Ocean with David Attenborough

"If we save the sea, we save our world."

2025 1h 25m EN

🙌

8.1

BANGER

★8.1TMDB · 83

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

David Attenborough takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean. Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.

“If we save the sea, we save our world.”

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Cast

David Attenborough
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Colin Butfield
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Monaco

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Monaco.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Colin Butfield, shot by Toby Strong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Steven Price. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Philippa Edwards shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Colin Butfield directs. Toby Strong behind the camera. Steven Price scores. Philippa Edwards cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Monaco. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released last year.
4International production across 4 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Monaco.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Colin Butfield, shot by Toby Strong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Steven Price. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Philippa Edwards shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Marketing tagline: "If we save the sea, we save our world.".
10IMDB entry: tt33022710 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 83 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 18 themes, including "ocean", "climate change", "destruction of planet", "nature".

The technical file

Cinematography: Toby Strong
Original score: Steven Price
Editing: Philippa Edwards
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,100,000
Box office: $3,400,000
Return: 67% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Ocean with David Attenborough (2025)

Also by

Colin Butfield

A Deeper Dive with David Attenborough
2025 · ★ 6.0

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-05-14
★ 8/10
This is one of those films that really does resonate. Using some phenomenal archive photography of the realm beneath the sea, Sir David Attenborough narrates a story of devastation, desperation and ultimately optimism as he takes us on a journey around the globe evaluating the damage caused to the Earth’s oceans by a mankind who has treated this vast resource with contempt ever since industrialisation enabled us to ignore the protective forces of nature and pretty much fish at will. Some of the imagery here is truly breathtaking. It’s beautiful, colourful and vibrant with creatures that look every inch as if they came straight out of science fiction. It’s not just the sheer variety of life that we see that takes your breath away, though. The effects of the trawlers scarifying the scallop beds or the coral reefs renders them akin to a waste ground after a bomb has been dropped on it. The ruin is profound and quite frankly upsetting. Our continuing reliance on cheap and abundant food for ourselves and our pets is compromising the very existence of species that have existed in harmony with nature (and even humanity) for millennia. In his usually potent but understated manner, Sir David makes his points without resort to hyperbole and superlatives and as he lays out the scale of this problem before us he offers us hope that there is still time, should we take a longer-term view, for us to leave well alone and allow this crucial part of the planet’s infrastructure to recover and assist with the fight against global warming. The message is clear as a bell, but it isn’t laboured by the dialogue. It is illustrated by odd looking crabs, seahorses and magnificent blue whales. The production is top class and as an educational piece of cinema, this will take some beating - especially if you can catch it all on a big screen.

Production companies