The Perfect Storm

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

In the grand tradition of movies designed to make you never, ever want to go near the water again (some notable predecessors being, of course, Jaws, Titanic, and Waterworld), The Perfect Storm delivers the watery goods and will have you gasping for air.

Impending doom is ladled on pretty thick from the get-go, as the crew of the fishing boat Andrea Gail return from a trip and reconnect with their loved ones. Prepare for every conceivable disaster-at-sea stereotype: the young stud (Mark Wahlberg), the love interest (Diane Lane), the divorced schlub (John C. Reilly), and, of course, the salty captain (George Clooney). With every “I’m so glad you’re home” and “I can’t bear to be away from you,” you know these guys are going to be chum. And before you can say “bad idea,” the crazy-coot captain ignores storm warnings and heads out again. Melodrama aside, once the monster storm hits, you’ll forget every cheesy line and heartstring-tugging moment as you watch Godzilla-sized waves tear through everything in their path.

Director Wolfgang Peterson (Das Boot) knows a thing or two about watery peril, and this one never lets you catch your breath. The special effects are truly the stars of this film; the very talented cast is given little else to do but hurl insults at Mother Nature or blubber into their whiskeys. Clooney and Wahlberg manage to give their characters plausible motivations for risking their lives—especially Clooney, who comes across like some strange hybrid of the Gorton’s fisherman and Captain Ahab—in a story that will make you really appreciate the next slab of swordfish you devour at Red Lobster.

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