**SYNOPSIS**
In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story.
“In the Heart of the Sea” reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.
**VIDEO QUALITY**
In The Heart of the Sea 3D arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of
1.78:1 - The color palette has a stylized look to separate different sections of the film with colors mostly earth tones. When the crew has to stay on an island for a bit it has the sepia kind of tone look of vintage films. Black levels rich and inky while shadow delineation was excellent. The period clothing and the work that went into creating the ship are full of crisp, fine details. The keenest of eyes will notice a couple artifacts in fast motion scenes otherwise this is a solid presentation.
The 3D presentation adds a decent amount of depth to the image but there are no stand out visual moments which is mostly due to this being post processed and not filmed in native 3D. Thankfully there are no technical issues to worry about.
9/10
**AUDIO QUALITY**
Audio is provided by a
Dolby Atmos 7.1 track. - Dialogue reproduction is crisp and well defined. There are various accents but they were easily distinguishable. Where the track shines is in in it's enveloping surround activity that made me feel as though I was right there on the ship with Chase battling the White Whale. Fidelity and dynamics are some of the best I've heard this year. Roque Banos's score does add a sense of wonder to this journey and was beautifully presented within the mix. LFE performance was crushing when the ship is destroyed and waves crash with ferocity.
9.5/10
**SPECIAL FEATURES**
* Ron Howard: Captain’s Log (HD, Play All 15:50)
- Intro (HD, 00:58)
- Location Scout (HD, 01:24)
- First Day of Filming (HD, 01:09)
- Into the Tank (HD, 01:03)
- Controlled Chaos (HD, 01:43)
- Out to Sea (HD, 01:41)
- Getting In Ship Shape (HD, 02:22)
- Production Wrap (HD, 01:50)
- Editorial and Score (HD, 02:47)
- Journey's End (HD, 00:49)
* Chase & Pollard: A Man of Means and A Man of Courage (HD, 07:28)
* The Hard Life of a Whaler (HD, 08:44)
* Whale Tales: Melville’s Untold Story (HD, 09:13)
* Commanding the Heart of the Sea (HD, 10:25)
* Lightning Strikes Twice: The Real-Life Sequel to Moby Dick (HD, 28:59)
* Deleted Scenes (HD, Play All 36:02)
- Spanish Sailor (HD, 03:03)
- Dockside Goodbye (HD, 02:26)
- Loading the Essex (HD, 01:18)
- Essex Sets Sail (HD, 07:37)
- Hard Life at Sea (HD, 00:47)
- Mooning Midas (HD, 02:47)
- Cole & Chappel Fight (HD, 01:48)
- Men Argue (HD, 01:11)
- Bump in the Night (HD, 01:23)
- Pollard Suicide Moment (HD, 02:45)
- Chase Trapped Under Mast (HD, 01:41)
- Catching Wind (HD, 01:56)
- Barz Body (HD, 01:13)
- Chase Rescues Pollard (HD, 02:12)
- Pollard & Chase Goodbye (HD, 01:44)
- Graveyard (HD, 02:03)
* Extended Scenes (HD, Play All 07:11)
- Peggy Chase House (HD, 00:36)
- Bringing More Whiskey (HD, 01:13)
- Singing Sailors (HD, 01:52)
- Chase, Near Death (HD, 03:29)
* Island Montage (HD, 03:07)
