Sharkwater

source: Sharkwater

This film does an incredible job of showing sharks as they really are : intelligent, graceful creatures who, like everything else on earth, just want to survive. The film debunks popular (and ridiculous) misconceptions about "bloodthirsty" sharks with a few simple facts and footage showing how sharks actually behave. Clearly some humans are far more cruel, wasteful and downright despicable than these sensitive ocean dwellers. The film not only has stunning undersea visuals, but a compelling human story full of danger, pathos, humour and suspense. I don't agree with everything that the filmmakers say and do, but I admire their courage in fighting for the rights of these misunderstood and critically important animals. Sharkwater shows that it is in our own best interest to protect sharks, who are a keystone predator of ocean life. How? Most of our oxygen comes from ocean phytoplankton. What happens if the number plankton-eaters gets out of control? Sharks control the many populations under them, effectively keeping the food chain in balance. The loss of sharks could cause one of middle species to explode in population while the others die off. Sharks stabilize the ocean's ecosystem, and this same web of life allows us to live and breathe. Sharks may seem distant, but indirectly your welfare is connected to theirs. Some parts of the film are a visual treat while other are painful to watch, but overall the film strikes a good balance between warning and hope. I think it is a must-see.

The first half hour of the movie serves as a broad introduction to the theme of "sharks". The footage is really nice and the narrative gets the job done. Then the movie becomes much more political with the intention to change the common view of sharks as a lurking predator that is out to get us. The following explanation is good but the statistics that we are shown are ridiculous. It really isn't important to compare shark attacks with car accidents or whatever - I don't think that we basically will feel more safe to go swimming in an area with sharks if we know that more people die from drugs than from shark attacks. Really! I think that the director should have consulted someone with more flair for journalism when he decided to make this movie political. Then we enter the battle against the illegal fishing that is going on in order to get the fins from the sharks to shark fin soup. The theme is very relevant but again I think that director Rob Stewart should have stayed focused on what he is good at; portraying sharks underwater. I once heard how post-modernism influences the way an academic paper should be made; instead of giving the conclusion, show your observation and let the viewer (or reader) conclude for himself. I would have been more engaged if the movie had been produced accordingly. The way it was made left out any room for reflection; Everything was served "overcooked" and very easily digested. On top of that you sometimes didn't know what you were being served because the narrative didn't always give a well-rounded description of what was going on Why did this movie get such a high rating on IMDb? I think - and this is entirely my own thought - that people, because of the importance of the theme, thinks that this movie needs to be seen by so many as possible. Regards Simon Ps. When you read reviews that gives max score check to see if the user has made more than one review. If not consider the possibility of a lobbyist. If you agree consider putting this post scriptum at the bottom at your own reviews.

First this shark-loving Kuanu Reeves-like film-maker got me to think of sharks as noble and gentle. Then he got me to feel sorry for the way they are killed for their fins, and worry about the effect it might have on the algae that produces most of our oxygen. Finally he surprised me by busting out a plot. He quits his regular work and hooks up with the captain of an environmental activist boat, who's been around the block a few times, to go save sharks in Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. They hassle a Costa Rican boat that is killing sharks illegally, and when they get to port, the government is more interested in prosecuting the activists than the illegal fishermen. The film-maker goes undercover in Costa Rica and gets hidden footage of a shark-fin mafia, which suggests a motive for government officials to not enforce some of their own laws. Then the activists' legal prognosis starts to look bleak, and they flee the country, with the Coast Guard in hot pursuit. The boat continues on to the Galapagos, but things go badly there too. That government legalizes shark fishing, and then the film-maker is hospitalized with a flesh-eating infection in his leg, and the activist boat gives up on him and the sharks and moves on to save some whales in Antarctica. The film-maker does not give up, though, and incredibly he sneaks back into Costa Rica illegally. I won't give away the conclusion, but I found it quite satisfying. The plot is good enough to be fiction, but I believed it and that realism added a lot. The film-maker becomes the main character, and although he comes off as somewhat naive and idealistic, I found myself feeling concern for his personal well-being and future, as well as that of the sharks he loves.

Blame it on its many teeth, giving it a perception that it can cut through flesh and bone. And no thanks to movies like Jaws, which has set that perception in stone that sharks are extremely dangerous creatures that have one mission, and that's to eradicate human swimmers from the sea. How do you try and convince what is generally "accepted truths" by the masses? You go at it small, with persistence, that fire in the belly to fuel your crusade in re-educating the masses, and the best example being yourself taking the plunge to try and set things right, one step at a time. That's what Rob Stewart did, in trying to change the incorrect mindsets we have of sharks, by demonstrating to us how they are actually more afraid of us, and making a documentary film out of it to spread the good message. Don't let the poster fool you into thinking it's a fictional, narrative film. It's a documentary, and like most documentaries, it has an agenda to cover. Here, Stewart's agenda is simple, to talk about shark conservation, and the importance of the ocean ecosystem. Yes, it's a myriad of topics that can spiral out of control, but strangely enough, the key points are all presented in a compelling manner, against very beautiful underwater images of marine life, the very life he is seeking, on the bigger picture, to try and save. Naturally, one doesn't talk about saving the sharks without touching on the demand side of things, and that is the perceived value of a delicacy called the Shark's Fin Soup, which is a staple in any self-respecting Chinese restaurant. While the usual illegal poaching through long lining and footage of skinning are aimed to shock an audience into the cruelty of the way the sharks are destroyed, the biggest impact made here are the frivolous statements given by the chairman of a prominent brand of canned shark's fin soup. You will definitely chuckle at his arguments, or the lack thereof in the intelligence department, as he's made to look quite animated, and not in good light, deliberately of course. Some might feel that the movie did seem a little like an ego-trip for Rob Stewart, with himself being featured quite prominently in many scenes, but I thought it's a given because it is a trip along a journey he's bringing us, and that's why we see some of the inherent risks involved in the many conservationists efforts as they go out to try and stop, with limited budget and resources, the perennial problem of trying to stem out the supply side of things. Naturally, it's never easy with the illegal trade, as shady corporations, characters and corrupt governments are almost always involved, because that's how the activity can thrive, and it boils down to obscene amount of profits to be made by all parties. Through documentaries that touch on current hot topics involving the environment, it's hard to tell how effective they can be. I guess a good measure if how convinced you are to the cause, and from the documentary, try to reinforce the message yourself to your peers. Simple actions done by a few, can go a long way, and I guess the simplest of ways is to start from yourself. An Inconvenient Truth has made me more diligent in electricity utilization, and now Sharkwater has convinced me to layoff the shark's fin soup, whether they come in cans, or presented in wedding dinners. I have a choice, and I choose not to consume it. You might laugh at the futility of my actions, or want to take my share, but go ahead please, as I'm exercising my choice, a choice which you have too. Watch Sharkwater. You might be convinced by the arguments for the cause too. If not, it's still an educational trip in learning more about sharks and the ocean ecosystem, with a stark warning not to tamper with the natural order of Mother Nature. Highly recommended, naturally.

For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth. Driven by passion fed from a lifelong fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas. Filmed in visually stunning, high definition video, Sharkwater takes you into the most shark rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. In an effort to protect sharks, Stewart teams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Their unbelievable adventure together starts with a battle between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers in Guatemala, resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges, forcing them to flee for their lives. Through it all, Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gone from predator to prey, and how despite surviving the earth's history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed. Stewart's remarkable journey of courage and determination changes from a mission to save the world's sharks, into a fight for his life, and that of humankind. Sharkwater 10/10

Rob Stewart had made himself a great film. It's a film that captures the grandeur, misinterpretation, and exploitation of not just sharks but all sea creatures in the oceans. Among the film's breathtaking footage of kelp forests, massive bait balls, alien seahorses, and of course sharks, the films bearings focus on the absolutely disgusting, unethical, and immoral treatment of wildlife. Stewart feels like he needs to legitimatize his film by explaining why the deaths of sharks will harm human beings, but really, he doesn't need to. The cruelty he films is more than reason enough to understand that something beyond greed is at work. I would love to know if there are poachers that aren't just Asians and South Americans. I'm sure there are, but the amount these pathetic men over-fish the oceans is just truly unbelievable. They do nothing but kill. I'm amazed how many Chinese, a large elitist and delusional lot of them, are so blind to what they're doing. Close-minded ignorance is a staple among many of the worlds fishing communities. The film is very disturbing, especially for shark and animal enthusiasts, and at least warrants a PG-13 rating. There are numerous scenes of shark-finning and vicious, blank stare poaching of humpback whales to loggerhead turtles. The film isn't perfect however. Stewart himself isn't that likable, and the film would have probably worked better if it followed someone else around. The soundtrack isn't very good either. But the film isn't about Stewart, or at least not for me. It's about sharks and all the life under salt water that is being unfairly slaughtered.

you know, the scary thing is, living in Costa Rica, you can see blatant signs of deals between the Costa Rican Government and the Taiwanese..... Rob Stewart is a genius for bringing this to the attention of the public - something I have been fighting against for a while now. I have just come back from volunteering at Cocos Island, and it breaks my heart to see the long lines set up in supposedly protected waters. The message is out in Costa Rica that it is OK to fish here, and nothing will happen to you if you get caught.... we need more people like "Sea Shepherd", who care, and can see the devastation that this is causing....

This movie should be re-edited, get a new narrator, and get more solid facts with more respected biologists like Canada's, David Suzuki. Why didn't they get Doctor Suzuki to narrate? He is well know and respected world wide and fully supports animal rights. He may have even donated his time, if they approached him, but I don't think he would agree with most of the movies ethics or lack of. I really want to know, "What did Dr. David Suzuki think of this movie?" I fully understand that there is a serious issue regarding to people killing off sharks.. I believe that they should be left alone like any other animal unless they provide some sort of medical cure, but they do not as far as I know. This movie tries to jump on the "Environmental Band Wagon". It was poor done and reminds me of one of my students handing in a book report for a book they had skimmed the night before. It is very vague and amateurish. Not to mention the lack of ethics on their part. They would rather ram another vessel and risk killing human beings, to save a few sharks. They didn't have any backing from any government to do so. This is why they were being arrested and charged for several counts of attempt of murder. If you see a dog being beaten on the street and decide that it is appropriate to beat the dog owner with a baseball bat….you will be arrested and you will be charged with either aggravated assault or attempt of murder. Another thing that bothered me was when the photographer had to be hospitalized because he had a "Flesh Eating Disease", they didn't show the his leg and to movie makers that would have been the "Money Shot". So why didn't they show his leg? I think that this drama was invented to given the narrator more depth and to prove that he was risking his life to save the sharks. In fact, he did very little to save the sharks. The Canadian Movie Production Company "Sharkwater Productions" deserves most of the credit The photographer took photos and film footage and that was about it. Oh yes…we did get to see him swim around in a skin tight bathing suite for the last have hour of the movie….What was that all about? Where they going for the female/gay demographic?

A great documentary film worth watching for its education value on the topic of the shark-finning industry alone. It goes a couple levels deeper than the usual documentaries you'll catch on discovery channel type shows which made the film quite captivating. Underwater scenes are well shot, although if all you want is some oceanic eyecandy go see 'Blue planet' instead. The real worth of the film comes from some of the undercover and handicam shooting of illegal sharkfin set ups, boat chases, etc... Director Rob Stewart does a bit too much mugging for the camera which takes some focus away from the sharks, and the way he ends it left me scratching my head for a bit. But despite that, you can tell he is passionate about this topic. His narration and on-screen presence isn't all that hard-hitting, though some of the footage (the finning sequence especially) makes up for it. Bottom line: As a shark lover, if I had my way I'd make everybody I know watch this movie. I've always felt it a shame that because sharks aren't cute and cuddly they've been left on the back burner of public conservation interest, and I hope it's movies like this that will start to change that.