A grand visual spectacle worthy of the big screen, In the Heart of the Sea unfortunately lacks the emotional connection needed to relate as a profound, weighty experience.

Tales of survival contain the right kind of elements that impress the right kind of people during this awards season: gritty performances, grandiose visuals, and of course that all important chestnut of the human spirit soaring above times of intense adversity. In the Heart of the Sea has all of these elements in spades, yet doesn’t quite make the most of them.

Based upon the Whaleship Essex tragedy of 1820 (which in turn influenced the classic novel Moby Dick), the film is made by the Oscar winning tandem of director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) and producer Brian Grazer with every intent of being a frontrunner come the next Academy Awards. Yet while the duo were aiming for the success of Life of Pi, they instead delivered a film akin to The Perfect Storm: an engrossing film of magnificent visual and sound, yet little in the way of heart and spirit.

Chris Hemsworth stars as Owen Chase, the first officer of the Whaleship Essex in pursuit of the in demand commodity of whale oil (no description necessary in how said oil is extracted from said whale), that is led by Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker). When mother-nature fights back in the form of a monstrous sperm whale that tears the Esssex apart, the crew are stranded and left to fend for themselves in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.

The size of In the Heart of the Sea is quite spectacular, with great production design and CGI effects blending well under the cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantle. The scenes that feature the whale are especially thrilling eye candy: tense and filled with the kind of awe-inspiring movie magic that needs to be seen on a big screen.

Yet while the “Big Bad Barry” part of this equation lives up to its promise, it’s the human element of In the Heart of the Sea that sorely lacks the depth needed to elevate its adventure movie status, with a ho-hum script by Charles Leavitt (Seventh Son) not helping proceedings.

While Ron Howard has made a career of evoking great performances from his actors, that midas touch is missing here. Chris Hemsworth is indeed photogenic and brings a physical presence, yet a shaky accent (a mutation of Massachusetts and Thor style British) does him little favours in establishing a dramatic footing. Worst yet is a lack of comradery amongst the actors that would have went a long way in hitting those emotional beats when tragedy does indeed strike.

Much has been made of the immense weight loss the cast undertook in order to portray these men stranded and left for dead. Had that time and energy be placed into more heart and personality, then In the Heart of the Sea could have been something special indeed. As it stands, it’s an entertaining missed opportunity.