DVD Review: Sharkwater - Page 2

Surprisingly, he may have a valid point. When he and Paul Watson's group tried to stop fishermen poaching sharks off Costa Rica's Cocos Island, Stewart and the rest of the crew were arrested, rather than the poachers. Apparently the Taiwanese Mafia is pouring vast amounts of money into Costa Rica, causing the government to look the other way. Just a kilo of dried fin sells for about $140 U.S. It is particularly disturbing to watch as finless sharks are thrown back into the ocean to die. Sharkwater claims that over 73 million sharks die per year because of the fin trade. More shockingly, Stewart claims that 15,000 more sharks died in the time it took you to watch this film. While it should be noted that none of Stewart's statistics are referenced, the disturbing images of maimed sharks will probably make you reconsider this animal.

While Sharkwater is a beautifully shot documentary and deserves to be seen, it is not entirely successful. Rob Stewart's narrative style of surfer dude clichés takes away some of the seriousness of the project, as do the constant shots of the hunky Stewart in a Speedo. If it will help sell the project, I guess you have to give him points for giving it his all. However, the underwater photography makes Sharkwater worth viewing.

The DVD release is presented in matted widescreen. The video is incredibly crisp and clear. The audio is presented in English Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound stereo and French Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound stereo.

Sharkwater has a couple of special features. The "Beneath the Surface" featurette (16:07) has Rob Stewart and others involved in making the film discussing their motivations for the project and the difficulties they faced trying to complete the documentary. "Shark Defense: Naval Training Film" (11:03) could be considered a scare tactic; made in 1964, the goal of this film was to teach navy personnel how to avoid the "sea's deadliest creature."

Television spots and the theatrical trailer are also included.

Article Author: Rebecca Wright

Rebecca is a freelance writer, concentrating in the areas of film, television and music criticism. Her B.A. is in the Humanities with an emphasis in film and writing.She holds an M.A. in American and British literature with an emphasis in dystopian …

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