The Somewhat Predictable Miracle

By Jonathan Shealy

The film Big Miracle, while at points predictable and formulaic, effectively tells the
heartwarming tale of three huge mammals stuck in the ice, and how their plight affected the lives of many people, at vastly different levels of society. The whales provide the reason for the story, but in the film simply stand as a backdrop in front of which all of the characters working to save them take the show.


The movie is based on a true event that happened in 1988, and focuses on the efforts to rescue three whales trapped in the arctic by rapidly expanding ice floes. I don't want to give the plot away, but since the movie isn't titled Big Disappointment, you can probably guess how it ends.


The film stars John Krasinski as a journalist who discovers the trapped whales just outside of
Barrow, Alaska, and Drew Barrymore, an environmentalist working for Greenpeace, trying to save the whales. Barrymore is Krasinski's ex, but their romance is but a small subplot that is alluded to but hardly visited. There are a lot of characters introduced who play different parts in the rescue mission, and none of them achieve enough screen time to put in any truly memorable performances. They are, as a whole, effective in their roles, and though no one steals the show, they do well overall.


There are a lot of subplots intertwining throughout the film, but the director does a good job of
pacing it so all of them make sense and they are easy to remember when revisited. This movie won't be remembered for a groundbreaking story or deep themes, but as a feel good family movie about whales, it does a great job in its role. By the end, the most unlikely combination of people have come together to try to rescue the whales, including an executive of an oil company, environmentalists, journalists, and even the Soviet Union. The plot would seem contrived, but since this is based on a true story, the writers can get away with it.


The movie offers few surprises, and for the most part you know how the story will eventually
end, but the fun part is seeing it get there, even if that makes the ending anticlimactic. Most everyone ends up happily ever after, and as a family movie, I guess that's a good thing. The history in the movie helps appeal to the older audience, while the giant CGI whales are sure to bring awe from younger viewers. The visual effects weren't groundbreaking, but did their job of creating a believable environment, and nothing looked too fake.


Everything did seem very glossed over, however, actors in negative degree temperatures rarely looked cold, and everyone's hair and makeup always looked untouched, even on the frozen tundra. I expect most of the intended audience isn't looking for a gritty realistic depiction of arctic survival, but a little more realism would have been nice.


Overall, this is a very good family movie, and while I don't expect it to be very memorable when
compared with every movie of 2012, I think it did a very good job in its role as a feel good heart warmer that's safe for kids. I didn't go in expecting Oscar winning performances or groundbreaking effects, and I was satisfied when I left the theater. If you have children or are a fan of animal movies I would definitely recommend it, if not, I'm guessing you probably wouldn't consider going to see it anyway. I give this film a solid B, nothing too fancy, but it gets the job done.