We Missed Robert Langdon So Much and His Very Normal Challenges in Life

It comes as no surprise that a celebrated movie character from an acclaimed series of mystery novels to suffer so much each and every time we see him on the big screen. We thought he had it with car chases, psycho-killers and shooting all over iconic cities but no; it’s not enough for him that he needed memory loss, head lacerations and well, a plague. 

The movie was chaotic, literally chaotic, and halfway through I realized that it was set up that way, as our hero was on chaos; he doesn’t know where he is, no idea on what happened, and he’s in bad shape. A group of individuals decided to create a virus that could eliminate half the population on earth in days, and Professor Robert Langdon is unaware of which side he is in the battle. 

I’m not sure yet on whether the Langdon formula has worn out on me. Mystery plus hot girl partner plus half the world chasing after him; that was all we’ve seen from The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and The Lost Symbol which by the way I’m not sure why it was skipped. We have the same director, studio, producers, and musical scorer, but Inferno is less dramatic. Less emphasis on statues, less religion, less everything we’ve come to know from a movie with Robert Langdon in it, and sorry for not being helpful but I’m not sure as well if that’s a good thing or not. All I know is we missed Tom Hanks on a suspense, thriller film and I was just thankful about that. 

The movie picks up quickly, it doesn’t pause. It gives the audience no time to comprehend on what’s happening, you’ve got to figure it out the same time the character does, and if you haven’t read the book, like me, surprises are on the way. 

Hans Zimmer at first I thought under-performed again, but I realized that he is an exemplary musical genius and now I realized that his material can only be as great as the material it’s scoring. Safe to say that Inferno is not half as good as Angels and Demons, or half as moving as The Da Vinci Code. But Inferno has great shots, fluid pacing and great casting. 

Line up Inferno to the the Robert Langdon film franchise, and though not as powerful as the previous two films, we want to see more of this. 

Grade: 3 Stars

In the Heart of The Sea You Will Find Gorgeous Cinematography and a Super Asshole Whale.

I haven’t read Moby Dick (seriously) and now I don’t think I want to anymore. In The Heart of The Sea offers the “true” story that inspired Moby Dick and what a dick he really was. 

Driven by the demand of whale oil so much that it was an industry on its own, Chris Hemsworth sailed off with a promise to bring thousands of barrels in return for the fulfillment of his dream to command his own ship. Naturally, whales are killed in this process and for this reason a single gigantic whale, the defender of the sea, exacts his revenge. 

We really don’t know if this whale is a “he.” The way this whale acted he looked like an ocean bully committed in destroying all that is on his way. Not that he was unreasonable, sure, but he didn’t have to follow the entire crew all throughout the Pacific Ocean to make a point. They were already driven to human abomination. Just. Don’t. Kill. Whales. 

Chris Hemsworth acting is the same for everything he’s ever done so far. In an action sequence, he’s Thor, and when he is quiet he is the Huntsman. The only commendable acting here is from Brendan Gleeson who is also the story teller. 

Visual Effects were amazing, they were able to establish the whale as a character and he didn’t look ridiculous. The one thing that is so impressive about this movie is the cinematography and it deserves recognition. All the angles and lighting are spot-on and just pops. 
    
If you’re worried to spend money on this movie, don’t be. It’s not as bad as you think it is. If you’re all for urban legends and mysteries this one is for you. Solid storytelling and top-notch cinematography, you will find a dependable pre Star Wars movie in the Heart of The Sea. 
Grade: 3 stars.