Saturday, February 1, 2014

Blackfish Doc Review

Zach James
Dr. Williams
MDIA 1020
1 February 2014
Blackfish

                There has been a lot of hype lately about this movie, and after watching it, one might get a better grasp on why. This documentary film follows in its narrative spine the life of a killer whale named Tilikum, from his capture in 1983 to the present. He currently resides in Seaworld and has killed three people. Tilikum’s life hasn’t been an easy one however and the film really tries to blame the aggression on his time spent at Sealand, where he was kept in a small cage and abused constantly by other whales. This is where his first “murder” took place and he was still taken by Seaworld. The employee’s and trainers interviewed had no idea of Tilikum’s past.  This leads into the train of the film, the story of Dawn, the expert trainer who was killed by Tilikum, unaware of his true potential. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite really plays on ones emotions watching this movie, and does a fantastic job of showing how intelligent Orcas really are. She presents a theme that the captivity wild animals has a negative effect on their lives and in some cases the lives of humans as well. Overall I give the movie a 9 out of 10 for unveiling a truly interesting story that makes one question the ethics of animals

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