Oceans

showing nightly at the Loma at 7:00PM for the week of May 24th
Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud
Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

Disney has managed to import a beautifully filmed travelogue in its latest release: Oceans. My guess is that the intention of the film is to give a natural feel for the variety of life in the ocean, and the daily activities of its inhabitants. But, by the very limitations of a motion picture (keeping the film short enough to sit through), we are fed an ocean's worth of experience, which is only an inch deep. That's not to detract from the incredible footage of many locations on the planet, showcasing unique creatures (quite a few of which I didn't know existed), but looking beyond the visuals, there's just not much to this film. Perhaps the amazing images are enough for some. Unfortunately, for me it was not satisfying. I left the theater with an appreciation for what is in the oceans on Earth, but I didn't feel like I had any better a feeling of what the ocean is.

It's easy enough to say there just wasn't enough substance there, but what exactly do I mean? Brosnan provides a compenent job as the narrator, but his lines are largely inconsequential. While the job of the narrator is to impart knowledge of the story we are watching, or at least segue different scenes in the film, his script doesn't help in either respect. In the opening scenes of a young boy looking out at the ocean, the viewer is supposed to feel connected with the child, sharing his infectious enthusiasm to learn about the ocean. This just came off as a gimmick to hook the viewer. A few too many times there are brief scenes of fascinating creatures (a fish with legs, what?!?), which are not explored. Time to move to the next breathtaking scene. And why do we want to hear about a European Space Agency satellite? Ahh, that explains their appearance in the film's opening credits. There is a brief mention of the human race's negative impact on the ecology of the world's oceans, but for the most part this topic is the five hundred pound gorilla in the room. Looming, but not discussed to any level of detail. This just follows in the films inadvertent theme of covering a lot ground, but never delving deep into any of its topics.

To sum it up, this is a very safe movie. Beautifully filmed, appropriate for children and adults alike. It's very easy on the eyes, but won't cause those who dislike educational films to bristle. It's unfortunate that I didn't see this film at an IMAX theatre, as the larger screen would have benefitted the amazing cinematography and made the movie's shortcomings more forgiveable (as IMAX movies tend to do). Does this movie have date potential? Of course. Will the post movie discussion be particlularly stimulating? Not so much.

Editor's note: my wife and I saw the film, and concur with Mr. Hale's review. Regarding the cinematography, it was spectacular. But there wasn't much "there" there in terms of hard factual information (I suppose I should keep in mind that it was a Disney movie and probably wasn't meant to be a hard-hitting documentary). Regarding the film's brief attempt to address human impacts on the oceans, i.e. pollution, it was very brief and one couldn't help but think about the current situation with big oil companies polluting the world's waters, such as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Our oil addiction must end. Wind power? Bicycles?