Oceans
Reviewed by: Raphael Vera
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Kids Family Adults |
| Genre: | Drama Documentary |
| Length: | 1 hr. 40 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2010 |
| USA Release: |
April 22, 2010 (wide—1,200+ theaters) DVD: October 19, 2010 |
WATER: THE MIRACLE OF NATURE—Water is simply amazing! Do you understand why? learn the surprising facts
The sea in the Bible
Animals in the Bible
How did fish survive the Flood? Answer
Fish in the Bible
JELLYFISH—Why are jellyfish fossils evidence against Evolution? Answer
Should Christians be concerned about the environment? Answer
What is man’s responsibility to the environment? Answer
How could Jonah survive three days in the belly of a “whale”? Answer
Movie featuring whale: Whale Rider (2003)
Coloring page: The Penguin
Penguins in movies:
- March of the Penguins (2005)
- Happy Feet (2006)
- Surf’s Up (2007)
- 3-2-1 Penguins!
- 3-2-1 Penguins! Runaway Pride at Lightstation Kilowatt
- Encounters at the End of the World (2008)
Can evolution be the source of life in all its complexity? Answer
Where did life come from? Is evolution really the best scientific answer? Answer
Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. Our SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected scientific creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.
| Featuring | Lancelot Perrin (Himself), Pierce Brosnan (Narrator—English version), Jacques Perrin (Narrator—French version), Rie Miyazawa (Narrator—Japanese) |
| Director |
Jacques Cluzaud, Jacques Perrin |
| Producer | Don Hahn, Nicolas Mauvernay, Jacques Perrin, Kirk Wise, See all » |
| Distributor |
follows “Earth” (2009 documentary)
“Oceans” accurately describes itself as an “ecological drama/documentary.” The director, Jacques Cluzaud, hoped to present some of the “wonder, fear, calm, tenderness, violence, vitality and power” of this last great wild expanse—and, to a certain extent, he did.
The Galapagos Islands are only the first stop in a journey that showcases some of the most interesting aquatic creatures, their habitats and the cycle of life that is as beautiful as often as it is violent.
The stories shown alternate between gripping, as is the drama of newly hatched sea turtles scurrying toward the nearby ocean, with only a thousand to one chance in reaching it, to wondrous—such as the seemingly uni-minded swarm of sardines that become a feast for dolphins, sharks, whales and dive bombing birds alike.
Objectionable Content
Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, this DisneyNature production lives up to its “G” rating and is indeed suitable for all audiences. There were only two areas of concern that need to be pointed out.
Violence: The most violent scenes were that of various fish feeding, often very quickly, on unsuspecting prey, including shark attacks on sea lions and Orcas cornering cubs near the shore. None of the scenes lingere on the feeding, and, in the case of the Orcas, the waves cover much of the action.
There is, also, a scene where fishing nets inadvertently capture larger, non-targeted fish, and, as shown from below, the camera captures fishermen working the nets amidst slightly bloodied waters.
Spiritual: The movie firmly establishes its belief that evolution, an unproven theory, was the process by which life developed on Earth.
Lessons
The world repeatedly tries to teach that science and God are incompatible, when nothing could be further from the truth. As believers, we know that the Word of God is infallible and that “The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it” (Psalm 89:11).
Nature, even in its most microscopic form as impressively presented in one scene examining a drop of water, fairly cries out for the existence of a Creator.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).
The holes in evolutionary theory are in point of fact too numerous to go into here, but I encourage the open-minded to read further on this subject within this sites’ pages. A great resource and destination can also be found at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.
Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. Our SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.
Today’s secular authorities, as well as the environmental movement, are always trying to disprove the existence of God, and they remind me of the words of the apostle Paul:
“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools… They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:22-25).
Final Thoughts
The last segment focused on pollution, and the narrator pleads for us to do our part to combat it. Since this was released on Earth day 2010, I fully expected to hear where I could send my check, any moment, but thankfully he did not go that last step.
Even still, “Oceans” successfully manages to impress and inspire viewers with this dazzling sample of ocean life. The subject matter is, by its very nature, immense, which is why filmmakers (Jacques Cousteau comes to mind), who for years have done entire series dedicated to only one aspect of our world can still not do it justice.
“Oceans” is an enjoyable spectacle, with the humpback whales and sea otters standing out, and should appeal to nature enthusiasts of all ages, except the very young. I would recommend thorough family discussion on the secular theory of evolution being presented. The oceans are vast and awe inspiring, and yet I can’t help but recall the words of the psalmist when he said:
“Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea-the Lord on high is mighty” (Psalm 93:3-4).
Violence: Minor / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
none
“Oceans” is filled with footage that inspires awe in God’s creation with all the animals it shows. They’ve found ways to film underwater that do nothing short of drop your jaw. For example, smoothly gliding along beside a pod of dolphins just under the surface of the water as they race at full speed.
Or, another favorite segment of mine, where it feels like you’re actually on the open ocean riding huge storm waves watching a ship displace incredible amounts of water as it crashes through them. It would be hard to make it an un-enjoyable thing to watch such amazing footage… but indeed, the movie was a HUGE disappointment. Unlike the wonderful series Planet Earth (which although rare and easy to ignore, also makes comments of evolution) the narration through the entire film offers nothing educational. Most segments are sadly very short, sometimes showing you one animal for only 10 seconds before moving on to something entirely different. It’s hard to even call any part of the film a segment, as it never focuses on one animal or way of underwater life in detail.
Rather, Brosnan’s words are constantly talking about who the “Ocean” is, in (matter of fact) a very pagan manner. The comments of evolution are few, and easy to pass over, but the description of the ocean as an intelligent, living goddess (that might as well have created all life) are enough to annoy you out of your mind. Not to mention, Pierce Brosnan’s voice is so calm and gentle it sounds like he took some sedatives before recording his narration.
Some lines were even laughable, such as “she feeds the human race, body and soul” (with she referring to the “living” ocean) or “it seems she has tried every possibility in her depths. Every color, and every shape” then showing some unique varieties of fish. But the one that got me laughing the most was when he described the ocean as having emotions, “and even anger”… obviously directed towards the human race, because this line of dialogue is cleverly followed by waves crashing into a seawall next to a quaint looking New England coastal neighborhood, as if it would completely destroy the unsuspecting inhabitants if it could.
Or this ridiculous piece of editing that follows lazy walruses lounging on an iceberg: Brosnan ponders what it will mean for the animals when more commercial vessels will pass through arctic waters, and those same walruses dive off of their iceberg as if they were pushed off, and they swim away splashing and grunting, then almost look back at the camera (us, the human viewers) with disdain.
Finally, the film ends returning to the child on the beach it began with. Starting with the child’s curious question of “what is the ocean” and correcting it to be “who is the ocean,” the movie ends with the line “maybe instead of asking what exactly is the ocean, we should be asking who exactly… are we?” Whoa man… that’s heavy stuff. Totally.
Obviously, my wife and I were disappointed, and frankly shocked that a mass released Disney Nature movie with such high quality footage would not just be evolutionist (that was kind of expected), but so very pagan in it’s description of the ocean.
Unless the DVD is released with a music only track, don’t even bother giving this one a rent. This was our first time seeing a Disney Nature production, and it will likely be our last.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
(2) As was stated above, the film is wonderful, but the narration is not. It’s a great tool for both education and praise if used without the sound. Too bad we can’t keep the good (explanations of creature names, habits, etc.) without having to hear the bad (paganism, evolution, etc.)
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4