Season 1 |
|
|
Episode Guide
Pacific Ocean
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Southern Ocean
Our Oceans is the latest nature documentary series on Netflix, bringing together gorgeous visuals, compelling stories and educational titbits, all narrated by ex-president Barack Obama.
The five parts are split across the different oceans and fly through a vast array of flora and fauna. The sheer diversity of fish and ocean life is staggering, and we see a good chunk of it across the show.
The stories generally follow the same sort of pattern that the BBC nature documentaries do. The stories range from comedic and heartfelt across to more action-packed and pulsating. This works well to give the episodes a distinct tone, and it helps that the cinematography here is gorgeous.
Some of the editing is really well done too, with one tracking shot in episode 1 for example, shifting down to the ocean depths and seamlessly moving into the choked smoke from an undersea volcano. These moments are helped by the way the narrative shifts to different creatures. For the most part it feels organic, and the first 10 episodes of the show gives a little taste of what the series will be like.
Personally though, I wish the show went into a bit more detail around certain species and the issues they face. There’s a tiny bit on sharks and how their numbers have been reduced down, but nowhere near enough to warrant why this should be an issue for us.
Of course, there’s only so much you can film with it looking unique and iconic. Despite the excellent aesthetic, when it comes to Our Oceans, it does fall into the trap of re-treading familiar ground. There’s a whole section dedicated to Chinstrap Penguins in the Southern Ocean which is found in a similar segment to Frozen Planet, although the music here isn’t anywhere near the level of the BBC production.
Some of that can also be attributed to the incredible score from Hans Zimmer, which is always a high bar to try and top, and it’s something Our Oceans doesn’t quite pull off. There’s enough musical variety here to keep things engaging though, but it’s definitely noticeable for nature documentary enthusiasts.
Along with the portraits of the different animals, their biomes and lives, the show features titbits of educational information and some interesting graphical overlays (like a ring around countries to show the ocean currents), which does help.
Some of the more fascinating and interesting details though comes from a look at the deep sea creatures. Seeing some of the oldest living animals on Earth at the bottom of the oceans how they’re adapting to changes in temperature and climate, is a definite highlight.
The narration is fine for the most part, although Obama’s quips can sometimes feel a bit forced. Having to repeat an Incredible Hulk gag twice is a good example of when it doesn’t work, but when it comes to narrating the drama, he does well to accentuate and accompany the drama taking place in the ocean.
With all that being said, Our Oceans is a fascinating deep dive into the depths of our blue planet. It’s certainly not at the same peak level as the BBC documentaries with Attenborough’s narration, but there’s certainly enough here to pique the interest all the same.
Feel Free To Check Out More Of Our TV Show Reviews Here!
-
Verdict - 8/10
8/10