Explore the world you never knew.

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From the archaic faces of aquatic iguanas to the playful nature of the world’s dolphins, “Oceans” presents a varied tableau of the spectacles that can be found above and below the world’s oceans. This is the latest film from the Disney Nature subsidiary that brought us “Earth” in 2007 and will release “African Cats” in a year’s time. Though it certainly acts as a visual treat, audiences should go into the film with low expectations on the intellectual side.

As a documentary aimed at a younger audience, the lack of information overload (or, really, textbook information in general) is welcoming. Instead of floundering with the pronunciation of some rare, but gorgeous, creature on screen, audiences are invited to simply let the actions and dramas of the ocean play out in front of them. Sometimes a simple display of affection between a mother walrus and her child can say more about a species than anything else.

That is all well and good, though it does tend to get dull at moments, especially when the third or fourth swarm of fish collects into a shimmering globe. It’s beautiful, that can’t be denied, but many of the shots in the film do not break new ground in terms of content. Quality, however, is where “Oceans” shines. The cinematography is really out of this world, and it has to be considering it’s really the only thing keeping the documentary together.

Over highly defined shots of penguins, humpback whales, and armies of crabs, narrator Pierce Brosnan dispenses a humanizing voice-over. He is no Morgan Freeman, but he does a good job with the material given to him, which isn’t very much at all. As a transition aid, however, Brosnan’s part in the film is perfect.

As you sit back in the theater and watch everything play out on screen, the drama and tension of real life is multiplied thanks to a stellar orchestral soundtrack. Bruno Coulais, who also scored the recent film “Coraline,” lends his talents to “Oceans.” Together with the awesome camera work, Oceans reminds me of a real-life Fantasia, to some extent, filled with dancing animals, danger, and passion.

As a whole, “Oceans” is a successful film, though it’s likely to turn off many people looking to learn from a more traditional documentary. Children will love it, though, which was evident by the few who attempted to name all the animals that came on screen. The clips and animals that are represented are tossed around a little haphazardly, which makes the film seem choppy and in-cohesive at times. For the most part, though, it is an excellent representational overview of the world’s oceans.

Personally, I’m looking forward to “African Cats.”

This entry was posted on Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 9:20 pm and is filed under 3.5, Film Reviews, Matt Balmaseda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.