Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Playing With Sharks’ On Disney+, About The Daring Female Diver Who Has Dedicated Her Life To Sharks

Sharks and all their terrifying teeth have long held the fascination of the public; films like Jaws, 47 Meters Down, and Deep Blue Sea made us scared to get into the water, Sharknado turned the animals into flying man-eating machines, and Shark Week has dedicated dozens of hours of programming to the most-maligned creatures of the deep. Playing with Sharks, now streaming on Disney+, shines a light on a woman who has dedicated her life to sharks (and is so fond of them, she likens them to dogs.) 

PLAYING WITH SHARKS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Aussie Valerie Taylor has been diving since the 1950s. She began her career in competitive spearfishing, where she met her husband Ron, an underwater videographer. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she didn’t want to spend her life killing things; instead, Valerie and Ron began documenting their dives into the ocean and the time they spent with the creatures that live below the waves. Valerie fell in love with sharks and Ron captured her swims with them; in 1966, Ron shot the first-ever film of a great white shark, and after the Taylors collaborated with director Peter Gimbel on the documentary Blue Water, White Death in 1969, they became world-famous.

This fame soon led them to Jaws; the couple were approached and asked if they thought the novel would make for a good on-screen story, and when they said yes, they were also asked to capture some footage for the film. They shot some truly great stuff and bonded with the crew during filming, but the negative impact Jaws made on the public perception of sharks would affect the trajectory of their careers forever. Valerie has spent much of her life trying to save the lives of sharks, going on television shows, posing in her own chainmail with her arm in the mouth of a shark, and diving on camera for the world to see. Now almost 86, Valerie doesn’t dive as much as she used to, but she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Playing with Sharks might bring to mind Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher, as well as Chasing Coral and other nature documentaries. The focus on Valerie, though, gives it a more engaging personal touch than almost anything out there.

Performance Worth Watching: The real star of Playing with Sharks is Valerie Taylor herself, and hearing her tell her own story is what makes the documentary as wonderful as it is. Hearing her relive some of her life’s most magical memories gives Playing with Sharks a truly mesmerizing quality; without her input (and the breathtaking footage shot by her husband Ron), the documentary would be a dime a dozen. Playing with Sharks may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to its format, but with someone like Valerie at the center, it truly shines.

Memorable Dialogue: Valerie offers some truly inspiring insight throughout the film, but I was particularly moved by how her passion for sharks and changing people’s minds about them came through one simple line:  “Nature made the perfect animal.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: Playing with Sharks is a dazzling documentary; the footage shot by the Taylors alone makes for a truly magical viewing experience, but adding in interviews with Valerie herself only adds to the film’s impact. It’s difficult to think of anything else out there that is comparable to what’s been filmed by Valerie and Ron; it’s artfully shot, exciting, and endlessly engaging. While Playing with Sharks may have benefited from finding a more innovative storytelling device, the film still shines thanks to Valerie’s input and that enduring footage from all those years ago.

One of the most interesting things about Playing with Sharks is the way it highlights the respective journeys of its conservationists. There’s Valerie, of course, who began spearfishing and killed one shark in her career – a regret she still carries with her, and has only helped to further fuel her fight to keep these animals alive. Then there’s shark attack survivor Rodney Fox, as well as the widow of Jaws author Peter Benchley, Wendy. I found myself wishing Playing with Sharks had been willing to spend a little more time on this idea; there’s something really intriguing about shark haters or fearers turned shark lovers. This is a small fault in an otherwise wondrous film, though – I can’t think of another film that boasts the kind of footage Playing with Sharks does.

Whether you’re a Shark Week fan, a lover of the sea, or simply interested in one woman’s life, there’s something for everyone in Playing with Sharks. Sharks swim right up to the camera, jellyfish dance around Valerie as she swims, seals lounge beneath the surface. The opportunity to take in the footage shot by Ron and Valerie alone is worth pressing play – it’s just that remarkable, a singular cinematic experience.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Playing with Sharks is a breathtaking, eye-opening dive into an extraordinary woman’s life under the water.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Playing With Sharks on Disney+