MovieChat Forums > Sharkwater (2007) Discussion > Godawful

Godawful

posted 16 years ago by Camoo
15 replies | jump to latest

I'm sorry, is it just me or did anybody else have a hard time taking this dude seriously? The narration was AWFUL and he was far too self-centered for me to actually get into the subject matter [stop training the camera on yourself!! It's annoying!] And not self centered in an amusing Herzog-ian way either, it was just ego ego ego ego. The subject matter itself I have seen covered in countless films, starting way back to Jaques Cousteau's and Louis Malle's underwater films [the Silent World for one], and the films of Rodney Fox, who is THE authority on sharks and the great white, and survived a horrendous shark attack in the 60's only to turn around and become one of the greatest voices for shark protection in the world [he invented the first shark diving cages too].

Are people just not aware that this HAS been an issue for decades already? I'm not learning anything here, except perhaps how well chiseled the narrators body is.

[–] jamiegall6046 16 years ago

Cant agree I'm afraid. I thought this was a brilliant film. The fact that it centred so much on himself didnt take away from the film. Frankly I think it worked better than solely being a documentary about sharks. If your looking for an indepth nature documentry you may be disapointed but I think it was a good desision to show his journey.
Yes this film does show an issue that has been around for a while- but as he shows it clearly hasnt got enough attention or been taken on board.

[–] laserboy28 16 years ago

I think some valid criticisms can be made of the film if you really want to go there but let's remember that this is an independent film with a limited budget and it doesn't have a cast of trained actors, professional writers and I doubt Stewart has voice training.
PM me and I can recommend some great documentaries with great narration! :)

[–] Norsolaar 15 years ago

99% of all documentaries are made on a limited budget and most of these directors hope for a broadcaster to buy the movie after it was made, just like this one I guess. It does not however, excuse the fact that this film lacks in almost every aspect possible.

I agree with the OP. This is a very very poor documentary, let alone "film".

I am totally interested in the subject and the message of the movie. I.e. oceans being over-fished, almost non-existent regulations of fishing quotas, and the main message: sharks being decimated for their fins. And of course, everything we as individuals can do to stop this madness counts.

However, these are my main reasons for disliking it, and I'm shamelessly copying some of it from a review I've read to spare me the time:

1. The director's love affair with himself, almost every scene has the director in it.
2. There is very little good footage of sharks
3. The film is riddled with bad science, questionable facts and exaggeration.
4. Poor narrative with a monotone voice to make the message sound more important (I'm not saying the message is not important). He sounds a bit like a mini-me-Michael-Moore.
5. 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.
6. Very, very poor camera-work considering the enormous possibilities given by the subject.
7. The movie lays a premise at the start of the film (I'm going to show you that sharks are not dangerous, in fact they are very nice), but then completely strays off subject and develops into more of a propaganda than a documentary.
8. The completely malplaced music
9. The poor quality and editing of the sound and music (music is often so loud that it's difficult to hear what people are talking about).
10. The poor editing

... shall I continue?

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

[–] laserboy28 15 years ago

You sure sound like you have something against Rob Stewart.
I found it thought provoking, engaging and I believe it was made with good intentions on educating people on a subject that so few know anything about, so kudos to him and his team.
I happen to like his spiffy hair too. It looks even better on Blu ray disc :)

[–] Norsolaar 15 years ago

hehe, difficult to say no after what I just wrote. I had never heard of him before seing this movie and I can't say he impressed me much :)

To me it was the exact opposite of "thought provoking", I thought it was more brainwashing. I can see how movies like these has their place to inform people of the dangers of destroying our environment, but I would appreciate it a lot more if it were more educating.

A lot of the facts presented in the film is blatantly not true, and most normal people hopefully react to some of them. When these facts are presented the way they are, it makes me more sceptical to the rest of the film. How can I trust any of it when many of the statements are simply not true?

I admire any person trying to do what they can to help the environmental cause, but in this case I think not much will come out of it considering the impact it could have had (which is why I reckon it hasn't had more attention in the media).

Compare this to a film like "march of the penguins" and you'd understand what I mean.

The way to educate people is not to present facts without more than one person to back them up. The way to educate people is to present different views and let them decide for themselves what is right or wrong. It shouldn't be to difficult to make people get this point without having to shove it down their throat, don't you think? :)

[–] Norsolaar 15 years ago

I would however like to add that I am very glad if this film in anyway has helped put the spotlight on a very important problem of today.

That still doesn't make it a good film and I am basing my rating on it as a film, which it gives it self out to be.

[–] laserboy28 15 years ago

Fair enough, I respect your opinion.

[–] kvritzen 15 years ago

totally agree. this guy is as crazy as the Grizzly Man, who treated bears like people, and sadly was eaten by one. Rob films beautiful pictures, and has a valid cause to promote, but fails as far as making a good documentary. Show us and let the images convince us, don't hit us over the head with polemic and irrational statements.

[–] joyriide01 15 years ago

He didn't do this to make is an amazing film. He did it becaused he cares. Sorry the editing, voice overs, and footage doesn't meet your standards.

[–] anemia_boy 14 years ago

Seriously! This movie is the first of its kind to document the shark finning industry. Rob Stewart did some great undercover work to get this video footage... would it have been better if his team put some more blood in the water, doctored up his body to look like a Gladiator from 300, and changed the voices to sound like futuristic robots?

Quit acting like spoiled brats!

[–] nightflyer_au_2004 14 years ago

Not all Documentaries are simply watching animals in the wild - if you want those watch a bbc production. (I love those also) This Film however lifts the lid on the Shark Finning industry, something that needed to be addressed. The trailers and posters clearly stated this was a conservation doco, and all publicity told the viewers what they were about to watch. So why complain after the fact. Rob Stewart saw a injustice and is helping bring to light an industry that will, if not kept in check wipe out the animal that you love to see in a 'simple animal doco' and then all we will have is archived footage of an animal that once was...

Well Done Rob.

J.M.T

[–] TheBeardedWonder 14 years ago

Agreed. This had to have a human element to it, otherwise it's just another nature doc about sharks.

A lot of those complaints up there from norsolar or whoever are just nitpicky things. The music was too loud to hear people? Not for me, my levels were perfect. He was in it too much? It's about him and his crews fight for sharks, of course he's going to be in it.

Anyway, I guess those expecting no narrorator, soft music, and constantly perfect placed shots of nothing but sharks might be disappointed. I however, as a long time person interested in sharks, found it to be an interesting movie...

No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.-Tyler Durden

[–] laochra-saor 14 years ago

I agree that he did come off as self-centered in the beginning of the film. He did the best that he could with the documentary and the small budget he had for it, considering most of the money spent to make it was his own. He wasn't trying to win an oscar, he just wanted to get his point across using the cold, hard truth. I haven't met Rob but my dad has and he's apparently a really down to earth guy. My dad has met him and his family a couple of times. Rob's family is loaded $$ but they're not rich self centered snobs. They really care about the environment and trying to protect the planet.
As for other films similar to this being out there, yes there is, but people on this planet still haven't got the point into their thick skulls. I thank Rob doing this film and trying to make a difference in this world, something you would never have the balls to do.

[–] bocat_ur_ma 14 years ago

Have to disagree, just saw this film with the above comment in the back of my mind and it wasn't accurate. There is not big ego in the center of the film that takes away from the subject, which is shark poaching and finning, not the sharks themselves. So I think its appropriate that the narrator/director is in the center of the action because a lot of the movie centers on how he is treated by central american authorities. As for the subject being retread of earlier material, I wonder if those earlier films centered so intensely on the practice of poaching as this film does, or is it an sidebar to traditional nature film? Its probably the latter. Finally, even if the film is a retread, this film is aimed at new audience, fresh face for a fresh audience.

bo ur ma!

[–] tallard 13 years ago

how well chiseled the narrators body is ????
Wow you must not have seen many naked men in your life cuz he is a skinny little runt of a young man!!!

Anyway, his voice was nice enough.

In the extras at the end a very good point is made about people who actually effect change in the world. Change is not accomplished by governments, and committees and pressure groups, change is effected by driven individuals. People are not swayed by simple narrations of nature, people are swayed by heroes weilding facts.

***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**