Deepwater Horizon Summary & Review
Back in March, I had the honor of being one of the first people to see an early cut of Deepwater Horizon, a new disaster film from director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor), and staring an ensemble cast featuring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, and John Malkovich. Despite the unfinished visual effects, it was a very thrilling experience at the theater. Now the finished film has finally been released. How does the finished version hold up against the unfinished?
This movie follows the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April of 2010. When a clog of rocks send an uncontrollable amount of pressure through the main pipe of the rig, a massive amount of mud and oil shoot up into the rig. A gas fire set off by the well under the ocean then engulfs the entire rig in flames. All of the surviving workers either fight to escape the rig or fight to stop the disaster from continuing.
I was in seventh grade when this disaster occurred and our science teacher would put on the live stream of the oil spill that resulted from the explosion. So going into this movie, I was aware of the event. It is a great ride through a recent disaster. It has awesome visuals, great performances from the all-star cast, and an extremely engaging story. While it is a little slow to begin with, the action from the disaster is very engaging and the event’s payoff messes with your emotions.
In the end, Deepwater Horizon is a fantastic disaster movie about an event I was aware of before going in. When they first announced this movie, I said, “Finally, a drama about a disaster I know about.” I think Peter Berg was a great choice to direct this movie. He and Mark Wahlberg know how to respectfully adapt recent tragedies into movies. I am very excited for their next movie following the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Until then, rest assured that the Deepwater Horizon explosion is handled with much respect in this great movie.
