Big Miracle

It is hard to know whether this movie would have been better if things were done differently. I enjoyed many parts and aspects of “Big Miracle” but after reading parts of the true story, I would have done some things differently. The focus of the film appeared undetermined and the opening act could have been organized & executed better.

Exposition is a very important part of any story. It must be done with sincerity so that the audience will feel connected to the characters they are meeting and the story that is unfolding. The opening act of “Big Miracle” felt a little too rushed in my view. The whales appeared about 5 minutes too early. I wanted more time to meet and relate to Adam, Rachel and Nathan. The montage of the whales’ story being sent out across the US felt too rushed. In short, the opening of the film had pacing problems. After reading elements of the true story, also known as “Operation Breakthrough”, the filmmakers could have been a tad more truthful. For example, the names of the whales were actually were Bonnet, Crossbeak and Bone in English. I feel that the film would have felt even more realistic if that had been in the screenplay. The film also lacks a center. It appears to have a lot of focuses such as Nathan’s relationship with his grandfather and the relationship between Adam & Rachel among many. The filmmakers should have chosen one of the story aspects and focused on that. “Big Miracle” did do some things right however. I like the portrayal of the Inuit people. I felt their argument for harvesting the whales had some ground. My favorite characters are the Russians on the ship and the two guys from Minnesota. The Minnesota men were humorous stereotypical and at the same time were heroes. The scene of getting the generator out of the whales was one of the best scenes as was trying to get the ice melting machines to work. You really feel anxiety. I love the joke of cutting the helicopter pilot’s eye open like on “Rocky”. The concluding moments for the Minnesota guys in the epilogue and during the end credits were great too. I felt the set design was perfect in depicting the late 80’s. The use of archival news footage was very good. The film also addresses the cold war and the 1988 US election which creates realism. Even though relations between the US and the Soviet Union were improving thanks to Mikhail Gorbachev, the film teaches the importance of enemies uniting for a greater good. It sounds like in the true story; there wasn’t much hesitation in asking the Russians for help. This change in the story however is justifiable because it helps with the theme and is symbolic of the ending of the cold war. Quinn K. Redeker, who plays Reagan, had the President’s voice down perfectly. I love the line “Gorbi, this is Ronny.” The captain and first mate of the Russian ship show visibly that there are good people everywhere who will do the right thing. The raising of the Soviet and American flags was really cool. “Big Miracle” needed to show the whales getting out even though in real life, there was no evidence that the whales actually made it out. The only proof that the whales lived is that they disappeared after the path out of the ice was finished. The fact that the filmmakers stayed true to the fact that the baby whale died shows that they did place some importance on getting the facts right.

While the movie had some problems, it was still great by the end. Families will enjoy this story just as much as the public in 1988. “Big Miracle” has a good message and that is what counts.

3.5 Stars