Review of Blackfish (2013) by Arthur L — 07 Feb 2014

Perhaps a little of this has to do with expectations but this wasn't quite the burning indictment of SeaWorld that I thought I was going to see. Don't get me wrong - I was incredibly saddened and angered by a lot of what I saw here and have no intention of ever visiting a SeaWorld park again - but I thought the doc would focus more on SeaWorld's overall treatment and care of these beautiful animals rather than focus on one whale in particular who may or may not be holding a grudge for being kept locked up his entire life. This is certainly compelling and there is strong evidence that SeaWorld seriously erred in judgement with the keeping of this animal... but I'm not sure this one case is strong enough to damn a whole company beyond the fact that its sad to keep large animals in small cages regardless.

I think this is a well-told and nicely shot documentary that definitely pulled my heartstrings but I'll find myself grappling with the validity and strength of its arguments for some time to come.