Nominated For: Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing.
Deepwater Horizon offers personal insight into the true events of the April 2010 oil rig explosion that caused the largest oil spill in history by showing the horrific disaster through the eyes of the workers onboard.
Peter Berg directs the disaster flick as his followup to Lone Survivor and Berg expertly captures the chaotic nature of the explosions onboard the Deepwater Horizon in the more action packed moments. However, the framework established in the screenplay penned by Matthew Michael Canahan and Matthew Sand doesn't quite set the stage properly. I found the first half to be rather mundane and generic and wished the characters had been further explored. I found it difficult to care for the supporting characters given how little character development and meaningful screen time they had received but I guess that's the nature of things when you have to dedicate a large portion of the film's running time to the catastrophe at hand.
Deepwater Horizon does however succeed in effectively simplifying the concepts behind the disaster in addition to making the oil rig a tense environment from the get-go. I also feel it's worth commending all the effects, albeit practical or computer generated, that went into simulating the tragedy on film as the explosions weren't overdone and felt authentic. The performances on display for the most part were serviceable considering that the actors were essentially portraying ordinary oil workers and aren't exactly provided with plenty of depth or range to explore.
Of the bunch, Mark Wahlberg demonstrates incredible display of acting ability with one of the film's closing scenes that seemingly shows the PTSD Mike Williams is suffering from as a result of these events. Wahlberg injects his typical charm into the role and makes Williams both a likable and relatable protagonist fulfilling the needs of the role. Kate Hudson impressed me, making for an interesting ancillary character in the role of Felicia Williams and sharing great chemistry opposite Wahlberg.
In regards to the other supporting players, Kurt Russell musters up some Southern drawl in Jimmy Harrell, Dylan O'Brien sadly has little to do as Caleb Holloway but is great in his supporting capacity, Gina Rodriguez's Andrea Fleets barely registered to me when onscreen, and John Malkovich is about as slimy as it gets as the greedy corporate businessman Vidrine.
In conclusion, Peter Berg manages to craft an intense disaster thriller that seeps into the viewers' mind and leaves a lasting impression thanks to some sufficient performances and appropriately terrifying sequences of destruction.
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