Follow @screenit

"OCEANS" (2010) (Documentary) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Mild Moderate Heavy None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Moderate Moderate None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence None None None Heavy Moderate QUICK TAKE: Documentary: Life under the sea is explored from the points of view of various aquatic creatures, from sea lions and sharks to dolphins and clownfish. PLOT: As narrated by Pierce Brosnan, we view and are informed about a number of species of sea creatures and aquatic life that inhabit Earth's oceans. The film chiefly follows the movements and feeding habits of sea lions, dolphins, crabs, sharks, spiders, eels, and even birds. It shows these creatures on the waves, on beaches, on polar ice caps, and at the bottom of the ocean floor. Sadly, it also depicts man's harmful effects on ocean life, too, via pollution and overfishing. There is also a sequence meant to show the power of the ocean, as storm waves threaten a seaside village and multiple boats. On the positive side, it makes mention of the efforts of researchers, oceanographers, and common people who are doing things both big and small to save our oceans and conserve. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Yes. The film is targeted at families and school-age children who are interested in the Earth, our environment, marine life, and conservation. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G Apparently for not containing material to warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Several nameless humans appear briefly throughout the film, including: a group of sailors who are shown struggling against the ocean's powerful waves; research divers who appear in a couple of scenes swimming alongside sea creatures while holding lights, cameras, and special tablets and pens to write down their findings; the production crew are shown setting up shots and filming various sea creatures during the closing credits; and a schoolboy (roughly age 8) who bookends the film by staring curiously out at the ocean. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this documentary that has been rated G. Aside from several moments where various marine creatures are in danger that might be unsettling for young children -- mostly having to do with predators chasing prey and going in for the mostly non-graphic kill -- the film contains numerous topics to talk about, but little else objectionable. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, all sorts of movement occurs throughout the film as the cameras follow a multitude of fish, turtles, sea lions, sharks, whales, and other aquatic creatures as they swim and swim and swim. There is also an extended sequence depicting the power of ocean waves that includes point-of-view shots from swaying and rocking boats. Those who are easily prone to motion sickness may want to look away. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE One iguana is shown spitting. A sea lion makes a fart-like sound. A turtle makes a belching sound. One tiny fish is shown with its back fin clearly wounded after being clipped by an attacking bird. Struggling in the water, it is eventually eaten by another predatory bird. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The effects of man's polluting ways is shown with trash floating on the water and then strewn across the ocean floor, including a grocery-store shopping cart. The narrator keys us in on the dangers of overfishing, as giant human fishing nets nab a number of species that are not intended for consumption and die needlessly. We are shown satellite imagery of what man's polluting ways look like from orbit via infrared-type technology. The narrator briefly informs us that polar bears and other arctic life are threatened by rising temperatures that we're not doing enough to control. FRIGHTENING SCENES While not any more graphic than what's seen on nature/animal documentary type shows on TV, the following might still be unsettling for some kids to see. A distant NASA rocket launch (it may be a Space Shuttle) is shown from the perspective of sea lions and other beachside creatures. The rumble of the launch is quite intense and the evening sky seems to change to the foreboding orange of the flames coming out of the spacecraft's tail. Sharks and at least one killer whale join a sardine feeding frenzy. Up until then, we had only seen dolphins and some diving birds hunting the small fish which travel swarm-like in the hundreds. The sharks and whale don't do anything sinister, but just their presence suddenly in the scene is cause for brief alarm. Great white sharks rise from the ocean, their jaws wide open, to briefly snap-attack retreating sea lions that rise up and down from beneath the sea. Orcas hunt the same species of sea lion closer to shore. One doomed sea lion is briefly shown in a whale's jaws screaming amid crashing waves. No blood, though. An extended sequence on the ocean floor shows multiple species of crab and fish emerging from their hiding/resting places at night to skim the moonlit bottom. There is some minor foreboding as the narrator talks of the ocean floor being both a wondrous, but potentially dangerous place. Crabs are depicted mostly in this sequence, and several fights are shown among crabs that use their claws and pincers to ward off rivals and perceived threats. Newborn baby turtles are shown trying to scurry to the nearby ocean. As they run along a sandy beach, multiple predatory birds swoop down, snatch up the defenseless baby turtles in their claws and beaks, and then carry them off. At least one is very briefly shown feeding on a turtle in mid-air. The narrator then tells us that often just one in a thousand of the babies make it to the ocean safely to continue the species. Thousands of spider crabs converge on one another on the ocean floor. The narrator does not make entirely clear if this is a battle or some kind of mating movement or just a natural convergence of the species for reasons scientifically unknown. The sequence is spectacular, but we don't really learn "why." It's hard to depict this as violence when it looks like they're all just stacked on top of one another -- dozens and dozens and dozens. Still, just the shear number of crabs shown may prove unsettling to young viewers and even a few older ones. Swooping birds that dive from the air and go underwater team up with swordfish to feed on schools of smaller fish. One tiny fish is shown with its back fin clearly wounded, struggling in the water, and is eventually eaten by a bird. Multiple fish, turtles, and other sea life are shown ensnared in large, human fishing nets with no means of escape. Large, angry waves crash very close to a seaside village during a storm. The storm sequence also shows multiple boats being jostled about on the waves, including one freighter-type ship that goes up a massive wave a la "The Perfect Storm" (although not quite that big). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: None. School-age kids are shown running up a somewhat rocky beach unattended. One iguana is shown spitting. A sea lion makes a fart-like sound. A turtle makes a belching sound. A diver, identified as a professional researcher, is nevertheless shown swimming alongside a shark and taking notes as the narrator says things like: "Some creatures long thought to be our enemies really are not." While no humans are shown littering, we see the aftereffects on our oceans of littering. JUMP SCENES A great white shark rises from under the water, jaws wide open, trying to eat sea lions that are jumping from wave to wave in retreat. A crab shoots out a jet of air or water or some substance in a split-second, obscuring our view of him. The narrator does not say why or what just happened. So-called damsel fish are shown being eaten by camouflaged stonefish in the blink of an eye. Multiple eels eat tiny crabs in quick snap-bites. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) Some tense music occurs in the film during a handful of sequences where the various fish and ocean critters are shown hunting and feeding. It's nothing like John Williams' "Jaws" score, and instead is fairly muted. A sequence depicting boats at sea being thrashed about by powerful waves is accompanied by some very loud, dramatic music heavy on percussion. Choral chants are also used throughout for mood. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY None. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The oceans and their critical importance to our world. The various fish and other creatures that live under the sea who depend on a clean environment to exist and thrive. The narrator stating that dragons (referring to sea dragons) do exist and live under the sea. Nature's food chain. Earth Day. The importance of conservation and not polluting. Brief mention is made of the ice warming in the arctic, thus threatening polar bears and other species. VIOLENCE The following occurs in a standard, nature-doing-its-thing fashion: Dolphins and a plethora of birds are shown chasing and feeding on schools of sardines. Some sharks and at least one killer whale join the frenzy. The most graphic thing shown are birds swooping from the sky straight down into the water and snap biting random sardines and carrying away the fish in their beaks. Great white sharks rise from the ocean, their jaws wide open, to briefly snap-attack retreating sea lions that rise up and down from beneath the sea. No kills are shown. One scene later, orcas are shown hunting the same species of sea lion closer to shore. One doomed sea lion is briefly shown in a whale's jaws screaming. An extended sequence on the ocean floor shows multiple species of crab and fish emerging from their hiding/resting places at night to skim the bottom. Crabs are depicted mostly in this sequence, and several fights are shown among crabs that use their claws and pincers to ward off rivals and perceived threats. Nothing overly graphic though, except crabs hooking on to each other with their claws. One crab does knock another one onto its back in a comical way. Baby turtles are shown being born from under the sand during daylights hours and trying to scurry to the nearby ocean. As they run along the sand, multiple predatory birds swoop down, snatch up the defenseless baby turtles in their beaks, and carry them off. At least one is briefly shown feeding on a turtle in mid-air. The narrator then tells us that often just one in a thousand makes it to the ocean safely to continue the species. So-called damsel fish are shown being eaten by camouflaged stonefish in the blink of an eye. Multiple eels eat tiny crabs in quick snap-bites. Swooping birds that dive from the air and go underwater team up with swordfish to feed on schools of smaller fish. One fish is shown with its back fin clearly wounded, struggling in the water, and eventually being eaten by a bird. Waves crash across the bow of a ship, drenching various sailors and knocking at least one off his feet. Reviewed April 20, 2010 / Posted April 22, 2010

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.