Rating: 
Summary: Wish I'd seen it on the big screen.
Review: I wanted to see this when it was released in the cinemas, but never got around to it. Saw it on the TV and it was a great film, without ad breaks and on the big screen I am sure it would have been even better. The journey the boys made within themselves, as well as across the ocean, was very moving. Was it also a book? I'd love to read it if it was.
Rating:
Summary: This movie is worth seeing
Review: This is a really good movie and I recommend for everyone to see it. It has a lot of drama in it but it also has a good bit of action. I really like the movie and think it is a shame that a lot of people have never even heard of it. You should watch it, I know you will like it.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't know why this isn't a classic
Review: Maybe "classic" is a little bit much, but this movie is probably the most underrated movie I have ever seen. I don't remember much about it in the theater and don't know many people that have watched it. It is one of the top "coming of age" movies made in the past decade or so. If you liked Dead Poet's Society (DPS is better because of Robin Williams) or A Separate Peace by John Knowles, you will like this movie. It is a movie that leads you on a journey, using a group of rich kids that signed up for a year at sea. Jeff Bridges is the tough captain that sets out to instill discipline and teach them that they must respect him, the ship, and, most importantly, each other. I won't give away the ending, but the movie succeeds in delivering its messages of honor and individual responsibility. It does a fantastic job of delivering this message while leading you along a journey with Jeff Bridges and the crew of the ship.
Rating:
Summary: Beauty and Reality
Review: Director Ridley Scott is a cinematic artist, painting a very striking, strong, and beautiful visual experience. The locations, from seaside slums to life aboard ship to the storm, are all wonderfully displayed. The compelling visuals enhance the real-life based story. It is a multi-layered tale, part coming of age, part bonding friends, part action drama. No one theme overwhelms the others. As an extra on this film, it was a privilage to meet the real Chuck Geig and Tod Johnstone. Hearing them tell of their actuall experience and then seeing it displayed on the screen lead me to believe that they must be very proud of the results.
Rating:
Summary: not a bad movie at all
Review: I personally saw this movie a few years ago. As with
everything some people will like it others will not.
I thought it was pretty good myself. I thought the
characters where great also the scenery was very beautiful.
Rating: 
Summary: Wishy Washy
Review: I, for one, don't understand the loyalty that the kids showed their Captain in the final scenes. Nothing at sea convinced me that there was *any* kind of bonding going on whatsoever between anyone. When bonding issues did arise, they appeared faked, phony, and I didn't buy them for a second.
This is an interesting film to watch if you want to see a bunch of young, attractive boys running around practically naked most of the film. I can't imagine that the *real* cast (as this was based on a true story) had nearly an entire crew of attractive boys, so I don't understand so many pretty faces were cast. What happened to average boys? Fat boys? There was one boy who wore thick glasses, but I ignored him, as he seemed to be the requisite.
It's also an interesting film to watch if you want to see the ocean. Ridley Scott may not be the greatest at evoking emotions within the characters he directs, but he shoots one heck of a scene.
About 2/3 of the way through this film I asked myself, "Why am I still watching this? There's no plot, nothing of interest is happening, so what am I doing?" I did stop watching it, in fact, but then finished the last third two days later. At the end of the movie something actually happens, and it's very moving. It has to do with what the film is named for: a white squall. A white squall is a violent tropical or subtropical storm that stirs up the surface of the sea into whitecaps, but is limited to a very localized area, often with no storm clouds present. This was pretty much the case here, although I thought I spotted a few storm clouds. I won't say what happens when the white squall hits the ship, because if I do this review won't be published, but I will say that the film's only moments of quality come during the storm, and on land shortly thereafter (although on land, it's still a tad hoaky). The handling of the two events I write of raised this from a 2 star review to a 3 star review.
Rating:
Summary: Upon further review...
Review: I've changed my rating of this film after watching it two more times. Originally, I liked the first part of the film much more than the ending, which features a court scene. I downrated the film on the contrast between the thoroughly entertaining film that features the 'boys on the boat', and the judicial scenes at the end of the film. After seeing the film on two separate, subsequent occasions, I've changed my mind a bit. The final half hour of the film does match, in my changed viewpoint, the intensity and fine acting that preceded the last scences. Jeff Bridges gives another excellent performance. His cool, laconic performance is just so right for this film. He hits every note. Also to be praised is the acting of the rest of the cast. They do an excellent job conveying the melding of a crew out of a disparate group of young men with wildly different backgrounds. And Caroline Goodall gives an equally effective performance as his wife. Admittedly, the film does follow some familiar paths during the titular storm. Let's say not all bodes well for everyone on the voyage. Directed by Ridley Scott, who has directed such hits as 'Blackhawk Down' and 'Gladiator'. 'White Squall' is a quieter film than those, but equally as effective. Recommended. But be sure to wear your life jacket when on one a boat called the 'Albatross'
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