83% on Rotten Tomatoes
Chloe's Thoughts: Signed, sealed and recommended by Chloe; Watch it in cinemas
Watch it if you: Want to watch an intense and clever build up of a disaster based on a true story; Want to see a slightly better Lone Survivor
Apart from having a really cool name, Deepwater Horizon was an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that turned into a disaster site in 2010 when it exploded, resulting in the largest ever US oil spill.
Firstly, for some reason when I first saw the trailer, I thought it was Matt Damon starring in this, and since I only watched the trailer once, I only realised in the opening scene when Mark Wahlberg's face showed up that I am still getting the two of them mixed up.
Another great revelation was that, back in 2010, when I heard about this huge BP oil spill, I had no idea that it was a result of a fire on an oil rig, let alone a huge and intense explosion. For some reason I just heard that it was literally an oil spill by a ship. It's great that now, through this film, we can actually be more aware of what exactly happened, what the survivors went through, and how many people died as a result. Now we know that it was more than just an oil spill... it was a really huge disaster.
This film was a pretty great look at the disaster. The thing that made it great was that it wasn't just a disaster film, it did a really great job at building up to the disaster and focusing on the actual characters. It also did a great way of explaining to us laymen all the technical stuff so that we could still know what was happening.
Now the actual disaster doesn't actually start until one hour into the movie, so the first half may feel a bit slow, but it's all relevant as it builds up the tension, explains all the relevant details, explores the characters, and this leaves the film feeling grounded in reality.
Once the disaster starts, though, it is non-strop crazy edge-of-your seat stuff as you see the entirety of the disaster. Because the first half has made you care for the characters, you end up being just so focused on what is happening and rooting for the characters to get out.
The characters that they specifically focus on are portrayed through Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, and Gina Rodriguez, and all these actors did great. I was particularly surprised with Gina Rodriguez, since I haven't seen any of her stuff before, but she looks like someone to watch out for. Even the minor characters did well, and I was surprised to see Dylan O'Brien here (the main actor in The Maze Runner series).
However, there needs to be a notable mention on John Malkovich, the corporate BP villain. Man oh man was he so slimy and creepy, he did so well at making me absolutely despise him. There is a particular scene with Malkovich and Russell and not a word was spoken but there was so much emotion in it, it was done so well.
Speaking of which, I was so shocked at the film directly pointing the blame at BP. You see the bright BP logo on the shirts, you constantly hear the oilrig workers bitching about BP... they weren't afraid to call these people out, which I respect. It was good to have a look into the people who caused this to happen; corporate scumbags who just care about the dollars in their pockets, without thinking about the actual lives of those who dig up those dollars for them (although in real life it wasn't as simple as that; there was a lot of blame to go around between the major companies involved: BP, Transocean and Halliburton).
So in the end it was quite similar to Lone Survivor (2013), which was also directed by Peter Berg, and which was also based on a true story.
I think Berg did a great job here, possibly better than Lone Survivor although I haven't seen it in a while.
From when the disaster starts, there was a nagging build up behind my eyes, but nothing great (or sad) enough to send tears rolling down my cheeks, however, towards the end, Gina Rodriguez gives a fantastic performance that made me start tearing up, and right at the end, Mark Wahlberg sent me weeping. And it wasn't just me; I could hear people blowing their noses in the rows behind me, tissue packs rustling, noses sniffling, heavy breathing... it was very intense and extremely emotional.
I would recommend it, and I think it might get a few Oscar nominations. A few people seem to think it would get nominated for the technical aspects of it, such as editing and sound, but I don't know enough to comment about that. I do think that it's a great drama film, and I'm very glad it wasn't just a typical disaster movie like I was expecting it to be.
A few side notes:
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