The Perfect Storm

Somewhere inside The Perfect Storm there's a near-perfect movie drowning under gale-force swells of romanticized sea-faring melodrama. Here's a stomach-in-knots true story about the rugged crew of a swordfishing boat caught in the biggest sea storm in modern history--a terrifying human saga with unsurpassed, seat-gripping special effects, strong performances from a stellar cast (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane) and a potent level of realism. Yet the movie's potential got gutted in post-production, where director Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One) slathered it in sentimentality-laden weepy voice-overs, choppy editing that cuts away to distracting sub-plots and an incessant, intrusive score (by Titanic's James Horner) that saturates every single frame of the film with pounding tympani and crashing cymbals. How frustrating to see a good movie ruined by its Hollywoodization. Still, a strong optional purchase, given its popularity and sell-through price. (R. Blackwelder)