98% Blackfish

All Critics (82) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (2)

"Blackfish" is a disturbing movie, one that will make you rethink parks like SeaWorld and their value.

Blackfish is intended to rattle and provoke in the hopes of bringing about change.

"Blackfish" is grim. But then again, so is the plight of these magnificent, intelligent whales.

Informative, earnest, but less than briskly paced.

"Blackfish" makes a compelling case that the cruelty of life in captivity is the cause for a rash of fatal attacks by orcas on their trainers, aggressive behavior that no so-called killer whale ever has exhibited in the wild.

Its ultimate message is clear: Killer whales belong with their families in their natural habitat, not performing for audiences. After listening to this film's many impassioned voices, it's hard to argue.

You don't have to be anything close to a PETA loyalist or an anthropomorphist to appreciate the genuine sorrow and eventual psychosis on display in footage of these whales.

Whatever its flaws, 'Blackfish' seems likely to be the rare film that inspires real reform and that helps awaken viewers to their kinship and responsibility to the animal kingdom.

The question that "Blackfish" provokes, viscerally, is whether the education and entertainment for visitors, and profits for the company, are worth it if the animals are mistreated and unhappy. After watching "Blackfish," the answer is crystal clear.

Depressingly unsurprising.

While Blackfish isn't exactly riveting, it is thought-provoking and leaves you with the urge to admire nature in its natural habitat rather than in a contained environment.

A repetitive but still compelling piece of activist filmmaking.

An engrossing look at animal behavior.

It is gripping and thought-provoking.

As enlightening and passionate as the picture is, Cowperthwaite fails to summon the type of comprehensive journalism this type of story deserves.

The one save-the-whales movie to see when you only have time for one.

There aren't too many animal-rights documentaries that could be described as "metal," but Blackfish, one part horror movie and one part nature film, fits the bill and then some.

Cowperthwaite juxtaposes to devastating effect official PR spin with news reports and eye-witness accounts of marine park tragedies.

[An] impressive, often gripping documentary ...

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.

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

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