124. Sharkwater Extinction; movie review

SHARKWATER EXTINCTION
Cert 12A
85 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

Hold on a minute... the director and star of this movie died while making it?!
Anyone who knows about conservation, particularly in relation to sharks, will be aware of Rob Stewart's untimely death.
And yet, it is akin to a postscript in this documentary about the demise of the creature he spent so much of his life trying to conserve.
I understand why the producers have gone down this route - Stewart would have wanted to shine a brighter light on the large-scale hunting of sharks than on himself.
But it means the final ten minutes of the film jars sharply against what has gone before.
Stewart set out to make Sharkwater Extinction as an impassioned follow-up to Sharkwater in which he revealed the threat to one of the oldest species on earth.
His claims that 150 million sharks are being killed by man every year comes with a warning that the carnage is causing an environmental imbalance in the oceans.
He takes on the illegal business in shark fins and meat by travelling across four continents to highlight the multi-billion-dollar pirate fishing industry.
Mrs W and I were aghast at shark-fining but we were left asking questions about fishing for sharks and how that was different from the commercial gathering of tuna, haddock, cod and the like.
Stewart is seen as something of a daredevil but his arguments are often repeated during Sharkwater Extinction.
And then he dies. The camera doesn't capture the exact moment but it is present shortly before the tragedy and afterwards.
His death is the subject of litigation and his parents dedicated themselves to completing the film which Rob had nearly finished.
However, despite their best intentions, it would have been better if such a seismic event were not just tagged in at the end.
This film should have been about him and his campaign and it would have been more not less powerful for it.

Reasons to watch: A tribute to an environmental pioneer
Reasons to avoid: Rob Stewart's death is too much of an afterthought

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity:  None
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Estimates that emerged from the journal Marine Policy suggest that around 100 million sharks are killed every year by humans. The journal recognises that it is a conservative estimate and it could be closer to 273 million.

The final word. Nick Hector, on editing Rob Stewart's film: "My thought was that all we had to do was make Rob’s film. Rob was a great filmmaker; Rob was a prolific journalist. All we had to do was get access to every noodling that he did, get access to his diaries, and understand his message. Ultimately, Rob’s parents were looking for a creative team that was mature and experienced enough to not impose themselves on the film." Point Of View Magazine

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