Captain Planet.  That’s what some of my coworkers call me as I’m always on the lookout for discarded plastic bottles and aluminum cans that others throw away when the recycling bin is but a few steps farther.  Yup, champion of the environment.  That’s me.  So when I came across a documentary earlier this year about sharks, I was ecstatic.  To see sharks in their natural habitat in high definition would be a wonderful thing.  Without further ado, I made my online purchase of the film known as Sharkwater.

Through our lives we see several films.  Some good, some not so good, some leave lasting impressions.  Sharkwater proved to be the latter.  When I put the disc in my PS3, I expected a serene viewing of these beautiful creatures coasting through some vivid blue waters.  That was not what I got…and I couldn’t have been more thankful for it.

Sharkwater is the brainchild of biologist and underwater cameraman, Rob Stewart.  Stewart, a native of Toronto, began underwater filming in his teens which ultimately led to his pursuit and completion of his Bachelor of Science in biology.  As Stewart once stated on NBC’s Today Show, he just wanted to make a nice little movie about sharks (pretty much what I was expecting when I bought the film).  What transpired was the witnessing of a species in peril, encountering the work of the Asian mafia and facing attempted murder charges in Costa Rica which culminated into the people speaking out against atrocities against sharks and sea life in general.

Through this adventure, Stewart and fellow biologists show us viewers just how docile a shark can truly be.  We learn they possess short term and long term memories and are not the over-aggressive killing machine Jaws made them out to be.  We also see how the Asian shark fin soup market has literally destroyed, in violent and graphic fashion, the population of a species that was here 150 million years before the dinosaurs.

I have to say, one of the most incredible and beautiful images I’ve ever seen captured on film is in the first few minutes of Sharkwater. In full scuba gear, Rob Stewart is kneeling on the ocean floor, all the while holding and gently caressing a 6-foot-plus reef shark.  This beautiful fish holds its position inside Stewart’s gentle grip with tail slightly moving from side to side.  Eventually, the shark decides it has had enough and gingerly swims away.  As Stewart makes reference, if sharks wanted to eat us, we’d already be dead.

Video

Warner Brothers brings us Sharkwater with a 1.85:1 framed aspect ratio.  Let me be the first to tell you that Sharkwater is not going to be the most visually appealing Blu-ray you will ever come across.  There are moments of absolute high def beauty, both above and below the sea’s surface.  These shots truly shine and rival some of the photography of another great documentary, Planet Earth.  Then there are those shots that were filmed with a home video camera which truly leaves the viewer wondering if that’s still a Blu-ray disc in their player.  In addition to that, there are also the scenes shot with a hidden camera that offer even less detail and clarity.  However, it is important to bear in mind that one does not watch this film for its aesthetics, but rather its message.

Audio

Again, Sharkwater is not going to wow you with its technical make-up.  The audio is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track.  It does well enough to get the point across and doesn’t sound bad.  The sounds we viewers hear in underwater scenes are unique and do somewhat well in bringing that submersible sensation into our rooms.  As for those scenes shot with the home video camera, well, you’re final product is only going to sound as good as your original capture.

Special Features

There are a handful of extras laid out on the Sharkwater disc.  Unfortunately, only two of them offer footage in 1080 and even then it’s intermittent (the trailer & the making of).  With that being said, the extras are worth a watch, especially the USAF training video that offers a variety of methods (many are nonsensical and ineffective) to ward of sharks should you be floating in unfamiliar waters.

• Trailer (HD & SD) – This 2-minute (approximately) trailer presents a video montage from parts throughout the documentary while preserving the idea of its message and content.
• TV spots (SD) – Two “express trailers” promoting the documentary’s television debut.
• Making of (HD & SD) – Here we’re offered a behind-the-scenes look into what went into making Sharkwater and the difficulties encountered along the way.  Though the footage is often presented in standard definition here, I recommend giving it a look-see.  I found this content as interesting as the documentary itself.
• Training Video (SD) – A United States Air Force training video from 1964.  It was intended for downed American pilots who found themselves encountering sharks.  The misnomers stated throughout are both comical and disturbing.
• Virtual Ocean (SD) – Undersea footage from the documentary with a soundtrack overlay (no dialogue).  This is more of a rest and relaxation feature.

Final Thoughts

I commend Rob Stewart tremendously for his work on this project.  It is what I found to be a very powerful piece of work.  Even after seeing it multiple times, I still find myself experiencing anger, concern, distaste and most importantly, a sense of enlightenment after watching Sharkwater.  I hate to say “watching” because this is not simply a viewing, but rather an experience.  You do not have to be an avid environmentalist to appreciate it.  In all actuality, those who do not fit that billing are the perfect viewers and potential activists for Rob Stewart’s work regarding the amazing shark and the dire need existing to save them from ourselves.