May 5, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & IV • Page 27 ‘Oceans’ features great photography, little information by Dennis Seuling “Oceans,” by French filmmakers Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, is pays homage to the amazing creatures that live in or by the sea. Released on Earth Day by Disney Nature, the film follows the studio’s production of “Earth” and attempts with breathtaking photography to illustrate the wonders of the deep sea, and the surface and shores. A film like this has a rough time at the multiplex with so much competition. There are many worthwhile, even exceptional, documentaries broadcast on such TV outlets as The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and PBS. What “Oceans” has going for it is that many of its images have never been seen before, at least not by this reviewer. One of the most dramatic sequences is a mid-ocean feeding frenzy in which a pod of dolphins attacks a school of sardines from below while hundreds of birds dive bomb into the sea to pick off their share with determined precision and almost perfect accuracy. The scene is filmed from many angles -- underwater, above, and at the surface -- providing a memorable example of nature unfettered. Adding to this real-life drama, a great white shark emerges from the depths, jaws open wide, as if to announce it’s his party. There is an assortment of odd creatures including narwhals, known as unicorn fish because of a sword-like tusk extending from their upper jaw; the sea dragon, a creature that looks part skeleton and part Hollywood special effect; the Spanish dancer, a sea slug that moves through the water with its multicolored body billowing like a flafish at high speed, aerial cameras dramatically capture whales breaching, and cameras on the ocean floor are able to follow crabs and other bottom-dwelling sea life, providing fascinating views. These images are wonderful, but the movie leaves viewers on their own to make sense of them. The narration by Pierce Brosnan is not terribly informative, and mostly reiterates exactly what is on screen. There are a lot of questions that are not answered, which is very frustrating, since the creatures definitely pique interest. The filmmakers have some good messages in “Oceans,” but relay them poorly. Toward the end of the picture, there is a short discussion about global warming and how climate change endangers all life on earth. Pollution is addressed as a sea lion swims among trash at the bottom of the sea. But both of these issues seem glued on with little thought as to how to integrate them. A short sequence of a man swimming with a shark is interesting, and indicates that sharks are not always the feared monsters depicted in movies like “Jaws,” but doesn’t relate to anything else. “Oceans” shies away from showing the graphic savagery of survival of the fittest because of its G rating. When a shark is shown grabbing a seal, for instance, the camera cuts away before any blood can be seen. At 86 minutes, “Oceans” is certainly not long, but after an hour --because there is no in-depth information about the amazing sea creatures – the movie induces the viewer to drift. Hopefully, because the film is so light on details, it will send viewers to the library or online to get more information about the vast diversity of life found in the world’s oceans. The Chinese sheepshead wrasse, one of the creatures featured in ‘Oceans.’ menco skirt; a bunch of eels that line up with the precision of Radio City Music Hall Rockettes; and the Chinese sheepshead wrasse, looking like a bizarre aquatic cousin of the Elephant Man. One of the most spectacular images is of dolphins emerging from the sea and making multiple body rotations before plunging back in. This is just fantastic. Viewers also see turtles hatching on the beach and making the life-or-death trek to reach the ocean before they are grabbed by hungry gulls. Whales are observed sleeping upside down, looking very content. The filmmakers have incorporated some amazing technology to capture their shots. “Torpedo” cameras follow �������� ������� ��������� �������� ������������ �������� ���� ������� ������� ��������������������������������������������� Join us for Join us on Mother’ Day Sunday, May 9th ������������� ��������� ������������������������� ���������� ���������� �������������������� ���������� ������������� ������������� ������ ������ ������������������ ����������������� HAPPY HOUR ������������������������ �������������������� ������������� ���������������������������� ������������������ �������������������� Lori Landau ��������������������� ������������� ������������������ ��������� ��������������������� �������������� ��������� ���������������� � ���������������������� except holidays �������������� �� �������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������ 4-21-10