Seen on: April 23, 2010

The players: Directors: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, Writers: Christophe Cheysson, Jacques Cluzaud, Jacques Perrin, Cast: Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

Facts of interest: None.

The plot: A documentary about the creatures inhabiting the oceans of our planet.

Our thoughts: Disneynature’s documentary “Oceans” is the next installment in the studio’s series of big-screen experiences offering viewers stunning images of the creatures sharing Earth with mankind, and as expected, the film is filled with breathtaking visuals of the vast oceans and its mysterious inhabitants.

Even though the movie by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud is stuffed with fantastic footage of the sea and many of its fascinating creatures, “Oceans” does occasionally get a little repetitive, especially considering the global tone of the film stays the same throughout. That also applies to Pierce Brosnan’s narration.

Brosnan has a calm voice that works well enough for this kind of film, but I often felt the narration could be a little more informative rather than just remain descriptive for the most part. Some of what he gets to say in “Oceans” complements the images well, yes, but personally, I was looking to acquire more knowledge about what I saw.

“Oceans” feeds us information here and there about how all these creatures exist at times when a lot of them are in peril, but more often than not, I got the feeling that the narration was too cheesy and not instructional enough. It’s a personal observation, sure, but I know I would have enjoyed the film a tad better otherwise.

At 100 minutes, I also believe “Oceans” runs about 15 to 20 minutes too long. Amazing images easily keep me entertained for a while as well, but there comes the time when I feel I’ve seen enough of the same. I don’t know about you, but longer documentaries about nature often get me very sleepy by the time they reach an end.

Despite these minor issues, “Oceans” is an experience I definitely recommend. Thanks to all this new technology, the filmmakers really managed to get in as close to these creatures as possible. Most of the shots in this film are so amazing that they will keep you staring at the big screen for several minutes without even blinking.

From all kinds of sharks to whales, sea lions, crabs, turtles and all other sorts of aquatic life, “Oceans” offers you unique shots of a whole variety of activity below and above the deep waters, including gorgeous footage of storms disrupting the calm of the oceans. Nature definitely hasn’t looked any better onscreen so far.

Freaky quote: "See oceans. Save oceans" - Tagline

The final word: I appreciate Disneynature’s mission to make people more aware of what is really happening on our big planet, and I can only hope they can keep things interesting enough in the future. Shortening some of these films would definitely help, but as long as they can keep capturing unique imagery, I’m satisfied.

Article by Franck Tabouring