Great Visuals Save the Shallow ‘Deepwater Horizon’

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Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – There are a few things in our lives that, if we’re lucky, we will never have to experience. Things like childbirth, limb loss, or a near death experience. The closest most of can get is by watching a well-made film. If “Deepwater Horizon” succeeds at anything, it’s creating the engrossing experience of being there on that fateful day.

This film is less of an environmental warning and more of a avarice-based cautionary tale. In that respect, the film’s predictability is as clear-cut as the oil executive’s motivations. Writer Matthew Michael Carnahan has written films with an indubitable morality before, so he has it down to a formula. The only thing that changes are the circumstances and characters because “Deepwater Horizon” is based on true events (the BP oil spill in 2010). It is impossible to separate the Hollywood stylization from the facts. Is it just a coincidence that more than a few of the characters felt like they fell prey to familiar tropes, or were they placed in these roles to force some of the emotions in the film? It’s hard to say, but ultimately doesn’t matter as soon as the film hits its stride.

Mark Wahlberg in ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Photo credit: Summit Entertainment

“Deepwater Horizon”’s foreshadowing is heavy-handedly introduced. It felt like a children’s show where the actors break the fourth wall and stare directly into the camera asking the audience if they know what’s going to happen next. The only good thing to come from this approach is that they take a few minutes out of the film for the daughter to get an explanation of what her dad’s job entails for a conveniently timed school project. The situation was simplified so much, that even a child could understand it. The morality of the film was a little harder to decipher.

Some of us can remember hearing about the devastating incident as it was going on. It was evident BP was at fault and no one was trying to hide that fact. Everyone understood the environmental ramifications for this event because they were staggering. “Deepwater Horizon” only introduces them as pre-credits afterthought. This film is not about the irreparable damage done to the environment, but the human casualties from this accident. Even then, the film rides the fence when it comes to blame by offering excuses that it wasn’t all BP’s fault.

As I said before, once the film reaches its first climax, nothing else matters. Director Peter Berg is more than adept at telling tales of heroes emerging from tragic situations, especially if Mark Wahlberg is starring in them. He follows a fairly safe approach to story development, doing little to differentiate the film from any other film. You only see his directorial flourishes when the events escalate to so cataclysmic point of no return, which then turns the film into heated survival genre.

Kurt Russell in ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Photo credit: Summit Entertainment

“Deepwater Horizon” becomes an immersive experience when the film finally drops all pretenses and becomes explosive in every sense of the word. A switch is turned (or not turned in the film’s case) and we are thrown into a wet and fiery inferno. The special effects feel gritty and real, giving the audience a genuine life or death experience. The explosions feel like they’re are on a level Michael Bay would approve of, but unlike Bay‘s films, they actually feel necessary in this film. The sense of danger feels authentic and believable because of the effects, even when other parts of the feel threaten to change that.

Gina Rodriguez, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich each deliver dynamic performances with their cookie-cutter characters. Although the ensemble cast each performed admirably, the true stand out was Mark Wahlberg. In typical Wahlberg style, he ends up playing the character as himself. Does the character have a southern accent? Sure does, but I hope a Boston one will work. It becomes even more obvious how Wahlberg played the character as a variation of himself when see and hear the real hero at the end of the film. Fortunately, by that point, the film has already offered you the main event and you leave with a feeling of satisfaction.

By JON ESPINO Film & Video Game Critic HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]