Shark Week: Ocean of Fear (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Also of interest: in the 1950s, the Navy outfitted their pilots with yellow life jackets because they thought the color repelled sharks. As it turns out, it attracts them more than red or black, as is demonstrated.

Last up is the 82 minute "Sharkman," a man some people will say is absolutely crazy. Michael Rutzen intends to use tonic immobility to demonstrate the great white isn´t the big nasty it has been portrayed as. Tonic immobility is achieved by turning the shark upside down in the water. Using this method on various species before trying on the great white-in essence a heavy paralysis which acts as an anesthesia-Rutzen and other researchers are able to tag, draw blood and study sharks in a safe environment.

This piece, though, spends so much time in getting Rutzen properly trained that, by the time he´s ready to try with the great white, other animals have been immobilized, making the promised payoff something less than it should be. However, it does require an enormous amount of courage to go toe to toe with the most feared of all sharks without protection.

All told, "Ocean of Fear" is a blast of all things shark, from how to survive an attack to how they are misunderstood creatures. It turns out to be a bit much to take in, 377 minutes of fearsome predator goodness is an overload, especially when the ampullae of Loranzini are mentioned for the seemingly 100th time. But this is a theme release from The Discovery Channel and for those people who are enraptured by all things shark, it´s a perfect addition to the other "Shark Week" discs.

VIDEO:
I have one complaint and, really, I´m not sure how valid it is. Throughout the six programs, the documentary footage taken under the water is less than stellar. It shows a bit of blocking in some shots, as well as grain and artifacts. When compared to something like "Planet Earth," the 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer is lacking. But is it fair to criticize underwater filming that much? In the end, I don´t think so. This is a nature documentary unlike any other. The camera people are in a new environment where their safety must come first. Speaking from personal experience, it is not easy to film in the water at any depth, let alone with sharks swimming all around.

So in that sense, I´m giving the transfer the benefit of the doubt. A majority of the above the water footage looks very good, slightly better than HD broadcast quality. (One note: some topside shots appear with a red hue. My guess is that the underwater camera was used to capture the action, resulting in the tinge.)

AUDIO:
A single audio track, 2.0, with no captions, does what I expect it to do: deliver the dialogue in a clear, unencumbered manner. After all, we´re not supposed to be surprised by directional sound effects or terrified by a John Williams music cue. The track fills out the speakers without distortion. That´s the most we can reasonably expect, I think.

EXTRAS:
The two disc Amaray case is housed in a slipcase recreating the cover artwork. Otherwise, there are no extras.

PARTING THOUGHTS:
Sharks are among the most feared creatures on this planet. After 400 million years of evolution to hone their predatory qualities, there´s good reason for the reputation. They´re not the merciless killing machines films have made them out to be and there is a majestic beauty to their rocket-like precision swimming. First and foremost, though, the ocean is their environment and we, as fishermen, swimmers and divers, invading their home need to remember it.

---

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---