The end of the movie bears some title cards, like most of the true-life movies and biopics. The words are in black color while they are written in white, with pictures from history on both sides showing what happened to the people who were involved. Can we say that there was ever such a time when you wanted another hour to watch those title cards? Welcome to National Geographic’s newest special.
Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue is about how people from Niue, a small Polynesian island have worked hard over the years to safeguard their seas. Moana Mahu one of the biggest protected areas in the world was formed in 2016 with help from National Geographic’s Pristine Seas among others. It highlights that Moana Mahu Was made six years ago by pristine seas’ and now it wants to know what has been changed or remained as far as waters around this island are concerned and how they can continue being controlled for sustainability.
I’ve recently had an opportunity to check out so many hour-long documentaries from National Geographic that all share these same problems; poor narration and little content to justify their running time. I must add that Protecting Paradise is not one of them. Instead of using an offscreen narrator, everything unfolds through interviews with Niueans themselves and the Pristine Seas team. They explain why they have dedicated their lives for preserving environment as well as show some beautiful features of Niuean culture.
Still more, this special appears like a climate change activism piece under urgency mode upon viewing it. Climate change is still critical yet not much talk about it. For example, at the first mention of Moana Mahu one can see its significance within the context of their lifestyle and culture in Niue, a bigger Polynesian community even all over our spaceship-earth metaphorically speaking by inhabitants of Oceania influenced by globalizing trends” (Alofi). You would never think that this is an attempt to join the environmentalism bandwagon through any mention of marvels undersea. It’s a matter of life and death, not a money-making venture.
Throughout the hour, emotions are heightened but not in an overdone manner. Excitement, concern, fear, and awe fill the voices of all who contribute to the stories of the island and Moana Mahu. It is like all these people are afraid that something will harm these protected waters for instance as a marine protected area. At one point in time, they look at a recent shipwreck with the hope that it did not reach the waters and hold their breaths for some time (Alofi 3). This is interesting since it shows how just one modification in oceanic landscape could have very long-term consequences.
Making a marine protected area is no easy task; one can imagine there must be a huge infrastructure behind it to maintain the area’s stability. But going back to Moana Mahu again seems like an even more grandiose idea than being able to say. Of course, this is partly a nature documentary so underwater shots still look beautiful. Although you might want to see some cool scenes involving sharks or coral reefs, there are other things worth sticking around for humans fighting so hard for tomorrow”.
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