97% Blackfish

All Critics (63) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (2)

It not only delivers astonishing, suspenseful footage that makes it a legitimate thriller, but also serves up thoughtful meditations about using wild animals for our own entertainment.

It's hard to imagine anyone coming out of this movie and not swearing off the next vacation trip to Orlando, San Antonio or San Diego.

Unfortunately, this feels like a ten-minute news segment blown up to theatrical proportions.

While Cowperthwaite's film opens with a simple question about the behavior of a single killer whale, it ends up mounting a persuasive ethical argument against keeping orcas in captivity.

"Blackfish" is no trumped up horror story fueled by Hollywood brand names and special effects. In this riveting documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, all of the creatures are real, and all seem entitled to the serious chip on their shoulders.

The film may be depressing. But even with a terrible, watery musical score, it's also good.

Engrossing when offers alarming CSI-type forensic analysis into the death of a whale trainer [but] the narrow focus on SeaWorld raises more questions that aren't considered.

Through interviews with whale scientists and several former Sea World trainers, [Cowperthwaite] paints a disturbing picture of the profit-minded climate of deceit that prevailed at the company.

Puts 'killer whales' into wildlife and humanitarian perspective while giving you all of the dangerous action sequences you could possible want. Free Willy, it ain't.

Blackfish marries biography, activism and psycho thriller into a pleasing cinematic shape, starting with a single whale and the trainers who worked with him.

Some of the archive footage is exceedingly harrowing, but the case against commercially condoned cruelty is made without sensationalism, and few will be able to watch this without a growing sense of outrage.

Cruelty begets cruelty and whales don't belong in the circus.

It is never less than gripping, and devastatingly undermines the notion of performing whales as wholesome family entertainment.

Damning and disturbing viewing.

It's a strong piece of video journalism in which images and the interviews deliver the information, and we reach our own conclusions.

A horrifying, heartbreaking eye-opener about human inhumanity to other intelligent and emotional beings who share our planet.

As horribly gripping as a serial-killer thriller, though the real villain is not the ostensible culprit, but its human captors.

An acclaimed and chastening documentary about what happens to human beings - injury, mutilation, death - when they pen orcas in sea parks.

Important, informative, imperfect.

A chilling exploration of the life of an orca in captivity, this documentary forces us to look at zoos and especially aquarium shows in a completely new light.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blackfish_2013/

december 21 2012 norad 12/21/12 winter solstice Jabari Parker 2012 australia