Starring:
Pierce Brosnan as Narrator (voice: US version)
Special Features:
The Making of Deep Blue
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Following in the tracks of March of the Penguins… Perfect for nature fans and families who love live-action adventure, Deep Blue is an epic underwater exploration into the secret lives of sea creatures! You’ll be led on a fascinating voyage through awesome aquatic realms where humans have rarely dared to go. You’ll waddle with playful penguins, dart with lightning speed through schools of sharks, ride over stormy waves with massive whales, encounter families of polar bears and seals, and even see alien-like creatures so rare they have never been seen before on film! With a stirring musical score, this acclaimed movie comes from the creators of the landmark BBC series “The Blue Planet.””
Deep Blue is rated G.
Mini-Review:
I’ve always been fascinated with oceanic documentaries, so Deep Blue was right up my alley. It features absolutely stunning footage of whales, sharks, penguins, polar bears, dolphins, and more. If there is something cool happening at sea, they filmed it. They got great footage of killer whales attacking seals on a beach, killer whales attacking a baby whale, and other such stuff. (After watching this you won’t think Shamu is so cute and cuddly anymore.) There were also beautiful shots of hundreds of sharks schooling, a polar bear attacking some trapped whales, and birds diving underwater to catch fish. One particularly noteworthy scene shows a whale swimming up out of the depths and surprising a cameraman while scooping up a school of fish in its mouth. In fact, a running theme in this film is “eat or be eaten”. Because of that intense footage and accompanying scary music, some kids might get a little freaked out. It might not be suitable for younger kids under 5. It doesn’t help that there are occasional long stretches where it dramatically slows down in pacing.
About the only thing I wish they had done in the film was identify more of the animals and the locations they are filmed in. They do this to some extent, but other times you’re left guessing what the critter is or where it was shot. However, the “making of” video in the bonus features fills in a lot of the gaps. While it’s the only extra in the bonus features, it is incredibly comprehensive. And at 45 minutes in running time, it’s about half the length of the movie itself. They talk about how they searched for months to get the shots they found. They talk about some of the dumb luck they had filming some of the animals. You learn how long it took to win the trust of the mother polar bear as well as the technical challenges of filming penguins. In short, the “making of” documentary is as fascinating as the film itself.
If you love documentaries or marine biology, Deep Blue is required viewing for you. It features some of the best footage you’ll ever see of marine animals.
