Adrift (2018)
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp couldn't anticipate that they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope of rescue, Tami must now find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved.
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3 films that influenced Adrift
What critics say influenced Adrift
Suraj Sharma in “Life of Pi.”
The lost-at-sea survival tale “Adrift” is based on a true story, but it plays out like mediocre “Life of Pi” fan fiction that started with the premise “What if Pi were a young woman wearing short shorts and bikinis and the tiger in the boat was an older, hunky Brit?”
“Adrift” can’t help but evoke vivid memories of other, similar tales of isolation and overwhelming obstacles from recent years, and if we’re being honest it doesn’t quite live up to the sumptuous imagery and religious awakenings of “Life of Pi,” or the overwhelming suspense and catharsis of “Gravity,” or even the futile despair of “All is Lost.”
Cast Away had Tom Hanks talking to a volleyball while Life of Pi brought in animals and a spiritual theme.
All of this has been done better in other adrift at sea movies (“All Is Lost,” “Life of Pi”) and this film is further weighted down by a back and forth story line between the couple’s fight for survival and distracting flashbacks to their shallow romance.
Speaking of large landforms, Kormákur previously helmed the survival in nature dramatic thriller "Everest," and like that film he creates a completely believable visual scenario here that, if ever presented as a double feature with Redford's film, "Life of Pi" or even "Titanic," could assure those uneasy about being out on the water with no land in sight will remain on terra firma.
We have seen characters coping with similar situations in other movies (All is Lost and Cast Away, to name a couple) but Adrift offers a uniquely female perspective.
When Robert Zemeckis put Tom Hanks through his island ordeal in Cast Away , he gave him Wilson, the volleyball, to keep him company.
Cast Away had Tom Hanks talking to a volleyball while Life of Pi brought in animals and a spiritual theme.
Kormakur, the Icelandic director who has had previous survival film experience with Everest, balances the character development and relationship building of the flashbacks with the need to maintain forward momentum in the “present” sequences.
Director Baltasar Kormákur, who previously helmed 2 Guns and Everest, balances the characters well enough with the action but there are some elements here that slow this new film’s momentum down.
Instead, Kormakur (“Everest”) aims to play up the scope, which is jaw-dropping as a depiction of gigantic waves and somewhat fake-looking in capturing Tami and Richard experiencing them.
Disaster specialist Baltasar Kormákur, director of Everest , breaks up this thread with flashbacks to the couple’s cute meet on Tahiti.
Much like his previous Hollywood film, Everest, Kormakur tackles the survival instinct and the hardships that sometimes go with humanity's interaction with the elements; and it's an improvement from his prior effort.
The most recent English-language films from the Icelandic action auteur Baltasar Kormakur — “Everest” from 2015 and the new “Adrift” — would make an apt, if grueling, double feature, a surf-and-turf of real-life survivalism.