Blackfish the story of the stars of SeaWorld – namely an orca named Tilikum and his dark history with his trainers. Told by whale experts as well as the trainers themselves, Tilikum’s tale is as relentless as it is heartbreaking – unfortunately also in a narrative simply meant to enrage you.



But shouldn’t you be enraged? I only wonder, where are all of the soul crushing documentaries about all the other animals in captivity? I digress – naturally, the ex-trainers speak somberly and with regret. As they say, hindsight’s 20/20. Granted, I can’t blame them for not acting against a massive corporation, but considering how they present themselves, one can only wonder why more noise wasn’t being raised at the time.

Similarly, much of the footage – such as recordings of SeaWorld employees lying about orcas’ expected lifespans – isn’t time-stamped, so we’re unsure as to the current state of the company’s use of misinformation, if there still is any. However, a quick look at SeaWorld’s site shows that they have responded since their initial retort, by pasting an open letter on their front page – notice they do not mention Blackfish, nor do they provide many dates to imply if there was change in protocol.

Regardless, this a very disturbing account of the tragedy between the whales forced into captivity and the trainers who are risking their lives – wonderfully filmed and certain to shake you up.

The Good

Though others felt it too slow, I thought this film was very well-structured. And I cried about five-ten minutes in – it was like watching Dumbo getting taken away from his mom.

The Bad

Sometimes it seems like the ex-trainers’ feels are trying to beat out the whale abuse in a pity-fight. Plus the bit at the end was pretty cheesy.

The Ugly

From wounds to whale dick, this gets pretty gruesome. Seriously though, a guy gets crushed. It’s hard to watch.