Blackfish – A Critical Review

Blackfish (2013) is a documentary by Gabriela Cowperthwaite – an American filmmaker, director and producer of various television and documentary films. It takes us through the controversial lives of killer whales in captivity, primarily targeting a young orca named Tilikum and its history of violence while giving examples of other similar situations that have taken place. The movie gives an insight into the deaths of three people, including one of the top trainers, Dawn Brancheau, caused by the orca all for the cause of the multi-billion dollar industry of sea parks. The film tends to be overly exaggerated and biased with some misleading information and little use of logos. However, it uses several literary techniques to get their main point across effectively – wild animals should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment purposes.

Blackfish (2013) shows the theme park SeaWorld, playing out a handful of incidents that happened over almost 50 years, ignoring all the excellent work they have done. According to Michael Scarpuzzi (2013), the organisation has rescued over 24,000 animals since their establishment and devotes a lot of its efforts towards “orphaned and injured animals rescued by SeaWorld or the millions of dollars [they] dedicate to supporting conservation and research”. Moreover, the film tends to paint a false image by providing incomplete or misinformation in certain places. One of such examples is when orca researcher Howard Garret talks about the capturing of orcas from the wild:

“It was SeaWorld by name that was told, “Do not come back to Washington to capture whales.” Without missing a beat, they went

from Washington to Iceland and began capturing there.” (Blackfish, 2013, 13:50)

This implies that SeaWorld continuously captures orcas from the wild, which is untrue, as SeaWorld claims that they haven’t captured orcas from the wild for the last 35 years. A majority of the animals are rescued and are in unfit conditions to live in the wild, hence living under social protection. What is more, the film makes a weak use of logos since it is mainly based on personal experiences rather than facts and evidence.

Despite all, Blackfish provides a great deal of valuable information that helps strengthen their case of the mammal being a victim of artificial captivity in an enthralling manner. The film makes excellent use of literary techniques ethos and pathos.  First and foremost, the documentary starts by creating a compelling image of orcas to spark the viewer’s interest and create a connection between them and the animal. Next, it goes on to describe how the orcas are treated unwell at the sea parks and the way the captivity affects them physically and emotionally. It also reveals personal accounts of people who have encountered or are affected by the events that have taken place. Secondly, the most prominent use of ethos is that the film is sponsored by CNN, which is a reputable television channel. The filmmaker, Cowperthwaite, is an experienced filmmaker and has worked with many big names in the industry.

Further, one of the essential aspects the film touches on is how Tilikum the whale causes gruesome incidents and kills out of psychosis. As stated by National Geographic, Orcas, “[w]hether they’re born in the wild or in captivity … have the same innate drive to swim far and dive deep.” More than space constraint, perhaps it was the breaking up of family groups that caused the psychological rage which resulted in several uncertain events and became the reason for a great tragedy; the death of Dawn Brancheau. The documentary raised high awareness on the subject of captivity and lead to quite a few positive changes made in such organisations. For instance, in 2016, CEO of Sea World Joel Manby announced plans of rebranding SeaWorld as an animal conservation company in response to protests against breeding and captivity of the orcas.

Blackfish (2013) does an excellent job in capturing the lives of the orcas in captivity and showing how it differs from those in the wild. Since the debut of the film, there have been several improvements in the lives of these animals such as orcas no longer being part of SeaWorld’s pets. Moreover, in 2016, the breeding of orcas in SeaWorld was also put to a halt. However, one of the significant weaknesses of the film is how the very foundation of the film is built more on emotions and personal experiences rather than facts and substantial evidence. Also, it comes across as a much biased and one-sided film.  Regardless, it continues to fulfil its purpose of illustrating the truth behind the fun of sea parks and the inhumane handling of their whales -, particularly SeaWorld.