Ocean Odyssey

After my disappointment last year with Deep Blue, it was with hesitation that I tried another documentary about the ocean. I'm happy to report that Ocean Odyssey, put out by the BBC was a heck of a lot better.

In this "edutainment" documentary, we follow the eighty year old life of a bull sperm whale. Throughout his life span, we share in how mankind is "influencing" (ruining) his ocean habitat. While there is no light in the four kilometer deep part of the ocean that is known as the abyss, and also his hunting ground, through computer animation the story is told of the epic battle to catch a giant squid. Seriously, I love calamari, but 15 meters worth is too much for my plate!

By following a historical timeline, we share in such events as a whale hunt, transatlantic phone lines, an underwater volcanic eruption, and even an encounter with a nuclear powered sub and towed array sonar. There are also natural threats such as an encounter with a pack of hungry killer whales that live up to their name.

While the special effects are not quite up to ILM standards, they do a more than adequate job of telling this whale of a tale (sorry, I just couldn't resist...). For those of us that have always been fascinated by the great whales of the ocean, than Ocean Odyssey is a fascinating look at these rarely seen animals for us landlubbers. I think families would also enjoy this type of entertainment while painlessly learning some ocean knowledge as well, which is not a bad way to spend two hours to this reviewer.

Overall Grade: B+