You know a movie’s trying to be a “me too” when the first line of its DVD cover says “Following in the tracks of March of the Penguins….” However, it’s not every “me too” product that actually inspires just as much goodwill as the one it’s trying to emulate. And Deep Blue, a new aquatic documentary by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, manages to do just that.
Although the “plot” of March of the Penguins is decidedly absent from Deep Blue, the cinematography is just as astounding. The documentary follows a variety of water-borne creatures, from seals and penguins to killer whales and turtles, as they fight for survival in their native habitats. Polar bears and blue whales are also in the mix, with the cameras following their every move above and below water. And just wait until you see the creatures that lie at the bottom of the ocean. Believe me, it’s more awe-inspiring than most of the stuff you’ll see on PBS.
Much as in March of the Penguins, several sequences in Deep Blue might prove too intense for younger viewers. A feeding frenzy with sharks and some seals’ brutal deaths at the hands of orcas are among the most dramatic, and they’ll probably require some handholding and explanation about why the animals are killing the “cute little fishies and seals.”
Natural selection aside, the film exposes viewers to some of the most dramatic footage of these animals I’ve seen. The polar bear sequences, especially, are the type you seldom see, even on something like the Discovery Channel, and the footage from ocean canyons includes video of what can only be described as alien creatures. Truly, if you play videogames, you’ll swear you’ve seen some of this stuff before. It’s just that fantastical.
In addition to the 90-minute documentary, the Deep Blue DVD also includes a making-of feature, which is one of my favorite parts of any documentary. I stayed until the end of the credits at March of the Penguins, for example, just to see the behind-the-scenes stuff that played throughout. Suffice it to say if you did the same thing, this making-of feature will easily appease your need for bonus content.
Deep Blue is a relatively cerebral DVD, one that Discovery Channel or Animal Planet aficionados will find completely enthralling. Yet the quality of the cinematography and the diversity of animals and locales should also compel the “Must See TV” types to sit still for an hour and a half. Although the film doesn’t go into as much species-specific depth as March of the Penguins, its insight into a handful of water-dependent animals is still rather respectable. All told, it’s definitely worth checking out, especially if the Penguins-only film grabbed you as strongly as it did the Academy Award judges.
— Jonas Allen