Moby Dick TV Mini Series Review

4 Star Seafaring “Call me Ishmael”.

Here is another adaptation of the Herman Melville classic story, on a captains obsession with a white sperm whale and the fact that it attacked him and took his leg.

Filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada this is the long awaited TV mini series (2011) with a great cast and great acting (shame about the CGI though).

Ishmael (Charlie Cox, There Be Dragons) dreams of being at sea and he is headed for a whaling port to find himself a ship to work on and take a share of the vast amounts of money to be made off the extremely valuable whale oil.

Whilst riding on the back of a cart he spots a young lad being severely beaten. Being of a mind of equality he runs over and saves the boy, Pip (Daniyah Ysrayl, Nurse, Fighter, Boy) and takes him along on his view of adventure.

Ishmael has made the journey from Manhattan Island and when they reach New Bedford, Ishmael heads for a hostelry and whilst soaking up the atmosphere he asks for a room for the night. He is told that there is only a sharing room available, so Ishmael takes the room, but while settling in he does not expect his room-mate to be a naked tattooed Polynesian named Queequeg (Raoul Trujillo, Riddick). Despite their obvious differences they become good friends as they head for Nantucket and find a ship to further their adventures in this hub of activity.

On his last outing Captain Ahab (William Hurt, The Incredible Hulk) came across an albino Sperm whale (now named “Moby Dick”). Whilst trying to kill Moby Dick the whale turns the tables on the whalers and attacks them, badly damaging his ship “Pequod” and also personal injury, i.e. the loss of his lower right leg.

Despite his injury Ahab is determined to get back into the foray and exact his revenge on the murderous whale at all costs. He berates his crew to mend the ship and get it seaworthy as soon as possible, even if Christmas is fast approaching. This is where we meet his wife (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files) and Father Mapple (Donald Sutherland, The Hunger Games).

Second Mate Stubb (Eddie Marsan, Sherlock Holmes) pushes everybody hard as he is totally money driven, and Chief mate Starbuck (Ethan Hawke, Gattaca) is thinking about the crew, the ship and his captains mental health.

With our band of Ishmael, Pip and Queequeg singed up for the Pequod, Elijah (Billy Boyd, Lord of the Rings – saga) makes a dire foretelling of a fateful journey.

Let the voyage begin as Ahab heads for months at sea in search of his quarry.

Great little series with a great cast, just a shame they didn’t spend the same money on the whales CGI as it just lets it down a bit, but still a classic story and still the best around.

Available to Buy on DVD Now.