by: Connor Fitzgerald, David Beliveau, and Nick Graham
An amazing true story, Captain Phillips is a must see drama for anyone thirteen or older. Now that the baseball is over, there is plenty of time to head to the movie theater and see this great film while still in theaters. Captain Phillips takes place off the coast of Somalia where a group of Somali pirates hi-jack a cargo ship named the Maersk Alabama. This movie is action packed and primarily takes place out on the open ocean. United States Navy SEALS, automatic machine guns, and hostage situations are just some of the things you can expect from this movie.
This true story is based off the 2009 hijacking by pirates of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia. This event went down as the first US cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years by pirates. Captain Phillips is portrayed as an average American family man whose job position is captain of a cargo ship. When pirates threaten the cargo ship, it is captain Phillips responsibility to protect the ship and its crew.
Tom Hanks plays the ship captain, Captain Richard Phillips, and does an impeccable job portraying the intense hostage situation. Hanks, throughout his career, has established himself as one of the premier actors of our generations. Other famous movies Hanks has starred in are: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), and Castaway (2000), and he played the voice of Woody in Toy Story (1995- Present). Everyone knows at least one of these classic films but Hanks’ role in Captain Phillips was a different experience.
Hanks takes us on a journey about the life of a hostage. He plays the role to perfection. The two central ideas Captain Phillips leaves you with are the feeling of freedom and the power of America. The film re-establishes the strength of America and shows how awesome the United States is. Hanks is not the only character who developed this sense of compassion. The US military as a whole is another very prominent character in the movie. The US military acts as a symbol of hope. Without the help of the US military, Captain Phillips may never have been… been what? We can’t get too ahead of ourselves now. We encourage you to go and see Captain Phillips and experience this great film.
After watching the movie, we really appreciated the story and thought it was a very interesting and thought-provoking. The power of the US government is incredible, and Captain Phillips is a true testament of its extreme prowess and grace. One of the members of our group decided to take action after watching the movie. We were driving home and he called 911 when he saw two cars after they had crashed. At the time, there we no officers or ambulances nearby so he took the initiative and for all we know, he could’ve saved a life.
We really recommend Captain Phillips; and, don’t forget, when you bring your student ID you get a ticket price discount!
