[dd-parallax img=”https://jesuitroundup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Blackfish_quad_20cm-CMYK.jpg” height=”1000″ speed=”2″ z-index=”2″ position=”right” offset=”true” text-pos=”bottom”]Poster for the 2013 film Blackfish. Credit: blackfishmovie.com[/dd-parallax]

Blackfish is one of those films I heard about and heard good things about but never was interested in watching it. I knew the film was highly regretted as one of the best documentaries ever. According to reviews, rotten Tomatoes is the 11th best documentary and has made numerous lists of best documentaries of all time. It is one of the highest-reviewed documentaries on IMDb and goes nominated to Sundance. So out of when I saw when I could watch the film, out of curiosity, I decided to see what the movie was all about.

Background

Coming into this film, I did not know much about the Orca attacks at Sea World. I knew they happened to most trainers, and one of the victims was a homeless man who fell into the pool. But other than just surface-level knowledge, I did know knowing about what the film was about. So it was an exciting experience.

Blackfish is a 2013 film about the Orca program at Sea World, focusing mainly on the Orca Tilikum, the program’s crown jewel. It follows Tilikum’s life, from being captured in Iceland to his time at the now-defunct Sealand and the people he killed, from being purchased by Sea World to the eventual death he would cause at SeaWorld. The documentary also follows you and sheds some light on the Orca program at Sea World, following a court case between OSHA and Sea World and other incidents involving Orca and him in Sea World and Loro Parque. The film explores psychology and uncovers many of the shady practices done by Sea World while posing the ethical question of if these practices are moral.

The Good

The film’s story is fascinating. You will become deeply captivated by this story of Sea World and Tilikum. It is very nuanced in its approach to covering a subject like this and does give you a new way of looking at these programs. All the interviewees in the film are all compelling characters in their own right. I found the man who would hunt the Orca to have the best interview, and it is when you start to understand the true nature of the Orca programs.

The camera work is fine; the story is fluid and clear. It has a message and pushes it throughout the film, pointing out a flaw we humans have when we look at Orcas. And it does a very effective job of putting out this message in the movie.

The Negative

There is nothing terrible about this film, but there are things they could have done better in the movie. One of these things is that they focus on the case against OSHA and Sea World. That part of the film felt of place with the film, and the problem is that it was not something that was at the end or beginning of the film, but it was brought up throughout the film. More emphasis on the case (which was very interesting) would have made these scenes less out of place.

Another weird thing was that they would have these animations of the transcript of the case. They were usually just silent clips of them texting out what was said in the courtroom. These clips just felt so out of place, and there were only two of these clips. If they had taken it out, it would not have affected the film, and they were unnecessary.

Conclusion

This film is overall sound, and there was nothing to hate about this film, and maybe to some, a masterpiece in documentary filmmaking. But to me, it is good. What makes a true masterpiece of a documentary is being able to craft a story that is a reflection of our world. One that is bold and experimental art as it is nuanced in its message. Not all films have to be this way, but also the best of the best usually are films resembling this approach. I could not see Blackfish hitting this beat in the movie.

While it may not be one of the greats are me, I still recommend this film. It is an excellent film, one that will significantly change your view of the world. It is definitely worth a watch.