Deep Blue – review

“Our planet is a BLUE planet.”

So goes the opening line of narration by Pierce Brosnan in the new theatrical nature documentary,

“Deep Blue”. Such sentiments are typical in the unenlightening celebrity voice over which works just as well as texture for this otherwise awe-inspiring film as it does as a quick paycheck for Brosnan. Its also one example of the kind of abounding elements that keeps this film from ever truly transcending its Nature Channel-esque roots and hitting the “Koyaanisqatsi” levels that it may be aspiring to. Ordinarily one would expect to see a movie like this in an IMAX theater, running about half the length of the ninety minutes that this clocks in at. But no matter, any big screen suits the amazingly beautiful and diverse undersea footage that make up this narrative-free presentation of sharks, exotic fish, sea lions, manta rays, sea turtles, and numerous other undersea life.

If you’ve ever spent any time watching National Geographic wildlife programs, then you’ll be familiar with the style of this film. Straight forward, extremely impressively photographed images of nature as it frolics and preys and upon itself comprises the description of “Deep Blue”. Scores of sharks hunt for fish for dinner, many of which are camouflaged right under their noses. Killer whales make short work of frisky sea lions, going so far as to toss ones dead carcass fifty feet into the air with a single swat of its tail for no apparent reason. Dolphins leap through the massive oceans in seeming synchronization. A living coral reef extends its spaghetti tendrils into a nearby unsuspecting victim. The camera passes through a barrage of deadly jellyfish, emerging unscathed on the other side. Seagulls bombard the ocean, many going completely underwater, upon finding a massive school of fish swimming near the surface.

It all culminates with an incredible trip into the deepest part of the ocean, the Marianas Trench, which reveals multicolored luminous sea life that must be seen in order to be believed. These creatures glow red, blue, yellow and green like dime store light-up yo-yos. But the biggest thrill in the film may be earlier, when a hungry polar bear comes upon a hole in the iced-over arctic sea being used as a busy communal breathing area for whales. “This should be good”, I nearly spoke out loud upon watching the bear make his way to the hole. Sure enough, it isn’t long before he’s jumping in and picking fights with the unsuspecting kings of the sea. If all that isn’t worth your movie dollar, I’m not sure what is. On the other hand, much of the footage, especially that of a massive undersea whirlpool of typically nomadic hammerhead sharks, looked awfully familiar, possibly derived from the IMAX feature “Blue Planet” or the BBC TV series of the same name (which is listed in the credits). But no matter, recycled footage or not, more sharks on-screen is always a good thing in these docs, and these docs, as straight forward as they are, are almost always good in their own awe-inspiring, educational way. With or without Pierce Brosnan.

- Jim Tudor