MOVIE NEWS: Big Miracle

Back in the November issue of OWL (you can check out the cover of said issue on OWL’s Wikipedia page, in case you were wondering), we published a story on the top 10 animal stories of the past 35 years. One of those stories was about a group of three grey whales that got trapped in ice that had formed off the coast of Alaska.

At the time we were creating the issue we had no idea that a lot of other people were interested in that story as well. In fact, the true-life tale is the basis for a new movie, Big Miracle, which opens in theatres today. I caught the flick at a preview screening last weekend, and I’m here to share some thoughts about it.

As I said above, the movie centres around three trapped grey whales. When Adam, an ambitious TV reporter, and his young friend, Nathan, find the whales trapped in the ice, they quickly shoot a story in hopes that it’ll get noticed. It does. The story unites all sorts of scientists, politicians, environmentalists, and businessmen and women under a single goal: help the whales get through the ice so they can finish their annual migration to warmer waters down south.

But as millions follow the story on TV, it becomes clear that saving the whales won’t be as easy as anyone thinks. Weather and timing are both bad, and it’ll take a lot of teamwork and (ahem!) a big miracle to get the whales moving on their way.

Here are a few observations about the movie:

1) It’s suspenseful. While the title of the movie is a bit of a spoiler in itself, the movie somehow manages to keep viewers guessing at not only what will happen to the trapped whales, but also how it will happen.

2) It’s truthful. The movie is based on a true story, of course, but it doesn’t gloss over some of the larger truths at play. For instance, some of the people involved in the rescue are there as much to make themselves look good as to help the whales. This gives the movie a lot of credibility and makes it feel all the more real.

3) It’s heart-warming. As I said above, not every character in the movie has the most noble of intentions at the start of the rescue, but it’s cool to watch them get drawn in by the plight of the whales as the story unfolds. Whales are majestic creatures and a lot like humans in a lot of ways, and the movie does a great job of pointing that out and making us feel for them.

Overall, I liked this movie. The whales look great, and there’s a great, true-life story behind it all. It’s a little sad at times, but it’s rated PG and appropriate for the whole family.

What do you think, bloggers? Do you plan to see this movie? Did you enjoy the article about this story in November OWL? Let me know in the comments below!

Talk to you next week.

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com