Movie Review

Captain Phillips Movie Review

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to come to face to face with pirates? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be kidnapped by said pirates? If you answered yes to those questions I think Captain Phillips may be the movie for you, as this emotional rollercoaster of a movie includes all the thoughts and feelings of being hijacked and kidnapped by Somali pirates without any of the danger.

 The story begins in Underhill, Vermont where Captain Phillips(Tom Hanks)and his wife Andrea Phillips(Catherine Keener)live a quiet life with Phillips being a Merchant Mariner. Captain Phillips is captaining a ship called the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia when pirates board the ship. The pirate captain Muse(Barkhad Abdi), Najee(Faysal Ahmed) and 2 other pirates demand money from the ship and crew, but only obtain 30,000 dollars. With the pirates angry about the amount not living up to their expectations they kidnap Captain Phillips and hold him for ransom on a lifeboat. With Phillips trapped it's up to the Navy and the Navy SEALS Commander(Max Martini)to deliver Phillips back to America in one piece.

 In this movie there is possibly multiple themes and morals, but the one I'm bringing up is the theme of being content. This theme is shown throughout the movie and more specifically shown in the pirates. The pirates have the chance to walk away with 30,000 dollars but due to their greed they kidnap the captain and get the US Navy involved. Another possible theme is the idea of being selfless. Phillips could've fled and leaved his crew to the pirates, but instead he decides to sacrifice himself and save his crew. In return for being selfless his crew calls the Navy and has him rescued.

 I think the people that would enjoy this movie would probably be older and a little more understanding. I think younger people might not understand it or find the movie boring, but people who enjoy movies for characters and suspense would most likely enjoy it. With the movies focus on dialogue and atmosphere I think and older person would be immersed than a younger person.

 I think the movie was really interesting. The way the atmosphere and audio constantly drove up the suspense kept me on my toes the entire time. The way camera angles and the pacing really locks into the characters raw emotion makes you feel like your watching a documentary. Speaking of emotion the actors did a amazing job, and Tom Hanks especially with the way he was able to convey fear and hopelessness made you really think he was kidnapped by Somali Pirates. The one thing I didn't like with the movie was how slow the beginning was, but like the Godfather it gets much better.

 Overall this movie was superb with it mimicking the actual events to a tee. So in my opinion I'm giving this movie 5 pirates out of 5.