Overall The Whale rehashes a lot of elements that Aronofsky visited previously with The Wrestler albeit a lot better over there. In either case the plot is centered around a physically and to a lesser extent emotionally broken man who is pushing himself towards his own death whilst struggling to reconnect with a daughter he abandoned in the process of chasing his dreams and desires.
Compared to one another, Randy the Ram feels more three-dimensional whereas Charlie is a character…
Kore-eda remains the king of the family drama, revisiting those structures and bonds that form this depicted household of choice. Considering that this is a family of misfits coming together as a unit not by blood but kinship, Beurokeo feels most reminiscent of Manbiki kazoku, maybe with a hint of Hana in there.
Song Kang-ho is charming as ever but ultimately Beurokeo struggles for one with juggling too many subplots (the "crime syndicate" aspect really falls flat) that it didn't…
In a way this just feels like an extensive epilogue to Wrath of Khan – my "favorite" part is five minutes before the credits roll the Vulcan High Priestess emphasizes that McCoy could die from the fal-tor-pan procedure… yeah, right…
You can see why Gerard would lent himself as the lead in a spin-off sequel with his nonchalant attitude. Some of Kimble’s escapes from authorities seem a bit dubious but are fun nonetheless due to Ford’s natural charisma. On top of that you get some preponed Lost stunt casting. The movie runs a little too long though.
Don't get why Gillis is so daft compared to the other folks in Potters Bluff. Maybe the whole thing would've lent itself better as a Twilight Zone episode.
That Jimmy Quinn plot is way too front and center, as a result Michael Moriarty’s performance barely tolerable. Luring your enemies into Q’s lair is a neat idea but I would’ve preferred more of David Carradine and Richard Roundtree as no-nonsense cops. Overall the pacing is a bit slow, despite the film only running about 90 minutes.
If getting attacked is part of their daily routine it took them a while to talk about not getting attacked any more.
Thematically surely an important issue, the execution wasn't really for me though. I would've preferred a more restrained focus akin to 12 Angry Men or Dogville, all those frolicking children in the corn scenes didn't really add much outside of pseudo-Malickisms.
It's also bewildering that you pay Frances McDormand to be in your movie and then... just not use her.
Most actors tend to just give the same performance every time the play a role, resorting to their individual looks, ticks and mannerisms. So I gotta commend Jake Gyllenhaal for actually acting her and delivering something different from his usual approach.