Big Miracle

Nine-year-old KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Anthony Aranda loved this film. Watch his video review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrCf8veaoyU or read below what he had to say: "This is one of the best movies I have ever seen that is based on a true story. This movie is really awesome because there were so many people that came together to save three whales. It was really heart-breaking because a lot of people put their own lives in danger to save the lives of the whales. This movie is all about Adam and Nathan who are out and see three whales that are trapped under the ice and can't find their way to the ocean. There is a small hole that the whales keep using to breathe so first they try digging that whole to make it bigger. Adam's friend Rachel comes to help save the whales and do everything she can. She asks the governor for help but he says no so she tells the news about what he said. The governor then decides to help. They have to work fast because the hole keeps freezing and getting smaller and the ice leading to the ocean keeps freezing over making the distance even longer. Some of the main characters in the movie are Adam, Rachel, and Nathan. My favorite character is Nathan because he is such a funny character at first and then he really starts to care about the whales. He also starts to spend a lot of time with his grandfather because his grandfather likes to spend a lot of time around the ocean and helps animals in need. My favorite part in the movie is when everyone started to dig the holes to help the whales breathe and get back to the ocean. I really like this part because it really shows how everyone cares about saving the whales and how much people love the whales. A part that was really funny was when the Governor had to help save the whales because Rachel told the news that he wouldn't help. It was funny to see him shaking the hand of a guy dressed up as a whale. I would recommend this movie for all ages because it is a really good movie. There are not any violent parts in this movie. This movie is a really great family movie. Go out and see this movie in theaters on February 3rd." Review by Anthony Aranda, age 9, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

This movie has a really bad plot, it was a complete waste of time. The effects were mediocre, the actors weren't really good, hopefully they won't make a sequel out of this. I do NOT recommend this movie to anyone, wait for it to come to TV or something if you really want to watch it, but for now it is just an awful recycled Hollywood movie with the happy ending. The movie is as bad as the cover. Honestly, movies nowadays feel like you have already watched it, not enough Christopher Nolans around. I'm tired of seeing "The best movie of the year" comment. The media industry has really gone downhill with this one and a few others, you can't trust "honest" reviews anymore. If I had known this movie was this bad, I could have saved enough for a week of food since I went to see it with my family. Avoid this movie at all costs.

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source: Big Miracle

I was only expecting a mediocre movie at best, something to watch with the family, but this turned out to be far worse. Horrible plot, horrible acting, it's as if they just slapped this movie together in a week. Even my nine year old was bored with it. If you're looking for a good family movie, or even just a movie to kill time, look elsewhere. This one was a complete waste of money. I fail to see how anyone would find this enjoyable. I have no idea what the thought process is behind movie making these days, but it seems to be; "Let's just make it BARELY good enough to make a profit" This movie fully exemplified that. I wish I could have gotten a refund.

"Big Miracle" like its contemporary film "The Grey" demonstrate that coming up with a compelling movie title is not so easy Mr. Smartypants. The title won't be putting any butts in seats but fairly good pacing and a compelling storyline tends to keep them there. Unlike "Free Willy" the three whales trapped in Alaskan ice only modestly get to know the movie goers, instead the film focuses more on the humans, their conflicting motivations and their increasingly irrational efforts at freeing these three particular grey whales. Drew Barrymore plays the shrill, scolding, Greenpeace activist at the center of a vortex that pulled in the Reagan Whitehouse, the media and even the Ruskies. Credit Barrymore for playing a, if not racist, then at least colonialist harpy with credible unattractiveness. She's not Charlize Theron in "Monster" but she plays an unpleasant character with veracity. John Krasinski plays John Krasinski, Ted Danson plays an oil executive with a heart of gold, and for some reason no one plays Ronald Reagan - we just see the back of his suit (an effect that just comes off as amateurish). Otherwise Ken Kwapis' production impresses with broad shots of the white wastelands of Northern Alaska and pretty snazzy animatronic whales. Kwapis also learned the lessons of "Whiteout" and allows his actors to walk around with exposed faces (in reality at 50 degrees below any body parts not covered would quickly fall off). On the downside, the script offers few memorable lines (an Alaskan native Mexican restaurant waitress is asked if she is Mexican and she responds "only at work" - that's about it), the characters' unwavering intent at saving these stupid whales feels smaltzy and what Adam sees in Rachel is never made clear. In short, older kids will enjoy it but a little too complicate for the younger set.

Big Miracle dramatizes the real life struggle of three gray whales trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska. While my daughter told me what happens before we saw the movie, I still enjoyed the movie for its heart-warming and touching story of humans and nature. Big Miracle has an ensemble cast that was very good. Drew Barrymore, in particular, did an outstanding job as a Greenpeace activist trying to save the gray whales. And, Ten Danson was fun as the oil magnate who sees an opportunity to help save the whales for some good PR. The highlight of the movie was the Inupiat actors, who were charming and added warmth to the movie. The grandfather Inupiat stole every scene with his strong and quiet presence, and he provided several funny moments. His young grandson was also outstanding as the young friend to John Krasinki's character. Big Miracle, however, did move slowly and many scenes seemed forced in drawing laughter or empathy. My wife and I enjoyed the movie for its touching story and appealing characters, but our kids said they were bored and uninterested. At the very least, catch Big Miracle at a matinée.

Without the magic tricks of animation and with limited special effects, Big Miracle is a big treat for the entire family. Inspired by a true story in the late '80's about the effort to save three whales trapped in Alaskan ice, director Ken Kwapis deftly navigates between oil companies that want to exploit the region and Greenpeace workers who want to save the whole place, above and below the ice. His use of news footage from the original story adds a welcome realism. Big Miracle is especially effective showing all sides of the rescue effort, from working with the solid ice and below 0 temperatures to revealing the politics from the president of the US to the prime minister of Russia. The complicated negotiations to save three animals should show children the many facets of people with different agendas and how cooperation and compromise are the answer to success. The pedestrian parts such as the romance between Greenpeace's Rachel (Drew Barrymore) and reporter Adam (John Krasinski) are thankfully brief and restrained, and predictable. The respect for Inuit intuition about the whales' habits is not overdone either. However, Ted Danson as the big bad oilman is over the top although surprisingly short of caricature due largely to Danson's charm playing the good and bad side of the tycoon with a measure of humor. The story of the many avenues to be taken before saving the whales is told in a straightforward fashion with respect to the natural and political challenges inherent in an effort that is seen globally. Unlike smarmy animated stories popular today, Big Miracle is almost old fashioned. And that's not a bad thing.

Based on a 1988 true story (which, apparently, had a more ambiguous ending), Big Miracle tells of a family of three whales which get trapped beneath the ice near Barrow, Alaska, with only a rapidly freezing hole to breathe out of. The mutually antagonistic factions of the oil business, the Inupiat locals, and the environmental lobby combine to try to keep the whales alive until it becomes possible to get them the 5 miles from their breathing hole to open water, augmented (if not aided and abetted) by a sizeable press faction. Even the end of the Cold War gets a look in. This film arrived with no fanfare and, despite a couple of irritations, proved to be a feelgood movie which I enjoyed.It is very well mounted, with most of the scenes involving the whales and the ice field being convincingly staged. The unexpectedly starry cast all did well, although I found Drew Barrymore's Greenpeace girl a bit excessively preachy (by the time the film finished I had come to the conclusion that she was meant to be), John Kasinsky is a pleasing low-key leading man, and Kristin Bell is happy to portray a shallow young woman of over-riding ambition and little compassion. It may be a little too leisurely for young children but, otherwise, I think it makes a good family movie despite the fact that the film's title isn't very good.

I thought this was going to be a movie about whales trapped under some ice. It was way more than that! It was the whales, yes. But it was also about the media and the politics, domestic and international, that got them out. It was a behind the scenes glimpse into how three gray whales fit into the Reagan administration, Greenpeace, the oiling industry, cooperation with native Eskimos in Alaska and America's relations with Russia, at that time, the Soviet Union. Yes, it's all of that. But not overdone and with a steady, engaging pace. Of course, we all root for the whales and can't wait to see how it all ends. But the journey of this movie is just as fulfilling as the ending. Very family friendly but also a gem for adults, given the political puzzle pieces that all have to fit together that will surely go over the little ones' heads. No one was really a stand- out for me in this, actor/actress-wise but that's OK. A little romance, a little comedy, a lot of feel-good. It was just a great movie.