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There are segments of Disneynature’s “Océans” as riveting as any recent highfalutin action sequence, such as when dozens of lightning-quick dolphins, a flock of ravenous birds, sharks and even whales converge on a school of sardines as the camera seamlessly captures the excitement from above and below the surface. Or when, in a particularly revealing nighttime portion shot in the depths of a reef, a mantis shrimp and a crab square off in a duel that seems too cinematic to have simply occurred in the wild.
Gracefully narrated by Pierce Brosnan and co-directed by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, this second installment of the Disney sub-studio’s annual Earth Day output (the first being last year’s fine but inferior “Earth”) contains many moments that seem serendipitous, even miraculous, as if nature itself were hamming it up for the camera.
The how’d-they-do-that cinematography is spectacular, yes, and the energetic editing lends much to the film’s pacing and sense of adventure, but it’s not moviemaking magic that grabs you here; it’s an un-doctored magic that’s occurring constantly, just not in plain sight.
Filmed in more than 50 locations over a span of four years, “Océans” brings you deep into that unseen world, offering discovery upon discovery (like, say, the ribbon eel, a breathtaking sidewinder of the sea, and the aptly-named stonefish, a master of camouflage who snatches prey in the blink of an eye). The imagery is in beautiful sync with Bruno Coulais’ Oscar-worthy original score, which uses haunting strings to intensify a blue whale’s arrival, and booming drums to play up the war-like collision of thousands of spider crabs.
Some will deride “Océans” for its disjointedness, but I was just thankful it avoided the family-on-a-journey contrivance that’s been the genre’s modus operandi since “March of the Penguins.” And though issues of pollution, poaching and global warming are hastily addressed as if to fill some eco-friendly quota, it’s hardly a to reason miss this stunning achievement. When I think of “Océans,” three words come to mind: Epic. Majestic. Fantastic.
Océans
G
Three-and-a-half reels out of four
Now playing at area theaters
Nine
PG-13
Available Tuesday
“Chicago” director Rob Marshall returns to the razzle-dazzle realm of the movie musical, bringing to the screen his vibrant rendition of the Tony-winning smash based on Federico Fellini’s classic film, “8½.”
Starring the great Daniel Day-Lewis as a famous Italian director caught in a creative dry spell, and an embarrassment of big name actresses Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Oscar nominee Penelope Cruz — as the many women in the director’s life —“Nine” has ample star wattage to match its radiant production numbers. I was entranced.
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