Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: second movie i have called boring from this summer, after MI 2. while i know that the subplot with the second boat was in the book and it actually happened, but the time could have been better spent in developing the characters of the andrea gail better. the Wave was excellent, which is why i give it two stars, as was the attempt at the accents. but we needed to feel more for the characters on the boat.
Rating:
Summary: There's Nothing But Dark Clouds Hanging Over This Movie!
Review: I'm not going to try and pretend I'm some sort of movie critic. I'm not Roger Ebert, or Leonard Maltin, or anyone else for that matter. So, I'm just going to tell you why, to put bluntly, I hated this movie! The very beginging of this movie had me going along with it. I was interesting in all the characters headed by Capt. Billy Tyne (George Clooney). But not only his characters caught my attention, also Christina Cotter (Diane Lane), Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and Bobby Shatford. But, as soon as the storm started, believe it or not, but the movie got boring! Once the storm starts we're subjected to see the same scenes over and over again. First we see a ferocious splash of water makes its way on the boat. Then, the camera pans back, and we see the boat shift back and forth, and after we see the boat, guess what we see next? We see the water splash back on the boat, then we see the boat shift back and forth. We see the same things happen for about an hour! That's one hour of film wasted. This could of been a good movie. I could of actually liked this movie, but there was such a lack of story. Maybe if they would of showed the men on the boat caught in fear. And, yes, I know there were a FEW scenes where this was shown. Like in the last scene. But, mostly what we see is that boat swaying back and forth, how exciting! It had a good start and went down hill from there. ** 1\2 out of *****
Rating:
Summary: not so perfect
Review: it turn out the perfect storm isnt so perfect. This movie doesnt have a whole lot of character build up so its kinda hard to care about the characters. george cloony gives a dissapointing performance at best. Although this movie does go through alot of bad spots, the movie picks up towards the late middle and and finishing scenes of the movie, plus some good special effects. my advice though i would only rent this video.
Rating:
Summary: An Imperfect Storm
Review: The special effects are quite good. It's likely you will be too caught up in the various rescue attempts at the end of the film you won't much care if a slight digital tear is noticeable, or if a shot suddenly shifts perspective to cover up something that you shouldn't see. The last hour of The Perfect Storm -- from an enjoyable fishing sequence, through the inevitable, predictable, mother of all storm sequences, is very good film-making indeed. It's unfortunate the first hour is such by the numbers, t.v. disaster movie of the week junk. The rather thinly drawn characters are quickly introduced with scenes owing a great debt of gratitude to Steinbeck's Cannery Row and Hemingway. On top of the cliche's the almost stock characters have been somewhat cleaned up to preserve a PG-13 rating. The fact these stock, thinly drawn cliched characters are played by actors who are capable of delivering good performances but aren't asked to try very hard to do so, only makes its worse. The Script isn't awful but its most likely one of those scripts by committee where dozens of hands fine tuned the thing until it was as slick, manipulative, and politically correct as possible although only Billy Wittliff gets final writing credit. He based the screenplay on the book by Sebastian Junger which centers around the fate of the Gloucester, Mass. Sword fishing boat, Andrea Gail, and its crew. Since the film is based on a well known true story from a best-selling book, the film probably won't have any element of surprise which might cut way down on the suspense factor for you. I give a lot of credit to director Wolfgang Petersen, the films editor, composer James Horner, the production designer and the special effects crew for making the last sequences as thrilling and exciting as they are. We meet the crew of the ship and some of their friends. There's the salty bitter Capt. Billy Tyne (George Clooney ) who's had a run of bad luck recently and is almost desperate to redeem himself with a large catch of fish. There's the veteran fisherman, Murph (John C. Reilly) who has a love/hate relationship with the sea. He also doesn't get along at all with fellow crewman, Sully (William Fichtner). We aren't sure why they are at each other throats except it might have something to do a former fishing trip or perhaps some old rivalry over Murph's wife. Murph has separate from his wife because of the hard fishing life he won't give up, and you see he loves his 9 or 10 year old son very very much. We know this because rather than get laid, he prefers to play pool with his son in the local pub. There's Bobby (Mark Wahlberg) the new guy, who's just become addicted to the sea at the same time he's fallen in love with the girl of his dreams a divorced mom of two (Diane Lane). He's torn between his love of adventure and fishing and missing his woman. There's the dumb guy Bugsy (John Hawkes), who lacks social skills of any kind and serves as a source of much of the film's humor as he attempts to get laid and then is befriended by a large woman in a supposed to be genuine way. We also have Alfred Pierre, (Allen Payne) a Jamaican who is fishing for the paycheck, but has been with the 'Skip' for several fishing trips. There's also fellow Captain Linda (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) who likes Captain Billy Tyne and hints she'd like to be more than friends to him. It's another mostly thankless cardboard role for a very capable actress. Let me make a quick mention of actor Michael Ironside, who plays the owner of the fish company the various ship captains sell their fish too. For years, this Canadian actor has made a career of wonderfully portraying some of the slimiest villains and unlikeable characters you've ever seen (you won't ever forget him from Scanners). He always seems to find a way to elevate even the dullest of stock characters into something, somewhat memorable. The crew go out too far to go after their fish and when the ice machine breaks down they decide to try to fight their way back through the storm (they underestimate) so their huge catch of fish doesn't spoil and they make lots of money. There's another group of folks who are literally inserted into the film. We don't know a thing about them except they are played by capable actors Cherry Jones, Bob Gunton and Karen Allen.. All we know is they are on a luxury sail boat and as we cut back to them on occasion we realize they will be caught in the big storm. Yes, there is a very exciting attempt rescue sequence involving these people, but it's an insult to these actors at how completely wasted their talents are playing special effect extras. They aren't even given enough screen time to develop cardboard Irwin Allen type caricatures. Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly and George Clooney appear very comfortable with each other. They've paired up in various combination in films like Boogie Nights and The Three Kings. Unfortunately there really isn't much for them sink their teeth into, in terms of character, or character driven development. This film turns an actual tragic event into a special effect extravaganza along the lines of the biggest budgeted Irwin Allen film ever made. I guess Irene who's was left on the shore waiting for Bugsy is the Shelley Winters of the film. Yes, the last hour of the film manages to thrill and excite. The film-makers know their stuff which should come as no surprise because the director Wolfgang Petersen helmed the impressive near classic Das Boot (about the Germans in the submarine) almost 20 years ago. I guess what bothers me most is that so many talented people were involved in this project, it's very disappointing they all signed on to what amounts to little more than a very expensive by the numbers disaster movie of the week. Everyone should have concentrated on making a good film, not just one with some thrilling special effects. Chris Jarmick co-Author of The Glass Cocoon (with Serena F. Holder) - a steamy cyber thriller available after January 2001. Please order it today.
Rating: 
Summary: A Perfect Zero
Review: Hands down, this is the worst movie I've seen lately!! It's difficult to imagine a more contrived sequence of events leading absolutely nowhere. I regret the purchase and, if you must see it, I strongly suggest renting. Better yet, save your money!!
Rating: 
Summary: Truth be told - this movie was GREAT
Review: I viewed this DVD on my 53" Sony XBR videoscope television and was intially bracing myself for an average film due to the reviews I had read on this site. Well I know now not to place too much faith in others opinions. The special effects in this movie were fantastic and rendered with an impressive sense of realism. Many said the character development in the first half of the film was boring. Well guess what folks, it was about as boring as your own lives. I say this because THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PORTRAYAL OF A TRUE STORY. Of course its boring to those who just want to skip to scenes depicting montrous waves and boats sinking. The depiction of the lives of the individuals involved in this human drama (the first third of the movie) was of far greater importance than the special effects towards the end of the movie. After all this was an enhanced documentary depicting a great human tragedy. The entire movie was well balanced and skillfully directed by Wolfgang Petersen. I would easily place this movie in the top 3 picks of the summer alongside Gladiator and X-Men. The extra features on this DVD were very interesting. This film is great entertainment and its quality makes it enjoyable for multiple viewings. Highly recommended for boat owners/enthusiasts, fishermen or anyone who has ever experienced the unsettling effects of large waves while boating.
Rating: 
Summary: Far From Perfect
Review: First thing first, George Clooney finally has his career back on track. A big thank you for putting the Batman franchise to a final, much needed, death. It is nice to see him in movies that are actually entertaining (Three Kings is an exception, that was a GREAT film). The whole crew for this film deserves a lot of credit. They took what was a seemingly uninteresting story, and made it heavily watchable. The only downside is the fact that when you take a step back and look at it again, this film is sort of a bore. Sure there is a lot of action, but the action of the storm loses some of its steam. We can only have so many shots of men going overboard, or of the men fighting with each other. John C Reily is in the flick, which adds a little credibility to the caliber of performances. Mark "dirk diggler" Wahlberg acts to the best of his ability seeing as what kind of a script they gave him. There is not a lot on the whole plot aspect, or the script, but if seeing boats and people in a lot of trouble, this film is right up your alley.
Rating: 
Summary: Nicely filmed
Review: The story is ok, very well taken. It almost looked like an IMAX movie. Great action by all the cast. Would have been more interesting if they had maken it a little shorter. Not for repeat watching.
Rating:
Summary: It breaks my heart. . .
Review: . . . to give a Clooney movie this low a rating (especially when it co-stars Mark Wahlberg!) but I had to do it. The acting is fine (Diane Lane is wonderful as Wahlberg's girlfriend, Clooney as a beaten man toward the end is exceptional, and Wahlberg really fits the role) but the directing is an absolute shocker. Where author Junger managed to bring the Gloucester shipping community alive, Peterson bashes it over the head with over-dramatized (and contrary to the book) scenes. Clooney's "Why I love the sea" monologue might have been touching, if it weren't utterly spoiled by cheesy background music. I was ready to kill over the final scene of the boat lost in the huge seas. Again spoiled by music (a ridiculously cheery piece that gave the impression the cavalry would arrive at any minute), it went too far with the speculation. Apparently Peterson has never heard of subtlety--or dignity. I finished the book crying; I left the cinema angry. The DVD is worth a look for the behind the scenes footage, but if you really want to know what went on--and actually care about it--read the book.
Rating:
Summary: The PERFECT movie
Review: I went into watching this movie with very high expectations, and i will half to say that most of them are still in tact. I very much enjoyed this movie to very end, but the first part of the movie was a little slow going until it picked up the last 45 minutes or so. The movie is based on a true story about hurricane gloria that combines with a northeastern storm to create the " perfect storm. " George cloonet plays the role of the ship captain of the " Andrea Gail " who sails out to a notorious spot for good fishing, but also for bad weather they need to catch alot of fish because they have been coming up short the last couple of trips. The movie is a cliffhanger for about 20 minutes and im not gonna tell uoi the end because it is very good. Bye and thanks for reading.
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