A man swam next to a shark three times his size as if he were a little fish tagging along for fun.

This is one example of the dangerous situations the filmmakers of “Oceans” were in so that they could get the incredible and almost unreal shots of the wildlife that appeared in the movie. The entire film was 87 minutes of incredible shots of animals that humans already know and love, and new creatures that the viewer got to know through the movie’s narration and footage.

The movie re-introduced many sea creatures: humpback whales, sea lions, sea otters, great white sharks, beluga whales, penguins, sea turtles, and dolphins. However, it took a closer look at their lifestyle, observing them in their natural habitat. There was never a time where I felt that I was watching something I had already seen before.

Familiar animals were not the only things the movie showed. It introduced all kinds of unique and strange creatures that are lurking at the bottom of the ocean. One of these animals was the blanket octopus, which resembles a red, orange, pink, and white scarf rippling through the water. Another was the Spanish dancer, whose body moves in a way that mimics a flamenco dancer’s skirt. Thrown into the mix were different types of crabs, underwater snakes, sea dragons, and eels.

The footage was what made the movie so different from any other documentary. There were shots of dolphins flipping around and swimming at speeds so high it is hard to imagine how the camera kept up with them. They captured shots of swarms of jellyfish floating around, and narwhals swimming in packs.

There were not many violent scenes in the movie with the exception of baby turtles being snatched up by birds on their way to the ocean after hatching, and a combination of whales, birds, and dolphins sharing a school of fish for lunch.  Hopefully, the DVD of “Oceans” will have extras that reveal the secrets behind capturing such amazing footage.

In addition to the extraordinary visuals, Pierce Brosnan was an exceptional narrator. The narration was more poetic than informative, but it gave the ocean and its inhabitants personalities rather than spitting facts at the viewers.

Like waves in the ocean, the viewer goes through peaks and troughs of emotion in response to the film. Although the movie showed beautiful animals living peacefully in the sea, it also portrayed the negative impact humans have on the ocean. It presented a satellite view of several oceans and highlighted the sections of them that are polluted.

After gaining empathy through these disturbing facts, the movie played to the emotional side of the viewer.  It showed a sea lion swimming by a shopping cart underwater which was surrounded by all kinds of other trash. The movie also showed some disturbingfootage of humans capturing fish in massive nets and killing anything that accidentally wandered into the net.

However, after presenting the negative effects that humans have on nature, it immediately switched to a more positive note, discussing how humans are trying to help the oceans. Humans were shown observing and taking notes about underwater plants and swimming with different sea creatures.

The end of the movie leaves the viewer feeling a responsibility to take care of the ocean. It warns that humans cannot survive without the ocean, and now the ocean cannot survive without our help. The movie is careful not to point fingers at anyone for the current state of our oceans and is hopeful that the next generation will do their best to preserve the ocean and its wildlife.

This was a very informing movie and I recommend going to see it.

Haley Lynch can be reached for comment at [email protected]