Deep Blue

Based on the 2001 BBC television series The Blue Planet, this stunningly photographed documentary captures extraordinary images of ocean-based life — not just the fish and sea mammals, but also birds and beasts whose lives demand frequent and intimate contact with the deep. Other documentaries have already beaten this film to some of its marvels: ISLAND OF THE SHARKS (1999) documents the teeming ecosystem off Cocos Island, from surreal hammerheads to stinging coral polyps, while James Cameron's ALIENS OF THE DEEP (2005) offers startling views of the bizarre life spawned on the lightless ocean floor and in its geothermal vents. But Alastair Fothergill and...