Unbelievably Lame

slake09

A really awful documentary on the reasons for the declining shark population is spoiled by the director's love affair with himself. There is very little good footage of sharks but every scene has the director in it, suntanned and showing off his spiffy new haircut.

I watched this because of the high rating on IMDb; shortly after it started I realized that all those good reviews were no doubt done by him. There is no one else on Earth, with the possible exception of his mother, who could think this is a decent documentary.

The film is riddled with bad science, questionable facts and exaggeration. You'll hear all about the "Shark Fin Mafia" while watching the director "bravely" ram a small fishing boat with a much larger ship. And why do these self-proclaimed shark saviors need a shotgun on board for "shark protection"? I'm on board with the idea that the oceans are over fished and sharks are being decimated for their fins, and that it should be stopped. The self-obsessed way that they go about it is what makes this a lousy documentary. This director is doing more harm to the environmental cause than help; by being so completely self-centered and using a ridiculous degree of exaggeration in every scene, he makes other environmentalists look foolish by association.

This is a missed opportunity to show the world how badly overfishing and finning are destroying the environment.

score 1/10

slake09 28 June 2008

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1900669/