Blackfish is a documentary about how Orcas are mistreated and incidents that happen involving the animals are always swept under the rug. The movie discusses how Orcas aren't meant to live in captivity, but Sea World uses them anyway. They also bring up how they shouldn't be put in such small tanks to live out their entire life when wild Orcas have the whole ocean. The film also discusses a certain incident with a certain whale named Tilikum. Tilikum was the best whale Sea World had ever had until he started to become aggressive and he had a few incidents with trainers and such. Sea World never realized the aggressive gene this whale had in it s body until it was too late. They had been using his semen to basically create more Tilikums, and it would bring the aggressive trait with them. The films ultimate purpose was to get the information out to people about how killer whales don't need to live in captivity. They don't belong in such small environments with how big they are, and they also don't deserve to be mistreated and torn away from their families or their natural habitat. The point went across very well with most viewers and by the end, most people were on board. The film has a few strengths and a few weaknesses. There are some good arguments throughout the film, like how they bring up that Sea World employees blatantly tell visitors completely wrong facts about the whales and such, either because they are misinformed or because they've known and do it anyway. At the same time, the film seems to be very one sided and barely ever brings up the other side of the argument. There is one scene where a man is brought in to argue to the side of Sea World, and then never appears again throughout the documentary. This film has plenty of value to it and it discusses a real problem in today's captivity. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in environmental advocacy or anyone that wants to get informed on the issue of Orcas in captivity and the story of Tilikum.
Review of Blackfish
