Big Miracle (2012)

This film is inspired by a true story and stars Fred, Wilma, and Bamm Bamm, three whales trapped under solid ice on their journey south.

If you are one of those people like me, who pretends to talk on their cell phones to avoid Greenpeace while walking down the street, than this film is not for you!

I'm just kidding . . . to an extent, because one of the flaws that I found with this movie is that it constantly berates the audience with its talk of Greenpeace, preserving the environment, and saving the whales. I know those arguments are at the film's core, but it didn't need to push it's political agenda that hard.

However, Big Miracle did do some things better than other movies in this genre. First of all, this is a family movie that did politics well. Every single plot string is tied to some political scheme or agenda and while most of that stuff if boring for children, I believe Big Miracle made it simple and funny enough without taking away any of the significance. That's something truly remarkable, in my opinion.

The second thing that the movie did well was portraying the native people of Alaska, who wanted to use the three trapped whales for food, in a positive light. The audience gets to hear the head captains of the town talk about how they need the food to survive and how they want their children to learn how to hunt, which was really cool. Then, after the media gets ahold of the whale story, they have to discuss how the rest of the world is going to look at them (if they decide to kill the whales) and what it means for the future of their town's survival. To me, that was the most interesting and important part of the movie.

The biggest flaw of this movie comes in the form of a story arch involving the grandchild of the most respected captain. This boy wants to leave Alaska and doesn't care much for the old customs of his grandfather. The film tries to show how he changes over time, after he gets emotionally involved with the whales, but I just didn't think it was smooth or believable. In fact, I think they could have left the kid out of the movie completely and it would have been better.

Now, on to the cast, which is both good and bad. Lets start with John Krasinski. He was by far the best actor in the whole film. He plays a genuinely nice reporter who first breaks the whale story. Drew Barrymore plays his ex-girlfriend, who is a political protester and an important part of Greenpeace. She raises hell at city meeting and is a nuisance for politicians. However, honestly, I felt that she was over the top and just really annoying at times. They do not put much make-up on her, which is a nice touch and makes her character more believable. You also have hot Kristen Bell who was awesome at first, as a LA reporter looking to break out, but the direction they took with her was so lame. And the last person I am going to mention is Ted Danson. I think he's a wonderful actor but he was just plain silly. My best guess is that they tried to play up their characters to appeal to the children. However, it was at the expense of quality acting.

Something positive that the movie did well was the whales. The special effects are amazing and all of the whales look life-like. To me, the technology used looks very similar to Jurassic Park, which I'm sad not more movies use.

Overall, Big Miracle was a touching story but the over the top feel doesn't set the right mood. However, if you want to learn more about the event, check out the v

Fmovies: It's amazing how much good can be accomplished when a group of largely self-interested people whose primary interest is self-promotion come together for a common cause. In a way, that's really the "big miracle" of this movie. The story revolves around a family of grey whales who are trapped by thick ice in Alaska and have no way to get to the open ocean. With temperatures plummeting, the only breathing hole they have is rapidly freezing over and the whales are in danger of drowning. When a local reporter makes the situation known to the outside world, saving the whales becomes a cause celebre, and brings together a very diverse group of people.

Into the mix steps a Greenpeace organizer (Drew Barrymore) - undoubtedly committed to the whales, but also aware that the issue will get a lot of good publicity for the organization, an oil executive (Ted Danson) who wants permission to drill in a wildlife reserve and figures that saving the whales will get him a lot of good publicity, the native community of Barrow, Alaska, who would really prefer to kill the whales for food, various townsfolk who use the situation to their advantage and make lots of money with ridiculously jacked up prices as outsiders fill the town, politicians (including the Governor of Alaska and President Reagan) who know there's votes in the issue, various reporters who know there's ratings in the issue, a couple of guys from Minnesota who seize the opportunity to make their new de-icing machine known and even a Soviet ice breaker called in to help who take the opportunity to soften American attitudes toward their country.

The whales (nicknamed Fred, Wilma and Bam-Bam) become the backdrop for the story of uneasy co-operation taking place around them, but they are the real lure for the viewer, even if the most interesting part of the movie is the strange alliances being formed. There's no doubt that the viewer gets drawn into the whales' plight and you root for them all the way through.

This is based on a true story that occurred in 1988. Like most "based on a true story" movies, this one takes license with the actual events. The ending of the movie is happier than what happened in real life, which is actually a mystery, as no one knows whether the two adult whales escaped after the baby died. What I really appreciated about this was that it was a marvellous family movie - enough "meat" to keep adults interested all the way through, and an animal story that will appeal to the kids and really very little anywhere that you wouldn't want your kids to watch. I thought it was very well done, and deserving of a much higher rating than it currently has, which is 5.9. (8/10)

I watched this film on a whim. Wow, I was really surprised, it was GOOD! In addition to being thoroughly entertained and moved, it was very moving to know that the film is based on a true story.

I don't know how they rendered the whales (CGI, mechanical, etc.), but they were extremely life-like. It was also interesting to see how many different cultures interacted -- political realms, the media, the local Inuit community, the oil industry, environmentalists. The script was terrific, and be sure to stay tuned for the end credits, where the actors are shown alongside the real-life players in this drama.

It should be noted that Kristin Bell was excellent in the film, along with the rest of the cast. She appears pretty far down in the credits, and I'm not sure why, as she had a fairly prominent role.

Watch this one, you won't regret it!

Big Miracle fmovies. Big Miracle looks deceiving due to its advertising. Looking like a sappy, clichéd mess of a cash in. Even at first impression, it's deceiving. Characters like the oft-seen charismatic ex-boyfriend, the spunky animal rights activist, the street-smart young kid, the pretty fish out of water journalist, the local elderly wiseman, the mean old oil tycoon turned good guy, the unlikely geniuses who provide comic relief, and even the self-absorbed douchebag news anchor had me fearing for its quality.

However, something about this true story just sticks. The script is overly clichéd, but there's a surprising heart and lack of cheap corniness to it that feels more honest than its sappy sounding premise may let on. It also boasts another surprising element: actual intelligence. It may not be groundbreaking, but it's done plenty of justice by an excellent cast. Even if it's not always focused, the powerful ending is happily earned, adding up to a satisfying family drama.

***1/2 / *****

In the late 80's, in the Alaska wilderness, three whales are trapped in foaming ice, they must be get free or they'll die. This becomes big news, every news person from country to country is covering it. Politicians star getting involved, so does the coast guard. But time is running out for the whales, will they get free, or will it be too late?

John Krasinski is good, playing his typical likable, smart Alec self. Drew Barrymore is also good playing a strong female role, who is very determined to save the whales at any cost. Ted Danson and Dermot Mulroney are also in there supporting roles. The whales are also quite memorable. This is a movie for everybody to enjoy.

Nine-year-old KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Anthony Aranda loved this film. Watch his video review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrCf8veaoyU or read below what he had to say: "This is one of the best movies I have ever seen that is based on a true story. This movie is really awesome because there were so many people that came together to save three whales. It was really heart-breaking because a lot of people put their own lives in danger to save the lives of the whales. This movie is all about Adam and Nathan who are out and see three whales that are trapped under the ice and can't find their way to the ocean. There is a small hole that the whales keep using to breathe so first they try digging that whole to make it bigger. Adam's friend Rachel comes to help save the whales and do everything she can. She asks the governor for help but he says no so she tells the news about what he said. The governor then decides to help. They have to work fast because the hole keeps freezing and getting smaller and the ice leading to the ocean keeps freezing over making the distance even longer. Some of the main characters in the movie are Adam, Rachel, and Nathan. My favorite character is Nathan because he is such a funny character at first and then he really starts to care about the whales. He also starts to spend a lot of time with his grandfather because his grandfather likes to spend a lot of time around the ocean and helps animals in need. My favorite part in the movie is when everyone started to dig the holes to help the whales breathe and get back to the ocean. I really like this part because it really shows how everyone cares about saving the whales and how much people love the whales. A part that was really funny was when the Governor had to help save the whales because Rachel told the news that he wouldn't help. It was funny to see him shaking the hand of a guy dressed up as a whale. I would recommend this movie for all ages because it is a really good movie. There are not any violent parts in this movie. This movie is a really great family movie. Go out and see this movie in theaters on February 3rd." Review by Anthony Aranda, age 9, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.