A modern remake from 2010 with an unrealistically oversized white sperm whale, on a very low budget. This is more of a monster movie 'mockbuster,' but we had to watch it just to be sure. The Jaws (Jurassic World) style film jacket makes the film look better than it is.

MOBY DICK 2010 FILM - THE ASYLUM

This is a film adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby Dick produced by The Asylum film company, starring Barry Bostwick as Captain Ahab. It also stars Renee O'Connor, Michael B. Teh, and Adam Grimes and is directed by Trey Stokes.

THE PLOT

On November 20, 1969, 50 miles off Soviet waters, the USS Acushnet dives under the ice. A young Ahab listens to sonar for enemy submarines when suddenly he detects an unknown target. When the captain listens, he hears nothing, but Ahab insists on a presence in the emptiness. The target dives into a trench, but the captain abandons his search in favor of photographing the target. The target attacks the submarine as Ahab hears a roar. The sub is brought to the icy surface, and the target identifies itself as a gigantic, white, whale-like creature. Ahab survives, but loses his left leg to the beast when it hauls the other half of the sub back underwater.

In the present day, Dr. Michelle Herman (O'Connor) and her assistant Pip (Derrick Scott) test a whale song generator when the USS Pequod surfaces behind them and Lieutenant Commander Starbuck (Grimes), the executive officer, persuades them to come aboard. In the sub, Starbuck tells them about several attacks in which eyewitnesses all report seeing an enormous whale. Although Michelle explains that the whale song generator needs a recorded whale vocalization, Captain Ahab (Bostwick) comes to the deck and gives her the recording he took of Moby Dick back in 1969. Although Michelle disagrees on joining a Navy sub with the intent of killing an animal, she has no choice.

In San Diego, Captain Boomer (another survivor of the attack of '69) is told by his superiors of suspicious activity revolving around the Pequod. He is assigned to investigate, and thanks to a survivor from a recent attack by the White Whale, he comes to the conclusion that Ahab is on the hunt for Moby Dick.

Meanwhile, the USS Essex is searching for the Pequod off Hawaii. When they go to active sonar, it attracts the attention of the wandering Moby Dick. The Essex engages what appears to be the sub they were searching for, but realizes too late that their adversary is biological just before the sub is destroyed by a torpedo it shot. Later the Pequod comes to their location with no sign of the whale, but encounter the corpses of the Essex's crew. Rousing his crew with a speech, Ahab moves on to search for the beast.

A helicopter in search of the Pequod encounters it while the sub is following a 600-foot target. As the helicopter engages them, the sub fires a nuke at the unknown target, but the confused helicopter crew tell them they shot a school of giant squid just before they are swallowed alive by Moby Dick.

The whale then attacks the S.S. Rachel, a cruise liner, when the Pequod intervenes with Michelle's whale-song generator. This, however, causes the whale to attack them, subsequently destroying a fin on the Pequod. The sub fires a harpoon made from the Acushnet's hull on top of Moby Dick's eye, which forces him to dive deeper, dragging the Pequod with it. As the water pressure begins to damage the hull, the line snaps and Starbuck forces the ship to surface.

Moby Dick surfaces too, and the Pequod, along with the help of Boomer in a helicopter, forces the whale into an atoll. The sub gets trapped in shallow water, and three boats are sent out to face the whale with guns and Ahab's harpoon. Moby Dick destroys two of the boats and forces the survivors onto the island's shores. The whale attacks them again, resulting in the death of Queequeg (Michael Teh). Ahab takes the last boat and fires his harpoon at the whale's other eye. Moby Dick destroys the boat, killing Ahab. The remaining crew of the Pequod, including Starbuck, and Pip, follow Ahab's orders and fire nukes at the island. Moby Dick dodges the nukes and crushes the Pequod just as the island explodes. The White Whale survives to wreak havoc another day; Michelle swims to the surface just as a rescue helicopter arrives.

CAST

Barry Bostwick as Captain Ahab
Renee O'Connor as Dr. Michelle Herman
Jay Gillespie as Young Ahab
Michael B. Teh as Queequeg
Adam Grimes as Starbuck
Cindi Arrata as Lt. Vanessa
Carlos Antonio as Captain Macey
Matt Lagan as Capt. John "Boomer" Enderby
Jay Beyers as Young Boomer
Dean Kreyling as Admiral De Deer
Carlos Javier Castillo as Cabaco
Oliver Rayon as Bulkington
Durant Fowler as Doughby
Michael Gaglio as XO / Millard Davis
Bart Baggett as Lt. Flask
Derrick Scott as Pip
Carl Watts as Captain Pollard
Kevin Sumethasorn as Archy
Kevin Allen as Pilot
Jett Turner as Essex Sonar
Jeff Jones as Seaman

Queequeg and Captain Ahab (John Barrymore) in the 1930 Warner Brother's production of Moby Dick.

Gregory Peck as the obsessed Captain Ahab, in search of the giant white sperm whale.

THE ESSEX - This three-masted ship was made from white oak, especially known for its strength, measuring 87 feet (26.5 metres) and just 239 tons displacement. There were 21 men on board, including first-time captain, George Pollard, Jr.

On the 20th November 1820, a huge male sperm whale was spotted close to the ship. It was estimated to be 85 feet long where a typical male was no bigger than 65 feet.

The whale may have thought that the ship was another whale invading its territory. Whatever its reason, the whale began speeding toward the Essex, ramming the port side. After passing under the ship, the animal resurfaced and appeared stunned. It then resumed its attack “with tenfold fury and vengeance,” striking the bow and causing catastrophic damage before disappearing. The Essex capsized. Only two of the crew survived.

GRAPHIC NOVEL

The graphic novel translation of Kulo Luna, omits many of the above chapters entirely, and condenses others, aiming for a lively visual read.

Herman Melville

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