Film and Felt

Bless his heart, Rob Stewart has wonderful intentions with Sharkwater, a fawning documentary about the hidden wonders of sharks. For 79 minutes, the director pounds away, educating his audience on the extraordinary contributions sharks make to our ecosystem and reminding us that sharks cause fewer human deaths per year than, well, almost anything. It’s somewhat interesting in the early going, despite the endless reminders that Jaws was just a damn movie; there’s a certain beauty to seeing sharks worshipped in such a manner. But Sharkwater quickly dissolves into a deep-sea lover’s wet dream mixed with a Greenpeace advertisement; after 20 minutes are spent protesting finning worldwide, I began to fade. It’s hard to not admire a man with such admiration for the obscure, but Grizzly Man did it much better.

Rating: con (+)