Sort of a Greenpeace version of Deadliest Catch. Imagine environmentalists gone Reality TV. That said, this real reel is quite watchable. In fact, some of the stark Antarctic vistas are eerily beautiful. The dark gray ocean, crystalline white and silver icebergs -- one forming a nearly angelic arch. All shot with a fast panning helicopter. Very very nice.

As for the sentimental verbiage, “Whales die slowly … need to be harpooned multiple times… “ All of that seems beside the point to me. Because cows die fast, should we care less about them? And plants… they don’t show pain, so is it okay that they die? It’s a difficult truth that we need to kill to survive. That said, when one particular organism is over-hunted or forested etc, such that the survival of the eco-system is threatened -- now you’ve got my attention. This reel failed to show how over-harvesting whales in the Antarctic negatively affects our delicate world.

What it did show was a group of likeable, passionate folks willing to risk their lives, willing to step out of their regular livelihoods and do something they believed in. I like that. I respect that. I routed for them. And while all the prep, test, drill, and wait for their “Big event” (a rendezvous with Japanese whaling boats) does have its appeal, it is a long wait.

Yet, when the big event comes, just as in real life, it doesn’t quite go as planned. The shear awkward reality of it all is fascinating.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --