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Sharkwater

PG Released Nov 2, 2007 1h 29m Documentary List
79% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 88% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings
Arguing that sharks are misunderstood as dangerous creatures, biologist Rob Stewart travels to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica and other places where the animals can be found. Underwater, he feeds sharks to demonstrate their fundamentally nonviolent nature. With 90 percent of the shark population destroyed by indiscriminate hunting, Stewart joins forces with conservationist Paul Watson to fight poachers who illegally kill the animals for their fins and sell the meat to the Taiwanese Mafia. Read More Read Less
Sharkwater

What to Know

Critics Consensus

In addition to its breathtaking underwater photography, Sharkwater has a convincing, impassioned argument of how the plight of sharks affects everyone.

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Critics Reviews

View All (39) Critics Reviews
Michael Rechtshaffen Hollywood Reporter Stewart's documentary is seldom less than compelling in its quest to raise international awareness about a situation that is threatening to put sharks on the endangered list. Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Cath Clarke Guardian With its stunning photography this would be a righteous and magnificent documentary were it not for the on-camera presence of film-maker Rob Stewart, marine biology's answer to Tom Cruise. Rated: 2/5 Feb 22, 2008 Full Review BBC.com Stewart's point is that the shark fin industry, in its short-sighted quest for financial gain, may trigger an ecological disaster beyond the extinction of the sharks themselves. This is depressing, but important, stuff. Rated: 3/5 Feb 22, 2008 Full Review Gabe Leibowitz Film and Felt It's hard not to admire a man with such admiration for the obscure, but Grizzly Man did it much better. Rated: 37/100 Sep 18, 2009 Full Review Craig Phillips GreenCine If the film sometimes gets choppy, the filmmaker's passion for the subject and the disturbing revelations to be gained from watching the film make it more than worthwhile. Rated: 3/5 Jul 30, 2009 Full Review Margaret Pomeranz At the Movies (Australia) It's a film you come away from feeling that you should get out there on the streets and start marching for sharks. Rated: 4/5 May 15, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Zackary G It was very inspiring. so sad to see what happens to these animals, absolutely love this documentary Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/09/22 Full Review Audience Member A man who truly cared about sharks. May he RIP. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant footage of a supremely important subject marred by a stoner-bro director who is more concerned with his own self image. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member para mi esta pelicula,jaws y the shallows son las mejores peliculas live action de tiburones Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member A man who knows what sharks are, and what people must do to rescue an endangered species, people must learn that these animals are important, and that we are the reason why they are dying. We need to do something and help save them to make it up to them. This documentary magnifies our power to rescue sharks Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This film is eye opening and for the most part fairly well done. the plight of the sharks is compelling and powerful. I believe this documentary was close to being a great peice of work but there are some very large amateur mistakes. The biggest problem i had with it is the filmmaker himself Rob Stewart. Ostentatious is the only word that comes to mind. His narrating really pulls you out of the film and away from the powerful facts being brought up. It has the cadence of a teenage boy trying to lower his voice to sound cooler, mixed with a politician speaking slow and monotonously which even becomes slightly insulting at times. Most people watching this dont need to be spoken to like a child and it ruins the message. When he's on camera and speaking normally he sounds completely different, the contrast is just offputting. The film really does drag to a grinding hault at various spots that involve the film maker essentially trying to make a hero or a victim out of himself. Entirely unnecessary shots of him shirtless for no reason, staring off into the distance fixing his hair... its just awkward. The last 10 minutes of the film is filled with important messages being spoken from various experts and concerned people accompanied by shots of him swimming in a speedo and flexing randomly underwater.... He tries to fabricate drama and danger anyway he can, talking about the mafia being after him, almost losing his leg from a minor staff infection, having to sneak into costa rica to film previously mentioned speedo shot... theres just a lot of superfluous nonsense that really took away from the film. All that being said... you get used to most of those issues about 20 minutse in and if you can get past it, this is a really good documentary. I just think it could have been so much better with a talented narrator, and a more humble cadence. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sharkwater

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Movie Info

Synopsis Arguing that sharks are misunderstood as dangerous creatures, biologist Rob Stewart travels to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica and other places where the animals can be found. Underwater, he feeds sharks to demonstrate their fundamentally nonviolent nature. With 90 percent of the shark population destroyed by indiscriminate hunting, Stewart joins forces with conservationist Paul Watson to fight poachers who illegally kill the animals for their fins and sell the meat to the Taiwanese Mafia.
Director
Rob Stewart
Producer
Rob Stewart
Screenwriter
Rob Stewart
Production Co
Sharkwater Productions
Rating
PG (Language|Images of Animal Cruelty|Some Smoking|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 2, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$30.6K
Runtime
1h 29m