Mission Blue

While the science behind Earle’s conservation project is fascinating, it’s her natural charisma and infectious enthusiasm that are most compelling onscreen.

It helps that Earle and her oceanographer colleague at the Smithsonian Institute, Jeremy Jackson, are both scientists with unusual abilities to speak not just in understandable terms but also in eloquent ones. And it helps, too, that the music, images, storytelling, and editing are all so tight, and so enjoyable.

Though Mission Blue gets its title from Earle's nonprofit organization, the film rarely comes across as propaganda.

The majesty and imperiled status of the world’s aquatic life are vividly captured in Mission Blue.