Shipwrecked

“A quest for survival that became the adventure of a lifetime.”

When his sailor father becomes injured and unable to return to see, a young boy named Haakon Haakonsen joins the crew of a ship as the new cabin boy to support his family and save their farm. After being hazed by the crew, Haakon earns their respect and truly becomes a member of the crew. Until a new first mate joins the ship. Secrets, dangers, treasure, and adventure flow throughout Shipwrecked as Haakon must go from being a young boy into a man on his first trip out to sea.

Shipwrecked is one of a long line of live-action Disney films dealing with sailing, castaways, pirates, etc. Shipwrecked comes across a little grittier and darker compared to a film like In Search of the Castaways, especially in the first half. This gives the film a more realistic viewpoint while still being a family film. 

With this more realistic viewpoint, you get more of a sense of danger than Disney’s other films. Not only from the main villain of the film, but also just from the environment around Hakkon. We follow him as he arrives onto the ship and through all the struggles he comes across and eventually overcomes. This helps show the growth of the character and helped me connect to the character. We see him make mistakes, we see him being rough handled by his shipmates, and then when he grows, we see those same shipmates welcome him into the fold. 

Shipwrecked’s story is broken into three sections, Hakkon’s beginnings on the ship, followed by his meeting and first interactions with the main villain, and his time stranded on the island through to the credits rolling. This 3 act storytelling works for the film and helped me stay interested in what was going on without feeling that any part was dragged on too long. Each part also had its own mini-rising actions and mini-climaxes.

Now, even though this is a movie that involves pirates, there is no swordplay. Don’t expect anything like Disney’s later blockbuster series Pirates of the Carribean. There is some gunplay and violence, but it is really minimal. Most of the conflict and danger is conveyed through dialogue and acting.

Haakon is played by Stian Smestad in his only acting role. He actually gives a surprisingly good performance for a single acting credit. He does have issues conveying strong emotions of stress or danger at times, but overall you will stay connected to the story by his performance. Haakon is surrounding by shipmates and friends, but his main friends are Jens played by Trond Peter Stamsø Munch and stowaway Mary played by Louisa Milwood-Haigh. I think that these two actors give stronger performances than Stian Smestad which only helps elevate the film. 

Of course, then there is Gabriel Byrne. Gabriel plays Merrick. A former royal navy member turned pirate and the main villain of Shipwrecked. Byrne gives probably the best performance in the movie. Everything about his character makes you shiver (as it should). You can tell this is a violent and dangerous man and just being in his presence is a risk.

Filmed in Norway, the UK, and a few other countries, the quality of the setting are really good. The ship looks like it has been out to sea for a long time. The first time they come to a port you can almost smell the mixture of the sea, the sailors, and the market. While the island seemed sparse, it contained enough interesting locations to keep giving us something new to look at in each shot. Between the settings and photography, it makes a good argument of live locations over greenscreen when possible.

The music of the movie is composed by Patrick Doyle (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Thor) and fits the film well. It elevates the action when it needs to and also makes solemn moments more morose. The full orchestra sound makes it pleasant to listen to even outside of the movie. The soundtrack for Shipwrecked is beyond the production level of the film. 

Unfortunately, the only way you can watch Shipwrecked is via a Walt Disney DVD. It has yet to be released to Blu-ray and I don’t believe it was ever released on VHS even. The DVD is devoid of anything beyond the film and its trailer. Even worse, the aspect ratio is FULL FRAME (ARRGGGHHHH! MY EYES!). It doesn’t even have a scene select. The cover art is passable, but I would prefer that they had put the theatrical post art on it instead. If you want to watch this family film, this is, unfortunately, the only way to.

While this film is not a blockbuster level movie. It is still a lot of fun for the family that enjoys a good adventure. Even with adventure and the more gritty feel of the movie, there is actually not a lot of violence. It is really more about a boy’s growth and experiences away from home. So pop it into your player, join your family on the couch, and save me some popcorn!

Rating:

Jack Savage:

A fun family film with enough adventure for the kids and enough danger for the parents.

Trailer:

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