Wild Ocean- 3D

Wow!! This movie was good, and the 3D aspect made it amazing. I can't express how cool the 3D was; the fish seemed like they were swimming right in front of me, I even reached out to see if I could touch them. In fact, the documentary was so good that I'm taking my girlfriend to see it on Sunday so that I can watch it again.



As far as the actual movie, it concentrated on one of the largest marine events on Earth: the sardine run, a yearly swarm of pilchards (sardines) near the African Coast, and the effects it has on humans and other animals inhabiting the area. Every year, sardines are carried Northward by cool water, where copper sharks, cape gannets, and dolphins follow them as prey. These animals are not the only predators however. Human consumption of sardines has had a huge effect on the populations of the sardines, especially in the past century with the increase of technology. In one fishery, 100,000 tons of fish are caught in each yearly cycle; overfishing is a huge problem in many areas, and greatly disturbs the ecosystem. The documentary portrayed both the positives (economic) and negatives (environmental) of fishing, but also showed how it can be done sustainably.

The filming was done very well, and gave me the feeling that I was there in the action. One thing I really enjoyed was the perspective- I didn't feel like a human looking at animals. Rather, I felt like any part of the ocean- the fish, the birds, the sharks, even the water. This made the film not only more entertaining because I felt involved, but also made it more educational. I also really liked that it incorporated both humans and sea creatures; this made me feel connected rather than removed from the scenes. Instead of only allowing us to understand from the human perspective, the movie showed the event as a complex interaction between many species, including humans. In this way, the documentary excelled at showing the viewers the responsibility we have to protect this event by keeping the ecosystem healthy. It enforced the idea of responsibility through marine reservations and sustainable fishing not through preaching, but through understanding and care. In this way, I think the documentary was extremely successful in its conservation undertones. The picture below is an image from the movie. It shows some of the natives of South Africa fishing in the annual sardine run.


My favorite part of the movie was the action-intense scene with the bait ball (a swarm of fish all acting in unison that draws in larger predators but at the same time protects the sardine population). Another thing I noticed was the way the dolphins sounded- I had never really heard that sound before and it took me awhile to figure out what exactly it was. I included a clip of a dolphin sound at the bottom of the post. The video and pictures below depict a scene similar to the one seen in Wild Ocean. However, it doesn't at all compare to seeing the film in 3D.

As said in the film, a mass of sardines from above looks just like an oil spill:


I loved the way the documentary ended- giving statistics about the improvements Africa has made to it's marine environment provided inspiration for people to know that change is possible. The steps South Africa has taken to protect it's environment sets an example that the rest of the world needs to follow.