As far as I know, this is the first time the legendary broadcaster’s had a film released at the cinema. It reveals how his lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery using spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean.
Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing, how for the survival of our planet, it is even more important than the rain forests. Having established that, we then see how the ocean beds worldwide are being destroyed by industrial scale fishing. Thankfully, he also shows there is hope for the future.
It is remarkable how the 99 year old broadcaster retains his zest for life and the ability to make a cogent argument about how to reduce the effects of the climate catastrophe. It feels like a valedictory work when we see clips of his programmes from the 1950s, 70s and 2000s, but those are weaved into the story rather than coming across as self-indulgent.
Stunning photography make this worth seeing at the cinema but I hope that this important film is one that will be shown in schools in the future.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10