David Attenborough’s Ocean Is Beautiful. But It’s Not Brave.
The BBC’s new documentary is a visual feast and a missed opportunity to confront what’s really happening beneath the surface.
I should have walked out inspired, but I didn’t and it scares me.
This has been billed as Sir David’s “greatest message of hope.”
As someone working in marine conservation, I expected to be moved. Stirred. Re-energised.
Instead, I left the cinema with a hollow feeling.
Yes, the footage was extraordinary, at times even terrifying. The deep-sea trawling sequences showed destruction on a scale I’ve never seen captured so viscerally before; the seabed being obliterated, ecosystems wiped out in seconds.
While Sir David’s narration was as elegant and heartfelt as ever, the film’s overwhelming message was one of hope, not alarm. It felt like a tribute, not a rallying cry. A farewell, not a fight.
Hope without urgency is dangerous. It risks reassuring audiences that things are improving, that someone else is fixing it, that we’ll be okay.
The truth is, we’re not okay. We’re not even close.
As the credits rolled, I overheard people saying “that was really good” and commenting on the stunning footage, but no one walked out shaken. No one said, “humanity is screwed if we don’t change.” That‘s what hit me hardest.
Colleagues have spoken in awe, deeply moved by the film… I get it. Sir David Attenborough has inspired generations of conservationists, myself included. His legacy is beyond measure.
That’s why I really wanted this film to land. Maybe it still will. My fear is that it won’t.
I think that’s what this moment opened my eyes to. What will it actually take to shift the public consciousness? What’s going to tip the balance from quiet agreement to full-blown pressure? Where is the outrage? Where is the mobilisation?
Right now, no one who has seen the film is shutting down the streets or marching on Parliament demanding urgent action to save our oceans, our planet, ourselves.
Maybe, after decades of footage and facts, people are just numb. We’ve normalised collapse.
That’s where my fear comes from.
As an ocean campaigner I’m left thinking, is there anything we can do anymore? If this doesn’t work, if a film narrated by one of the most trusted voices in history, showcasing terrifying truths and real-world solutions, can’t drive change, what can?
From June the film will stream globally, reaching millions in their homes. People who might never seek out an environmental film will be drawn in by Sir David’s name alone, and Disney will no doubt make the ads irresistible.
So perhaps the cinema wasn’t the moment.
Perhaps the impact will come in living rooms, classrooms and conversations still to come. Perhaps this film will speak to others in a way it didn’t speak to me. Perhaps its gentleness will be its strength.
If not, then I fear we’re lost. If Sir David can’t move the needle, what hope is left for the rest of us trying to?
This may well be his final great message. I truly hope it finds the people who need to hear it most.
Because we are out of time.