you just kind of hope for more.

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