Adrift

photo courtesy of weliveentertainment.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Adrift finds Tami (Shailene Woodley) and Richard (Sam Claflin) lost at sea. After falling in love and agreeing to sail across the Pacific together, the two run afoul of a major hurricane. When the storm clears, Richard has sustained major injuries, so it’s up to Tami to keep them alive while they travel thousands of miles to safety. Oh, and it’s based on a true story, adapted from Tami’s real-life account of the events. Baltasar Kormákur (2015’s Everest) directs.

     As survival dramas go, Adrift is pretty agreeable. It might not be as sleek or absorbing as something like Robert Redford’s All is Lost (2013) or Life of Pi (2012), but it makes up for its weaker moments with striking visuals, an impressive performance from Woodley, and an ample amount of charm.

photo courtesy of traileraddict.com

     Let’s tackle the negatives first. There’s a certain level of predictability that comes with any “lost-at-sea” narrative, and Adrift struggles to overcome that obstacle. Even where there’s a little wiggle room for originality, surprise, or an interesting subplot, the conventions of the genre typically dictate the general direction that things are going. Without the ability to subvert the audience’s expectations—for the most part—Adrift’s ability to maintain tension is somewhat limited.

     There’s also an unusual amount of backstory for a survival movie. It’s probably included to compensate for the main storyline’s relative familiarity, but that’s not a problem; in fact, it’s often the most interesting part. The problem is that it’s done unevenly: sometimes in solid, interesting scenes that can stand on their own… and sometimes in redundant soliloquies.

photo courtesy of npr.com

     But Adrift has plenty going for it. Any survivalist story with a worthy central character is going to be at least moderately engaging, and Woodley’s Tami makes for a capable and sympathetic heroine. Even if we kind of have an idea of where things are going, it’s still easy to root for her.

     And as much as Adrift has in common with other survival dramas, there’s one thing that sets it apart: it’s also a full-fledged love story, complete with meet cute, awkward first date conversations, and romantic tropical vistas. The scenes that show their early relationship are well-written, well-acted by Woodley and Claflin, and, importantly, they’re also relevant to the main storyline, informing Tami’s actions and decisions. If you’re not a huge fan of the “starving-at-sea” stuff, there’s enough new flavor from the romance angle that you might still enjoy yourself.

photo courtesy of traileraddict.com

     Perhaps more than anything else, Adrift is worth the price of admission for its cinematography. There are plenty of small island settings that catch the eye in flashbacks, but the movie really makes its mark in the vast expanse of the ocean. It’s enveloping—at times stunning to look at and at times threatening. Occasionally, it’s downright terrifying (and not because of sharks, for once). If you’re the type of person who really enjoys the visual beauty of a movie, you’ll want to take note of Adrift.

TRAILER

Watch the trailer here.

photo courtesy of rogerebert.com