Sharkwater Movie DVD Reviews
Directed, narrated and written by Toronto native Rob Stewart, Sharkwater is the marriage of Stewart’s cinematography/photography career and his background in biology. While employed by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, for which Stewart traveled the world and won awards for his work, he learned about how illegal long line fishing was killing off the local shark population in Galapagos.
Thus, Sharkwater was spawned. Stewart makes several points in the film, including the fact that sharks are demonized by the public and media, when in fact they are scared of humans and rarely kill people.
He also explores illegal shark fishing, in which millions of sharks are caught annually for their fins alone (their carcasses are tossed back into the ocean). Apparently shark fins fetch about $200 per pound on the international market, thanks in large part to the status symbol of shark fin soup in China. (The fins add nothing more than texture to the soup.) Thus, these fishers will breach nationally and internationally recognized sanctions that are meant to protect various parts of the ocean, all for the valuable fins.
Stewart also meets up with Paul Weston and his animal rights activist ship, the Sea Shepherd, for an adventure of he won’t soon forget.
The footage in the film is truly breathtaking. Whether capturing the cruelty of illegal fishing, or showcasing the beauty of the ocean and its inhabitants, there’s no doubt Stewart does a great job with the camera.
The film itself is presented in anamorphic 1.85.1 widescreen, with sound in English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and an optional English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Surround mix, as well as 5.1 and 2.0 tracks in French. Removable English and French subtitles are also included for the feature. Sharkwater runs approximately 90 minutes and it’s rated PG.
Extras include “Sharkwater: Beneath The Surface”, in which Stewart talks about his reasons for making the film and some of the behind the scenes issues; and “Shark Defense”, a vintage U.S. Air Force training film produced by the Atlas Film Corporation that instructed pilots on how to survive should they find themselves adrift in shark infested waters (and taking the counterpoint to Sharkwater’s point that sharks are passive).
Sharkwater is everything a documentary should be—entertaining, engaging, informative, interesting and moving. Eventually, Stewart draws a connection between shark extinction and the future of the Earth, but he doesn’t smack you over the head with talk of global warming. Sharkwater is heavier than March of the Penguins, but it’s not as dry as An Inconvenient Truth.
Instead, it falls somewhere in the middle.
In part, Sharkwater is a love story (there’s no doubt Stewart loves sharks after seeing him swimming and interacting with them), but it also serves to deliver a valuable, important, timely message. Unfortunately, those who need to hear it are probably least apt to watch it.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I think it would be a great educational tool if shown in schools across the country/globe.