Let's get the bad puns out of the way at the outset: this "Storm" is not perfect, but it's not a sodden mess, either. It's a decent movie that's waterlogged by cliche dialogue, uneven character development and a few spectacular effects gone awry. 

Based on a book that is in turn based on a true story, The Perfect Storm tells the tale of the Andrea Gail, a swordfish boat caught in a 1991 storm off the coast of Gloucester, Mass. It's a collision of three storms: a meteorological phenomenon so rare that it is given its titular nickname. The storm generates swells of 90 feet and rogue waves of 120: spectacular walls of water larger than most people on earth will ever see. 

The film focuses on the crew of the Andrea Gail, most notably Mark Wahlberg as young Bobby Shatford, and George Clooney as sea salt captain Billy Tyne. When these two are riding out 40 foot swells with cheers and hollers, you can't help but feel some of their testosterone-fueled exhilaration. Of course, it isn't long before things start to go awry.

An interesting foreshadowing technique is the subplot about a pleasure ship which gets caught in the storm when the Andrea Gail is still sailing on sunny, flat seas. We don't really care about the characters, but the mechanics of a Coast Guard rescue (where the rescuers in turn need to be rescued) demonstrate that all the trappings of modern technology, and all the hi-tech power of the American Coast Guard, are still at the mercy of mother nature. 

Some of the special effects are astonishing. The camera swoops down through the hurricane itself, and the huge waves knock cargo off a tanker. For the most part, the waves are spectacularly convincing: three swimmers tread water not far from a Coast Guard rescue boat, but the huge peaks and valleys of the waves make the distance seem insurmountable. 

And then there's the strobe lighting, the Universal Studios shark, the "spray Clooney with a hose" effect and the tiny little cgi swimmer who moves around in the waves much too fast. I guess you can't have everything. (Oh and it's not a special effect, but I want to go on record as mentioning the horribly intrusive score. Ugh.) 

Cloony, Wahlberg and John C. Reilly are all excellent. However, Christopher McDonald's teeny role as a weatherman hits all the wrong notes, Diane Lane grates, and the villainous owner of the Andrea Gail is played as a broad caricature. My biggest problem lay with another character, though: that of Linda Greenlaw. 

Greenlaw, one of the best swordboat captains on the East Coast, is a compelling person: the book makes you want to know her. However, the film is way more concerned with convincing you that she's a girl: she flirts like hell with George Clooney and once the disaster hits, is reduced to almost constant histrionics. Her face scrunches up in horror while she delivers lines like, "You're heading right into the middle of the MONSTER!" Yikes. 

The other problem is the ending: I love the "fog lifting" speech, but the "only love" thing is nauseatingly trite, and undercuts the poignancy of the moment. 

But hey, don't let me discourage you: there's more right about this film than wrong. Director Sebastian Junger builds dramatic tension expertly and there are plenty of characters you can care about. Hell, the money shots of the waves alone are worth the ticket price. The Perfect Storm is an enjoyable way to spend a hot summer day. Just bring a date, a soda and a bucket of popcorn. 

With salt, of course.