Review of Blackfish (2013) by Edward K — 19 Dec 2013

I grew up with Seaworld an ever persistent part of my life. I visited often, being a local in Orlando, FL. I also grew up with these heated debates and news reports of trainers sustaining injuries and, unfortunately, deaths, due to accidents involving killer whales.

Blackfish portrays the dark side of Seaworld, the shady business practices at the expense of not only the killer whales in captivity, but also the trainers who routinely risk their lives for the sake of pure entertainment.

Blackfish makes a compelling argument, and a successful one, by employing a multitude of emotional and rhetorical appeals to reason that this practice is barbaric. My argument against this as a film is on two premises: I would probably never purchase this documentary for future viewings (which if you have Netflix isn't much of a problem), and although enough to persuade viewers to stay away from Seaworld, isn't keen on focusing on the good that Seaworld has provided for marine life, as well as the impassioned awareness and care most tourists leave with after viewing such shows.

The ultimate question is: is this documentary enough to persuade the audiences that the time has come to abolish such crimes against nature, and if so, were we truly convinced by this movie about how much we care about marine life, or is it perhaps the lessons learned from the likes of Seaworld that we have gained a respect for our aquatic life?