With a title that suggests a gruesome SyFy horror movie, Sharkwater Extinction is a cautionary tale that presents a natural disaster that is all too real. The movie wastes no time immersing its audience in the atrocities its filmmakers are looking to eradicate. Viewers may have heard of the Chinese delicacy Shark Fin Soup, but what this documentary focuses on is the ghastly ways in which this menu item is conceived, which includes macabre footage of sharks being caught, lifted from the water, having their fins sawed off and then thrown back into the ocean to die. It’s skin-crawling to witness, and one can only imagine what the filmmakers—passionate shark activists—feel about experiencing these depravities firsthand.
There’s crusading compassion in every frame of the film, a sequel to a 2006 title which introduced the world to the dreadful practices of shark finning. Sharkwater Extinction concentrates more on the impending extinction of sharks, as the population has decreased by 90% over recent decades. And mind you, this is a species that has endured millions of years of existence, and we’re slowly erasing it from our ecosystem.
Juxtaposing nauseating visuals of sharks being mutilated with beautiful underwater shots of its filmmakers frolicking with them in peaceful harmony, the fervent, emotionally obsessive crew takes creatures who are often perceived as predators and successfully depicts them as friendly, intelligent beings. At the center of it all is director Rob Stewart, the film’s primary source of information often speaking to the camera directly and filling us in on all the facts that Sharkwater Extinction is looking to showcase.
However, the film takes a sharp turn in its final minutes, as Stewart embarks on a deep-water dive from which he never returns. Rob Stewart died on January 31, 2017 in the Alligator Reef of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The film hints at his eventual passing a few times, including a moment where Stewart discusses his own death—”I know exactly how I’m going to die and when I’m going to die.” Regardless, the event is undeniably shocking, especially for those unaware of Stewart’s activism and fate. The final stretch is focused on paying tribute to Stewart, showing plenty of footage and pictures as Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s ukulele version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” plays in the background.
The documentary is essentially two separate beasts, one that aims to spark the viewer into action and one that slows down to honor its creator. Prior to Stewart’s death, it’s hard not to admit that the film lacks in certain areas and often resembles the quality of something you’d find programmed into the regular rotation of “Shark Week.” But its passion is what helps it rise above its technical mediocrity. The people behind Sharkwater Extinction clearly care about the sharks they want to save, and that makes the film uniquely special regardless of how one feels about its cinematic accomplishments and pitfalls.
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