OCEANS (2010)
Narrated by Pierce Brosnan.
Written by Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, Christophe Cheysson, François Sarano and Laurent Debas.
Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud.
Distributed by DisneyNature. 84 minutes. Rated G.
In a move that helps to prove that the Walt Disney Corp. is not just a soulless profit-making entity, they have created Disneynature – an offshoot of the studio which specializes in creating educational nature documentaries to be released annually on Earth Day to theaters.
Not exactly a box office bonanza in the brewing, but sometimes it comes down to doing something for the greater good. Kudos to Disney for taking that step.
The experiment kicked off last year with Earth and will be continuing in the upcoming year with a look at The African Cats. They also release straight-to-video companion films, such as The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, Migration and Predator & Prey.
However, unlike those films – or other similar nature films like March of the Penguins and Winged Migration (made by the same filmmakers behind Oceans) – this movie does not really have a narrative spine to push it along.
I mean, I get it, I suppose. The species which inhabit the world’s oceans are mind-bogglingly diverse – it would take days if not weeks to go into any kind of real detail on all of them.
Ocean pauses briefly on a series of species which are beautiful, deadly, or odd-looking, imparts a little bit of knowledge on them and then moves on to the next creatures. It’s an experience not unlike visiting an aquarium – a greatest hits medley of the sea’s creatures. You see some amazing animals, but you can’t really say that you have gained an understanding of them.
That said, the footage that the Oceans filmmakers have gotten here is for the most part awe-inspiring and in general makes up for the fact that the film, ironically, rarely looks much below the surface of these creatures of the deep.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2010 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 19, 2010.