Award Season Series: “The Perfect Storm” (2000)

Initial release date: June 30, 2000

Streaming services: various PVOD services

Based on a true story, this film tells of the courageous men and women who risk their lives every working day, pitting their fishing boats and rescue vessels against the capricious forces of nature.

Their worst fears are realized at sea in October of 1991, when they are confronted by three raging weather fronts which unexpectedly collide to produce one of the greatest, fiercest storms in modern history - The Perfect Storm.

While the 2000 movie “The Perfect Storm” received a mixed reception from most critics and some audiences, I still think it’s a fairly gripping, emotional watch. The film delivers great visuals/special effects (which is primarily where the nominations come into play), a good amount of high-stakes tension and some nail-biting sequences.

Even though the few accolades that this film has received have been primarily for the visual effects, the effects are really fantastic. The visual effects (both CGI and practical) throughout most of the film do an astounding job in the numerous storm sequences and the terrifying huge wave that we see at the end looks incredible.

“The Perfect Storm” can also serve as a sincere tribute to the men of the sea and the Coast Guard and does a great job depicting the camaraderie and hardships of the fishing community. Now, while there are quite a few moments that do feel like a heartfelt tribute, it can also feel like an action thriller at times, especially during the second half. During a lot of those moments, the film took significant creative liberties with the actual events (since no one on the Andrea Gail survived the storm).

“The Perfect Storm” also featured quite a few moments that are really exhilarating, such as the helicopter rescue (where the Coast Guard attempts to rescue a sailboat crew in the middle of the raging storm), and where Andrea Gail makes a drastic attempt to climb a massive wave. There’s a brief moment where Andrea Gail makes it to the eye of the storm and there’s a feeling of belief that the crew could make it. But once the crew (and the audience) realize they are still in the middle of this monster storm, their hope

is absolutely crushed. This ended up being one of the most gut-punching, emotional moments of this film.

“The Perfect Storm” is a visually spectacular disaster drama that’s renowned for its immersive Oscar-nominated special effects that realistically depict the “storm of the century.” While the film has been criticized by some critics for its shallow character development, the film heavily succeeds as a tense, harrowing and tragic spectacle focused mainly on the crew of the Andrea Gail.

The 2000 film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. It has also been nominated for two Saturn Awards: Best Special Effects and Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film. For those who don’t know, the Saturn Awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films belonging to the fiction genre, as well as TV and home media releases.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for language and scenes of peril   (runtime 130 minutes)

You can also find some interesting trivia bits about “The Perfect Storm” on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook! I didn’t get a chance to work on my planned reviews for “The Smashing Machine” and the award winning “Titanic” for this edition. But I will reveal my thoughts of these films on my Examiner Reviews page soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZvljNvnd18

• Mark Wahlberg stayed in Bobby Shatford's room above the Crow's Nest bar, and even checked ID's at the door one night.

• In the film's beginning, the Andrea Gail is shown offloading an unimpressive catch, and Billy Tyne is depicted as having "lost his touch." In reality, Tyne and his crew returned from that trip with an abundant catch. Likewise, the relationship between Tyne and Linda Greenlaw was fictitious. Tyne and Greenlaw were barely acquainted in real life.

• Three days of exterior shots were filmed on the edge of Hurricane Floyd for the early portions of the storm.

• The storm in the movie was formed by the remnants of Hurricane Grace in late October and early November 1991.

• Michael Ironside, who plays Bob Brown, the Andrea Gail's owner, was apparently mistaken for the character he plays, by one of the town locals.

• The Flemish Cap, where Billy wants to find swordfish, is an area of shallow waters about 350 miles east of Newfoundland. Dating back to the 17th century, fishermen from Flanders (nowadays the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) were already active in these international waters, hence the name Flemish Cap.

• When they started filming, an old fisherman said to Wolfgang Petersen, "Get it right." Based on the reviews of real fishermen, Petersen believes they did.

• The family members of Billy Tyne and Dale Murphy did not like the movie. In 2000, they sued Time Warner and the other production companies in federal district court in Florida. The district court granted summary judgment to the defendants in 2002. The plaintiffs appealed. In turn, the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit could not make up its mind on how to interpret a key Florida statute. The case was sent or "certified" to the Florida Supreme Court to resolve that limited question.

• Ed Harris, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Costner, Richard Gere and William Hurt turned down the role of Captain Billy Tyne.

• The real Linda Greenlaw returned to sword fishing in 2008, and was part of the Discovery Channel series "Swords: Life on the Line." In that show, she references the true events of "The Perfect Storm", and reminisces about losing her friends on the Andrea Gail.