BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

rkaliz I will just mention one instance from the documentary and you think about it. There is a short mentioning of how a trainer used to train Orcas that were new to the park by putting them together with older, trained Orcas and asking them to perform the same tasks. When they, inevitably, failed, both animals were punished by being deprived of food. So the older, trained Orca, took it out on the younger, untrained one. Now, sit back and think about the same tactic being employed by human parents against their children. "I don't know who did it, but you are both grounded". There you go – a documentary about whales in captivity that taught you something about your own wrong methods of parenting.Aside from that, when you are done watching this, you will probably and justifiably never want to go to a marine park show with Orcas ever again. The documentary just works as a wake-up slap. We separate a baby whale calf from its mother and social structure, keep it as grown, 5 ton, apex predator in a pool for its entire life and milk it for its semen. If you ask me, Orcas must be the most mellow creatures on earth, for them to have only killed this few people in captivity…You want to see Orcas? Fly to Alaska or Iceland and get on a boat, to see them as they are meant to be: Swimming free and with erected dorsal fins.

Julian R. White Never have I seen a documentary on nature and animals that has made me cry. This was the first one. It is horrifying to see how badly we as man have treated our relations who live on this planet with us. To know that young Orca whales are herded like cattle into traps and torn away from their crying, begging mothers. It is also infuriating that Sea World would use such petty arguments in the following court cases to make themselves not seem at fault. This documentary sheds some much needed light on the illegal, unethical, and sickening practices of whale catchers, and Sea World themselves. I do not feel that such enormous, agile creatures should have to live in any type of enclosure. They were born of mother Ocean, and that is where they should be free to live their lives. These Orcas will suffer physical and psychological abuse from each other, and from the management of their establishments when placed together with non-family members in such small enclosures.

sol- Released with the haunting tagline 'Never capture what you can't control', this BAFTA nominated documentary questions the merits of capturing and breeding killer whales in captivity with concerns for both human safety and distress on the aquatic animals themselves. The film was inspired by the public outcry in 2010 when one of SeaWorld's most experienced trainers was killed by a whale, leading to revelations that the whale had injured many others before. Interviews with the deceased's former colleagues prove powerful as they express dismay at SeaWorld blaming the trainer for an error of judgment when research has shown that whales can be driven to psychosis. The film effectively splices in SeaWorld television advertisements to show just how much what SeaWorld tells the public differs from the reality of whale breeding and while there is no video footage of SeaWorld when taken to court, the filmmakers strikingly use animated sequences to reenact the trials based on transcripts. If riveting to view, there is no escaping the fact that 'Blackfish' is a heavily biased affair. To a degree, this cannot be helped since SeaWorld refused to be interviewed for the film, however, with the filmmakers unable to locate a single former employee willing to tell SeaWorld's side of the story, it is hard not to wonder what the counter-arguments may be. If one leaves the film with some doubts though, its stance still lingers in the mind long afterwards. Certainly, it is understandable why SeaWorld's profits have dropped since the documentary's release.

brianna-39904 Blackfish is an eye-opening 2013 documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. The film is centered on a captive killer whale named Tilikum who performs at SeaWorld. The film first premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, but in order to make a bigger release it was picked up by Magnolia Picture and CNN Films production companies. Blackfish was also nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. This documentary's main focus is to open our eyes to what really happened to Dawn Brancheau. Dawn Brancheau was the head trainer at SeaWorld. Tililkum was the cause of her death, but SeaWorld made it seem to the public like it was her fault that Tilikum targeted her. Even through Tilikum was involved in the deaths of several people, it was the story of Dawn that pushed Gabriela Cowperthwaite to make this film. She claimed, "There was more to the story." The documentary is emotional if you have a soft spot for animals. What the film reveals about SeaWorld had me shocked and wondering what else they are hiding from the public. I feel that the film is also very informative and I learned a lot about orcas. The interviews throughout the movie are what really made the movie personal. Thinking back to when I was a kid I was always wanted to go to SeaWorld, but after watching this movie it made me view SeaWorld differently. In one of the interviews, the person was talking about an incident that happen with a trainer. What stood out to me is what he said about the incident. "If that was me, I would have sh*t my pants." I like how that one comment brought a small grin to my face. The clips shown in the film also made it real. It was like almost like I was there when the moment was taking place. Throughout the documentary I felt bad for the whales in captivity. If I was stuck in captivity for 25 years, I would go crazy too. I am glad this film came out because without it we would have never known the things going on at SeaWorld. The layout of the film was beautiful. It had a nice flow to it and captured the beauty and the ugliness of orcas. The researchers in the film show proof that SeaWorld is lying about their orcas. The information they give to the public is not true and yet they had brainwashed us to believe it. It is crazy how little the former trainer knew about previous incidents even when working there. For me this film was definitely an eye-opener.The film had a big impact on SeaWorld, and I think Gabriela did a great job at proving her claim. I love how she use ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the audience. I can say it's one of the best documentaries I have watched. I would definitely recommend this film to others. If you enjoy animals and want to learn more about orcas and SeaWorld, this is your movie.