Movie Review: Oceans

I’m no philosopher, but it struck me as I watched DisneyNature’s “Oceans,” a documentary about our seven seas, that one of the most convincing arguments for the existence of God is the reality of play and pleasure in the animal kingdom. Watching a dolphin’s freewheeling spins above the water’s surface or a seal’s playful pursuit of an inedible puffer fish, it’s hard not to believe in joy. The creatures are clearly having fun, fun that isn’t linked to survival of the fittest. It hints at joy as an independent reality instead of a cold evolutionary process, and reinforces the mystical idea that all life was created for pleasure, and not the utilitarian concept that pleasure evolved to help life survive.

The creators of “Oceans” would probably be horrified to hear my epiphany. One of the delights of last year’s DisneyNature release, “Earth,” was that it avoided more controversial discussions of how these wonderful creatures came into being.  It simply showed us awe-inspiring animals that sent a shiver of up the spine, whether the owner of that spine believed in a literal seven day creation or in an atheistic evolutionary process, or like most of us, teetered uncomfortably somewhere in the middle. This year, “Oceans” stresses the materialistic scientific viewpoint, leaving scant room for a divine being behind the creative process. This is unfortunate because the natural response to seeing such inspired, fantastic, and wildly beautiful creatures is gleeful gratitude.

The narration, read by Pierce Brosnan, doesn’t follow a story or outline. Instead, it hops from one poetic metaphor to the next, almost in a stream of consciousness. This works at times, as when the ocean is sublimely contrasted to space, with microscopic animals as asteroids and free-floating eggs as planets. A few times it hits a silly note, as when they Brosnan tries, ever so sincerely, to portray a twelve foot long great white shark as “a companion for an afternoon swim.”

The narration is secondary, however. In a sweeping documentary like this, it’s all about the images. At times they’re shockingly beautiful. A blanket octopus willows through the deeps, a red silk scarf of a creature. Seals jump in and out of glass-still water under a sunset sky. A lone penguin treks across a black and white world.

The film takes you to a coral reef at twilight, looking for all the world like a back alley in the worrisome part of town. Thuggish moray eels lurk in the shadows, waiting for an innocent victim while a lionfish parades through, waving his outlandish fins with the verve of a tattooed punk looking for trouble. Or, if you prefer a better part of town, clown fish (think Finding Nemo) play in neon colored anemones, bright as a street corner on Times Square.

While the teeny denizens of the deep play, the massive lords of the sea are not forgotten. The camera catches two humpback whales in a quiet moment, sleeping upside down in the ocean. Later, it lovingly follows the entire length of a blue whale, from huge nose to enormous tail. Not to be outdone, a diver swims as a whale eyes him, slowly circling to get a good look. Another diver, no word on the state of his sanity, swims alongside a Great White Shark, dwarfed by the predator’s size.
There’s plenty of spectacle too. It’s a wild rumpus as dolphins and birds team up on a school of sardines. Dolphins attack from below as birds dive in from the air. A few sharks join in the meal, but the water really starts churning when a pod of whales launches itself from below to crash the party.

It’s a cruel whale eat fish world, but DisneyNature stays away from disturbing images for the most part. Lots of fish get eaten, but that’s part of the fun. That is, until some cute baby sea turtle hatchlings become lunch for a flock of birds, eliciting shocked gasps from the crowd. To reinforce the “let’s protect the oceans” message, the film shows animals trapped in a fishing net, including a sea turtle and a whale shark. The film does not show their death, however, and the images should not overwhelm even small children. There’s no talk of reproduction, so sudden, unplanned explanations won’t be necessary. However, one unexplained shot of two sea turtles, closely connected, drew scandalized giggles from the oh-so-informed Jr. High kids in the theater. The film is rated G.

There are moments that don’t work in this film, but moments that do take you out of yourself and into a world of awe and discovery. There’s still mystery here on earth, moments of wonder to be found, and joy to be shared.