The Finest Hours (2016)

"The Finest Hours" stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, and Eric Bana. Released on January 29, 2016, the film involves Bernie Webber and his Coast Guard crew as they set out on a dangerous mission to rescue the survivors of the SS Pendleton.

The film is directed by Craig Gillespie, who also directed films such as Mr. Woodcock, Lars and the Real Girl, and Million Dollar Arm. It is based on the book of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. Disney had a successful 2015 in terms of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Inside Out, and of course, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and it looks like 2016 won't be any different. Of course, they started off the new year with a film that's about the most daring Coast Guard rescue mission in U.S. history. The studio has often distribute films that are based on true stories, mostly the ones that involve sports such as Invincible and Million Dollar Arm. This film, however, fell short compared to those types of films.

Pros:
Performances were decent.

The visuals were eye-catching.

Supportive theme about heroism.

Cons:
Weak storyline and characters.

The pacing felt slow, especially the first act.

Screenplay was OK.

Little to no emotional depth.
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Final thoughts: While visually stunning at times, "The Finest Hours" drowns itself in terms of story, the characters, and emotional depth. Compared to the other Disney films that were based on true stories, this one appears to be the most disappointing. I appreciate the fact that they're paying respect to the brave people who rescued the oil tanker crew in 1952, but I thought it could've been a lot stronger. It was a rough start for Disney, but I'm sure it will pick itself up once Zootopia comes out in March. In the meantime, I would recommend it to those who are in a mood for a traditional rescue mission film. To those who wanted a stronger story, I'm not sure if you're going to find one in this film.

D+