Ocean with David Attenborough (2025) - Film Review

Some folks are having a hard time getting to the beach on account of their busy work schedules and the like. Luckily for those people still craving some ocean time, "Ocean with David Attenborough", the newest documentary from National Geographic on Hulu, has answered the call in providing scenery to escape to. Don't go in expecting just that however, as "Ocean" addresses topical issues affecting this crucial ecosystem as of late. "Ocean" is as much a celebration of the latest discoveries in the deep sea as it is a call to arms.

Under David Attenborough's narration and personal sermons, we're shown how all of the plants and sea inhabitants exist in a delicate balance, even including the sharks. In certain areas of the world, the coral reefs along with the various creatures and plants inhabiting them are thriving. This is due to growth that neither marine biologists and scientists initially thought was possible. But as Attenborough observes throughout, it's another discovery and lesson learned about the nature of the deep sea that's beneficial for this ecosystem's health.

Plenty of progress has been made in the habitat preservation of certain bodies of water and the evolution of select species. Although it celebrates those achievements, "Ocean" confronts some harsh realities of the damage that governments all over the world mandate when it comes to fishing. You clearly see the color and scale being robbed in reef areas that used to thrive now all just a warzone thanks to "bottom trawling". This is basically a fishing method where a weighted net is towed with the boat to catch marine life at the ocean floor.

The damage done to the ocean floor as a result is enough to call for legal action as the news outlets will certainly concede on. Attenborough declares that it would be unacceptable to do anything like this on land, and calls out the hypocrisy of allowing this practice to continue. "Ocean" provides its viewers with insight that challenges any misconceptions that have been thrown at them prior. For example, the misconception that corals are plants as opposed to living creatures that evolve their exterior in their natural habitat.

Like almost all documentaries in existence out there, "Ocean" doesn't have much as far as replay value is concerned, outside of capturing the ocean's natural wonder on a striking visual scale. It justifies a viewing on account of everything on screen genuinely being there in real time. That's why nature documentaries will always have a following. Because they capture the world we live in, as opposed to a fake version of it in CGI form. Simply put, it's a nice additional perk of having a subscription to either Disney+ and/or Hulu.

Final Verdict: 8.5/10