Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

hannah-71256 Especially as current events unfold, the exposition of multi-million dollar companies is becoming more and more popular. Blackfish is a commentary on the abuse and corruption involved with corporations involving animals and performance. The torture of these animals is sure to captivate your heart and shake you to your core. The story of Tilikum is especially horrifying, as the film tells you the story of his life, being corralled by boats and ripped from his family, suffering abuse by other whales, and being kept captive in small pools his entire life. When you see the shows where he performs, the shouting and happy smiles in the audience's faces is almost haunting. It's the chilling reality of what these sort of companies do just for money and to make people entertained. 5 years after, and this is still accurate and an important depiction of what really goes on behind the scenes of seemingly harmless performance. The interviews with past trainers, and the editing between them is very effective in that they are often cut with videos or graphics detailing the horrific conditions and treatment they put up with. Blackfish is a raw, chilling masterpiece.

zana-29266 This documentary changed my life. Absolutely brilliant.

pfickes Black fish was quite an eye-opening documentary. This documentary shows the black eye of what most people would consider a place far from sinister ways; Sea World. The documentary goes back to 1980s and gives details in sequential order of everything that sea world had done, both positive and negative. From giving trainers an outlet and letting them experience the beautiful bond between man and animal, to showing how killer whales are taken from their families as babies. Personally, the documentary taught me a lot both about Sea World as well as just how evil, and immoral it is to take these killer whales from their natural habitat and put them on display for billions in revenue. Moreover, once an accident happened that resulted in the death of a trainer; she was blamed, not the animal that had killed her. Although this whale, Tilikum, had quite the past of aggression.I really enjoyed the interviews they did with all of the past trainers who had worked at sea world. I felt that this really allowed the audience to connect with them and show how they were deceived into believing that SeaWorld was a great place. Most of the old orca whale trainers seemed to be very depressed when speaking on what goes on at SeaWorld, and how the orca whale's were treated. The thing most all of them had in common was that they felt so naive and blind as to what was going on behind the scenes. By the directors showing these emotion filled interviews it really showed that the old trainers believed what was going on at sea world was wrong and immoral. Though it was not with a trainer, the most emotional scene was an interview along withfootage from a man who helped take a baby orca whale away from it's family. He spoke of when they had finally gotten the baby orca whale by its self and the cries it made to it's mother and the cries the mother made back. "I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I couldn't help but cry." He began tearing up in the interview reliving the old memory.All of these SeaWorld's try to keep orca whale on trainer deaths on the down low, and if the public does make a big deal of it, they will blame the person it happened to. I feel that the movie did an excellent job displaying this with the death of Dawn Brancheau. After Tilikum did not preform a correct actions she withheld his food, this frustrated Tilikum. She then go into the water with him and began to pet him unaware that he would soon kill her. He bit her arm and drug her to the bottom of the pool and drown her. He then dismembered her arm and at it. SeaWolrd officials said that she was drug by her ponytail not by her arm, and that Tilikum did this in a playful manner not as an act of aggression. This is just one of three people that Tilikum has killed.Overall Blackfish is an excellent documentary, and I would recommend it to anyone who cares about the treatment of animals, or enjoyed or still enjoys going there. I would also recommend it to anyone who feels that they are treated poorly at their workplace, since these trainers weren't told they are risking their lives with such unpredictable animals. It is nice to know what really goes on behind the acts, and that the truth is these animals are not easy to control. These animals are highly intelligent, and should not be placed in captivity. Before I had seen this documentary I had no opinion on weather or not SeaWorld was a bad place, but now that I've seen it I would defiantly say this doesn't seem like such a great place to work.

tmartinez-05656 Have you ever been to a theme park to see any animals such as orcas, dolphins, or seals? It's entertaining isn't it but have you ever wondered the negative that can come out of this. The documentary, Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite focuses on the story of a killer whale or orca, Tilikum, who was involved in the deaths of three people. Blackfish also talks about SeaWorld, a theme park who claimed no responsibility when one of the most experienced trainer they ever had was killed by Tilikum. The film is mainly focused on Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca who was captured at the age of two and who was held in captivity most of his life. The film explains how this affected Tilikum and how the deaths of the three people isn't entirely on Tilikum but more on SeaWorld and Sealand. Although the film doesn't tell SeaWorld's side of the story against this I still think they are to blame and in my opinion after watching this film you won't have to hear them out. The director also shows how orcas are captured at a very young age, separated from their mother, and all kept in a small pool, twenty by thirty feet, for two-thirds of their life's. How would you handle all of this if you were an orca? Blackfish is talked about in the perspective of former SeaWorld trainers while they talk about all their experience with Tilikum and other orcas while they worked there. Throughout the film you see how orcas are kept and exactly how they live, at the same time you see some of the attacks that were caught on film. Still after all the evidence with the films you see how SeaWorld tried to cover up all this by blaming the people. An example of this would be the death of Dawn Brancheau, the experienced SeaWorld trainer who died, at first the story was that she was killed because she had a ponytail and that Tilikum mistook her hair for a fish. After several interviews with eyewitnesses the story changed that it wasn't here hair that he bit onto but her arm. This is just one of the few cases that are talked about in Blackfish. Dawns death lead to more questions such as if Tilikum was showing a sign of aggression. The film was made mainly to inform everyone of what is really going on. At the same time to show why capturing and training orcas, or any other wild life animals isn't all good. It also shows how SeaWorld tried to cover up everything in order to keep this one specific orca. In the film they explain the reasons for SeaWorld trying to keep Tilikum. Although they do have former SeaWorld trainer, the film is really one-sided since SeaWorld representatives refused to give an interviewed but after watching this film you won't need to hear their interview. The documentary explores many types of problems such as with SeaWorld and the problems that orcas get from being held in captivity. At the same time, it doesn't just focus on SeaWorld and Tilikum, it also informs people of other theme parks and orcas. Throughout the film you get to see interviews from experts and actual footage caught on camera. If you want to learn more about what these orcas are going through this a must see film.