Rating: 
Summary: an opinion from Gloucester
Review: Believe it or not, I scanned all 110 reviews to see if anybody who even lives in a coastal town put in their two cents about this movie, and found only two folks from Sitka, Alaska. My business is intimately related with the fishing industry and with this story, so when I saw it for the first time, for me it was like attending a memorial service, and I cried for hours afterwards. To know that six men drowned, even to know what happens to the body when one drowns (I am of course referring here to S. Junger's excellent book, The Perfect Storm) is one thing, to watch a depiction of that on film is something else entirely.I was profoundly disappointed in the emotionally manipulative score and the absolutely awful dialogue, and hey you guys, all of our lighthouses have been automated for years--there is no lighthouse keeper's son on Ten Pound Island waving at the boats going out to sea! Honestly, the story is sad enough without that blatent heartstring pulling crap. But holy cow....to watch Hollywood put together with special effects that storm--so impersonal and so devastating--that in itself almost balances out the negatives of this film. Really though, the pros and cons if the film have been explored ad naseum here--let me tell you what you don't know. Wolfgang took extreme pains to "get it right" with the town and with the fishermen. He hired many of them to make sure that every single detail of the fishing scenes was right on. And it was--every fisherman that I've talked to has said that it was absolutely accurate. And the swordfish--one of my friends works for the fisheries, setting regs for swordfish catches, and he said he didn't know until deep in the credits that all of the swordfish used in the movie were fake. In fact, somebody called the department of health here concerned that a swordfish had been sitting out in the sun on the dock all day...one of the props for the movie. How realistic were the characters? This has been the feedback I've gotten. Bugsy was right on--just like that. Sully was not anywhere near such an jerk. Mark Wahlberg captured something about Bobby Shatford that was almost intangible--the way he smiled, the way he laughed--just the energy around him. Billy Tyne, in spite of what his ex-wife is alleging (and trying to sue WB for) was not a suicidal tyrannical maniac (and I don't think he came off that way in the film either). The woman who played Ethel Shatford also managed to capture something of Ethel's energy. And here's a blooper for you--check out the movie poster--major proportional screw up! The Andrea Gail was 100 ft long. So if you do the geometry, the wave depicted is over 200 feet high! It was out before they could catch and fix it. If you even remotely liked this movie, I would strongly urge you to get the book. Sebastian Junger took great pains to not put words in the mouths of these men (something Hollywood unfortunately has no qualms doing), but instead built a strong, journalistically solid structure of buttressing information, interviews, details, research--all on every single detail of what the men on that boat probably experienced on their trip. Sounds dry, it's not--he even makes wave mechanics fascinating (how does a wave get to be 100 feet tall, anyway?) It also goes into much more detail about the Coast Guard rescue (wow, talk about heroes) and the other boats in distress. The movie? Eh--I won't see it again--the dialogue would probably lead me to throw something heavy through the tv screen. It's a shame-not that anybody's expecting Shakespeare, but cliche after cliche? Blech.
Rating: 
Summary: WONDERFUL SPECIAL EFFECTS, CHARACTERS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Review: This is a tough movie to evaluate. Let me begin with the easy part: the hurricane special effects are incredible .... easily FIVE-plus stars. But it is not so easy to pin down the quality of the story line and characters. Sometimes, once in awhile they approach five stars ... but too often the script and characters in it become limp, descending to three star quality. Well, let me tell you why. BASIC STORY: A fishing ships crew knowingly take a big chance by heading out to sea for commercial fishing in treacherous October. What no one can imgaine is that a very unusual weather front is combining with a hurricane to produce the most powerful storm ever heard of. But it is the screenwriter and director's job to create an interesting angle to this story. For example, what produced this special storm ... scientifically speaking? How does an experienced captain, indeed, manage to get his/her ship through a hurricane? The audience is expected to take all of these things at face value without the writer/director skillfully filling in the factual blanks. THE PERFECT STORM is based on a true story that involved real people. But the people portrayed in this movie didn't seem to have lives outside of fishing and the coming storm. During the first hour, George Clooney and his group make speeches about how they love fishing. But why??!! John C. Reilly alone presents us with something memorable as Murph, a fisherman who sorely misses his son. Murph even loves his ex-wife. That's kind of interesting, and thereby Murph seems to be a real person. Then all during the second hour of the movie, the crew shout sailor-talk orders to one another, nearly drowned out by the screaming hurricane. Aside from struggling to keep their fishing boat afloat, the crew caught in the so-called Storm of the Century seemed to otherwise have celluloid lives. In conclusion, the actors were certainly good at playing their roles ... but there wasn't that much to play. Their characters were two dimensional. So that's wasted talent. Most of the productive talent in this movie was expressed by the special effects director(s) who created for us the realistic spectacle of fishermen in a relatively small boat caught in a terrifying force of nature: THE PERFECT STORM.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Excrement
Review: To like this movie is to completely admit you know nothing about film, art, or anything of quality in the world. A script full of cheap cliches, George Clooney's monochromatic acting, idiotic dialog, and mawkish score do not add up to a good movie. This movie makes no attempt at sublety as it tries to move your emotions. The result is multiple cringing for any half-way intelligent person.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING, FILM FILLED WITH THE STRUGGLE OF HUMAN COURAGE
Review: This has to be one of the best films of year poingant and filled with enough emotional and suspense elements to keep the viewer entranced in this amazing spectacle of a film. Tired and frustrated Commercial Fishermen set out to the sea to retreive fish but they did not know they would encounter a massive storm that has devastaing tides of 20 to 30 feet high, but the men try to fight through the storm relazing it was impossible to defeat they head back but it was too late and all the men drowned. George Clooney and Mark Walhberg from THREE KINGS are together again and show the same screen impact & intensity as did in the previous film. One scene that made me jump when seeing was when the fishermen were trying to reterive a massive fish from the edge of the boat turns out to be a great white shark and it had Wahlberg`s leg in it`s mouth. A frighetning moment in the film. Mary Elizbeth Mastonio`s sad and emotoinal ulegy at the end of the film was done so well it looked real, and it proves that she is one of the best female actors around and it is a shame Hollywood doesn`t put her in the forefront of stronger leading roles for women. Amazing and packed with raw power it makes THE PERFECT STORM a film of an unforgetable & haunting journey through the uncontolable forces of nature. I can hardly wait to see this film on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: WOW is this a NOR EASTER or what
Review: Well first off i'm from Philadelphia... Noreasters are very common here. In this storm of a movie it couldn't have felt more real. The reality of the Movie was well beyond excellent. Though the story line wasn't terribly great I came out of this movie soaking wet!
Rating:
Summary: Slow Start, Makes Up for It Though
Review: This was a pretty sweet movie, although it would've been just as good if it was 10 minutes long. But I guess they wanted you to identify with the charcters...FOR 3 HOURS...before the storm even hits. Anyway, I'M getting the DVD, because this movie is more-than-cool in Dolby Digital Surround.
Rating: 
Summary: Great effects but poor imitation of Titanic
Review: Ok, most movies nowadays are special effects, which are great in this case, but this a script about a bunch of mediocre people who drown and nothing else. The only story line discernible is that of the Titanic. Two out of five for the special effects.
Rating:
Summary: "The Pointless Storm" is a more accurate title for this film
Review: This film is dedicated to all the fishermen who have died at sea since the 17th century. Out in the Atlantic Ocean, three hurricanes have merged together and created "The Perfect Storm". Everybody away from dry land is plunged into a struggle for survival. At the beginning of the film, we are briefly introduced to the crew of the "Andrea Gale". Putting aside the drinking and tongue-kisses, we learn that one man is divorced with a young son; that another man is having trouble finding a home for him and his girlfriend; and finally, we discover that the old seawise captain of the Andrea Gale is played by the hunky George Clooney - who could just as easily be Dr. Ross from "ER". After thinking of every perfectly good reason for not going out and risking their lives at sea, the crew of the Andrea Gale set off for their "biggest catch yet". After an hour of clichés, they catch their fish, but hit a problem. The "perfect storm" is between them and home. They have a choice: stay out at sea and keep safe so that they can all return home to their families alive with rotten fish, (not realising that they could go back afterwards and get some more); or they could sail straight through the perilous hurricane, ride the waves and return home as heroes. Which do you think they chose? I found this one of the most tedious films I have ever watched. With a pathetic plot and weak characters, there is barely anything to watch except a very, very long and pointless blockbuster attempt to show boats and helicopters being tossed around at night. The computer-generated special effects are unimpressive and so transparent that some shots look like the opening sequence to "Blue Peter". It was not long until I was slumped down in my chair, looking around the stadium, studying the fire exit signs and biting my finger nails (not as an act of tension, but boredom). Even the fishing scenes earlier in the film are completely unrealistic. The moment that Clooney shouts "go fishing!" the crew are yelling, dancing and jumping about in an over-enthusiastic, ill-disciplined frenzy. This is a fishing boat in the middle of the Atlantic for heaven's sake. One small error could drown everybody. I had no sympathy for the characters, especially George Clooney, without whom the film would never have received so much publicity. If you are the type of person who enjoys low-key blockbusters with strobe, noise and sea water then The Perfect Storm might be worth a look. Otherwise this is a film that you can happily afford to miss. It is a shame how a film with such a good intention could sink so low. Yet that raises the question, what was their intention? Were they really trying to produce a tribute to the men who died trying to bring us fish? Or were they simply trying to produce a breath-taking blockbuster? To me, it didn't succeed in either.
Rating:
Summary: Glorified TV movie!
Review: The Perfect Storm is not much more than a glorified TV-movie. Sure, it wasn't lacking goodlooking stars (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane) or money for special effects (the sea is quite terrifying), but really interesting, no. This movie tells the story of a group of fishermen, who go out into "one of the biggest storms of all times", to catch some fish because they have kids to feed, people to support, they need the money. the tragedy can easily be foreseen of course. What makes this movie attractive, is the emotional buildup, seeing the crew of the boat bond, set themselves over their prejudice, and risk their lives for each other, even those they thought they "hates". It is the story of courageous men who don't walk away, but face their enemy up to the point of losing, the real story of simple fishermen who risked their lives for others. Regardless of the big stars, the money that went in, and the great ratings, I don't think this movie is worth buying. If it's on tv on a friday night, turn the tv on, (or if you're a big George Clooney fan, go see it cuz he looks sexy) but other than that, don't waste your money on this, there are much better movies out there!
Rating:
Summary: An Incompetant Screenplay sinks this soggy tale
Review: The Perfect Strom's true story, of Gloucester fisherman lost at sea is a terrible tragedy, this movie, is nothing more than passable Hollywood junk, but it could've been so much more.Geroge Clooney and Mark Whalberg head the impressive cast, but their characters never really come alive on the screen. The film tries to breathe life into these men, but it fails miserably. We just don't know, nor do we really care about those poor men as they embark on their final trip. The story tosses in ever cliche along the way for no reason other than make this film run for 142 minutes. Whether or not all the events contained in this film actually happend is unimportant, the story of this film, to recreate the tragedy of the Andrea Gail and its crew doesn't need the absurd subplot concerning three morons lost at sea and the attempts to rescue them. This takes a good 40 minutes of the story and whenever the story of the Andrea Gail gets really intese, we cut away to the laughable rescue mission plot with characters so paper thin they vanish when they turn sideways. Why should we even care about this, we don't know these people, their story never really crosses with the Andrea Gail's so the point is questionable. Another subplot, concerning the dopey weatherman who realizes that three storms are converging is unnecessary and silly. The acting hammy and the dialogue hilariously bad. With all of that garbage removed from the film, The Perfect Storm would've turned out to be more of a winner. At 100 minutes instead of 142, things would've been more intense and the tragic climax would've gotten to more audiences. As the film stands, at the finish, it leaves one too exhausted and tired to fully care about what has happened. The cast is excellent and this film is wonderfully directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the scenes at sea are intense and exciting, but many are unnecessary. This film may have been a blockbuster this summer, but I can't understand why exactly, it's just another case of a good movie lurking beneath all the Hollywood bull. Remove the junk scenes that exist only to please the action craving summer movie crowd, and a good movie lurks within, the movie we got, was a big, loud and dumb adventure based on a tragic story.
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