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There are two different posters for this documentary film (see above) and they each highlight one of the pair of things that are great about it. The first is the incredible footage of life under the sea and the other is Sir David Frederick Attenborough. 

First off then, the shots of the sea creatures in this movie are nothing short of jaw dropping. The majesty of whales, the playfulness of dolphins and penguins and the astonishing beauty of coral, fish and smaller crustaceans is something we already know about but here this is captured in wonderfully fresh ways and for many there will be new animals to discover here too, many being discovered even now. For me, I can’t believe I’d never latched on to the existence of the Peacock Mantis Shrimp before, that thing is awesome. 

I’m not really a fan of Avatar: The Way of Water anyway but seeing this you realise what a waste of time and money that film was. The only aspect it has going for it is the images of the CGI creatures splashing around in the waves (I mean, it’s not the script or the story is it?) but when you watch this there is no denying that there is not a single thing in James Cameron’s imagination, or his hard drive that even comes close to the magnificence of what exists in the real world.

There is no getting past the fact that there are a lot of repetitive shots in this doc, even with its short running time, but to be honest I was just happy to see them again, they are that good.

As far as David Attenborough goes, well he’s the most popular person in Britain isn’t he! That’s not hyperbole, it’s fact. YouGov did a poll a few years ago and there he is, right at the top. Both he and Rowan Atkinson have an 83% rating but when you break it down Blackadder/Bean received a higher indifference score. That makes sense, who could possibly be indifferent to David Attenborough? Frankly I’m incredulous that his percentage isn’t higher but that’s certainly not the first time putting something to a UK vote has had an odd response. (Apparently we love Steven Spielberg too, seems fair but you’d not always know it from his recent box office.)

After seventy four years as a broadcaster, mostly but not exclusively on nature, Attenborough has been a part of so many of our lives and a formative voice in so many of  our formative years. That voice is undoubtedly a part of this, those calming, semi-whispered tones carry such authority and trust, but his work is also brilliant. 

I hesitate to tell you this as it seems a little macabre but in the film Attenborough himself references that at ninety nine his time on the planet is coming to an end, so I’ll proceed. A year or two ago when I was a university tutor, I was delivering a seminar with a group of students and a notification came up on my Apple Watch about David Attenborough. Normally I was able to glance at these without missing a beat but for fear of that day being the day we all dread I momentarily lost my concentration. It was clear from the headline that this is not what it was but I felt I needed to acknowledge my distraction to those I was teaching so I told them I was sorry, that I had seen a news item on my watch about David Attenborough, at which point they all gasped and a few put their hands over their mouths. ‘No, no!’ I said, ‘It’s not that’ offering them quick reassurance. This just shows how much we all love him and will miss him. 

He’s not just a great personality and presenter though, he has also done his utmost to save the world as well, and you have to love him for that too. I don’t think Rowan Atkinson can lay claim to the same. Ocean with David Attenborough continues this amazing theme in his work. (That title is doing the same as those posters, huh?) What is made clear here is that the old adage that for years has provided solace to heartbroken twenty somethings is no longer true; there are not plenty more fish in the sea. 

We all know about the environmental cost of industrial fishing but this film lays it out in a way that shows the scale of the devastation like never before. When the PG certification card comes up at the start of this movie it says it is for upsetting scenes and this is not an exaggeration. Some of what is covered here is heartbreaking. As has always been his M.O though, Attenborough is not just trying to shock us and predict doom. His message is that there is time to fix this. The documentary is a bit of a rollercoaster in how it tells us that humans have destroyed the Earth but it’ll be okay, but it might not be, but it can be, but it won’t, but it will, and ultimately the tone here is one of hope. 

I would say that Ocean with David Attenborough is essential viewing. It is in cinemas to coincide with a crucial global UN conference on conservation being held next month but it will be on Disney+ soon as well. Everything about this movie is exactly what you’d expect from this man who has dedicated his incredible life on the planet to the incredible life on the planet, yet is still utterly breathtaking. 

He takes Marvel to school on how to do post credit sequences too. 

Watch this film. 

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