Island of the Sea Wolves (2022– ) User Reviews

The 7 is for the visuals. The story is complete crap

[wellyforpm · 7/10 · 14 October 2022]

As a BC resident who's spent countless hours in our lavish nature wonderland, it's nice to see the area getting a bit of a spotlught. The visuals in this 3 part series are outstanding. The 4k (well, as much of 4k as you get get via WiFi Netflix) is great and very sharp. That's the series high point.

No shade to will Arnett, but the dialogue is just awful. These are animals, stop anthropomorphizing them. Stop giving them names and treating them as though they are humans. They are not. It's cringy and completely unnecessary. It would help if the dialogue was also correct. Incorrectly naming both plants and animals is bush league. Storms have not increased in frequency or in stature here in BC. Keep your climate alarmism to yourself, we don't deal in fallacies here, just facts.

All in all its good, even better if you can throw your favorite album on and turn this joke of an audio track off.

laurbriggs + wellyforpm

[fannysbayoysters · 9/10 · 14 October 2022]

The only island happening here is the island of laurbriggs and wellyforpm, spilling your datenight rhetoric all over Will Arnett's silky baritone.

Maybe those fir trees are tired of being fir trees, maybe they wanna be a spruce for a day. Maybe those eagles just wanna ef with eating their young for a bit. Maybe Will Arnett wants to be Richard Attenborough for a sesh. David Attenborough? Richard Attenborough.

Same for those husky coyotes, Cedar and Dagger--are they anthropomorphized? Maybe. But maybe we're asking the wrong questions. Maybe we should be asking Grandfather Netlix if we're just animalpomorphized humans? Derp.

Amazing camera but not the best bgm

[adhwaithdas · 8/10 · 15 October 2022]

As someone who enjoys nature documentaries, this one is amazing as it is focused on something new and concentrated only on to one single island. The 3 parts showing 3 different seasons is a fantastic visual watch. But it would have much better to show the fourth season too.

The narration is quite good but anthropomorphizing the animals makes it like a series rather than a documentary. Though the narrator explains and points out facts and ecosystem cycling, the background music rather gives it a cinematic mood and I'm a bit sceptic on whether that is on a bright side or not. I also do feel that some music notes especially adjourning the grieving and cheerless events, could have been avoided or changed to a better slow monotone. Naming the Marmots were ok as they were grown in captivity but the wild ones, I think it was quite unnecessary.

Beautiful and inspiring nature documentary

[dan-abbot · 10/10 · 16 October 2022]

Our family very much enjoyed this documentary. Amazing cinematography and animal close-ups, engaging story lines, and moments of suspense and surprise. The naming of the animals was very helpful when following the complex family dynamics and interactions with the various generations. Don't worry about the "anthropomorphism" mentioned by another reviewer - this technique was pioneered by Jane Goodall, and is now very much accepted by the scientific community (it was shunned back in the 60s because of people wanting to believe in the superiority of humans). As primatologists and neurobiologists have said, animals and humans share behaviors, and giving animals names has helped us understand their unique communities, cultures, and emotions. Very inspiring series to help us appreciate the natural world around us.

amazing for sensitive children

[bpatetl · 10/10 · 30 October 2022]

I have two very sensitive children (5 & 10) who cannot watch nature docs because they just find them too traumatic. I actually watched the first episode all the way through before showing it to them and I relished watching it again the next night.

They both drank in all three episodes of this and my ten year old continually stopped to say this was the best thing she had EVER watched!

It was so wonderful to see such a beautiful and sensitive portrayal of life in such a stunning part of the world.

Congratulations to all involved. We very much hope that there is more like this to come.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Beautiful cinematography, but falls short of a true nature documentary

[laurbriggs · 6/10 · 13 October 2022]

Island of the Sea Wolves is beautifully filmed, and quite visually captivating.

My issue comes with it claiming to be a nature documentary.

You would think that a nature documentary would have done some research into the flora and fauna the show was based upon.

Repeatedly calling a Douglas Fir tree that the eagles nest in a "spruce", or talking about how the coastal rainforest is only lush due to the "100's of thousands of tons" of biomatter dragged up from the ocean, is a bit ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying it, to a point, but these are not difficult facts to check, and take away all credibility from the show as a whole.

Further to this, the flagrant anthropomorphizing of the animals is nauseating.

Sure, it will bring in a younger audience and get them interested in our natural world, but it takes away from the actual personalities of our wild neighbours.

Coupled with extremely slow narrating, that chooses pointlessly banal moments to dramatize (see episode 1 where a beta wolf approaches her alpha females den and the show makes it seem as though she is going to steal her pups *eye roll*) it just feels like it is trying too hard.

All in all, I am enjoying this series for the cinematography, but it is no planet earth, and I feel that is what they were going for.

Great documentary

[malcolmtest · 10/10 · 17 October 2022]

I really enjoyed everything about this documentary, including the narration. You might have an issue with this documentary if you think only humans can lead complex lives. But if this is your viewpoint maybe you shouldn't bother watching a show about such primitive creatures. I never realized there are people who seem to be upset at the concept that animals other than humans can have feelings and emotions.

As for the reviewer who claims the discussion in this documentary about the effects of climate change is nonsense - I live on Vancouver Island, currently we are experiencing a record setting drought. Last summer it was a heat dome.

Writing & narration gets a 3, visuals get a 9... so a 6

[WildBullWriter · 6/10 · 16 October 2022]

The camera work is well done and pulls the viewer in. The writing and narration is irritating, treating the animals like they are cute little human characters, cartoon-like, ugh. It's called anthropomorphizing, and it's tedious and juvenile. Too bad, really. This series could have been amazing. Structuring the series into 3 parts for 3 seasons works, though one wonders why the 4th season (winter) was not done. In the end, the series is worth watching for the visuals. There is some helpful information in the narration if you can stomach the disrespectful treatment of the animals in the writing.

Exciting and heart wrenching documentary

[mgvbbrown · 10/10 · 13 October 2022]

Island of the Sea Wolves takes a close look at wildlife on Vancouver Island on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.

It features intimate close ups and amazing shots of several species of elusive animals within a temperate rainforest coastline.

Mostly focusing on unique 'Sea Wolves' for part of the series, it also dives into the life and death survival of several other species such as bald eagles, sea otters, the rare and endangered Vancouver Island marmot, black bears and more.

Many scenes leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen to the animals as they proceed with their lives, with some bringing tragedy and others moments of joy.

All in all, a wonderful documentary with excellent narration by Will Arnett. A must watch for anyone curious about the wildlife in the Pacific north west as well as the unique ways in which they survive on the island.

Nice footage, bizarrely made up storylines

[koendit · 6/10 · 16 October 2022]

There's gorgeous footage, and perhaps would have been better without the at times ludicrous voice-overs - e.g. The bald eagle that can't fish, the sea otters that supposedly get disturbed (and have their pups separated from them) by grey whales, and the bizarre claim that trees "grow tall" on the island because of the prey that are dragged inland by predators each year. And I'm only halfway into episode 1 - what nonsense. The images, though, are nothing short of stunning, specifically the shots of the misty, wet, inland forest areas of the island. The crazy human-like impersonations should have been let off.

Enjoyed both visuals AND narration!

[christineballone · 10/10 · 8 February 2023]

Before watching I decided to read the reviews first and based on , so many complaining about the narration of this documentary , I almost declined to watch it! Thank god I decided to give it a try and loved it! We don't always have to be brutally fact driven. Any intelligent person knows that life, especially animal life can be violent and difficult! The narrative was almost Disney like. Giving the animals names made me feel closer and more connected to them! We are now learning a lot more about animal behaviour and we are finding out that they behave and are more like us than we previously thought! In order to just have a cold and basically descriptive narration keeps us distanced from them!

I can only recommend this series especially for children because they learn that there is danger and death in nature but they also see that animals can overcome odds and survive!

The photography is amazing, the closeup shots nothing but superb and the landscape is absolutely beautiful! Makes me feel sorry I didn't move to Vancouver when I had the chance!

Stunning Visuals, Lacking Story

[farshidkarimi · 6/10 · 18 October 2022]

The visuals (though oversaturated) in this series are amazing, closeup shots are breathaking. Great cinematography does not make a great documentary series. It lacks a story, just some animals going around their life without anything spectacular about them. It jumps from one animal to another without an interesting story. It is supposed to be Island of sea "wolves", but we see an island of jumbled shots of different animals. The series could have depicted lives of the wolves, their relationship, how they raise their pups, how they hunt and how theu keep their relatiionship. The scenes, though stunning, are not new.

Missed opportunity

[corkscrewannie · 5/10 · 23 January 2023]

Gorgeous photography and a wonderful landscape, but this series is ruined by its cloying, anthropomorphizing narration. Very quickly the viewer begins to notice how footage is being cobbled together for dramatic effect rather than accurate story telling. Very disappointing indeed. It could have been so much better without this Disney twist. And giving the animals human names like Esmeralda is downright nauseating. I wish there was a version of this series without narration, it would be so much better and less manipulative. This kind of program encourages the worst kind of romanticized views of a natural world that is already being destroyed by humans!

Kept my attention

[victoriaxoxo-28292 · 10/10 · 3 April 2023]

I usually just put nature documentaries to have on in the background but I couldn't stop watching this one!! I like the way that it's narrated, every animal has a name. It's telling a story maybe with a little drama. This is REAL reality TV lol bring me some popcorn! There are love triangles and some problems in the nest!

I had a meltdown about Blaze...I had to really control myself not to fast forward to find out the ending!!!

The island and videography are also very beautiful. This documentary even had me looking at real estate on Vancouver Island, I was ready to move!

I also love how every season has its own episode.

I am watching this again right now! I just love it !

Absolutely adored this docu-series

[NS-movie-reviews · 10/10 · 26 April 2023]

WOW what a gorgeous work of art this 3-part documentary is! Capturing the beauty of nature is a huge understatement. This series made me want to visit Vancouver yesterday and be dropped into all of the wildlife that lives there.

This was a mix of education and entertainment; I loved the storylines and the narration to keep things engaging and fun while also sharing a wealth of knowledge about what goes on throughout the seasons on the island.

Hats off to the crew that got such amazing footage, and hats off to Will Arnette for being the perfect person to do the voiceover work on this project!

Great cinematography...and okay narration.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 26 January 2024]

"Island of the Sea Wolves" is a four-episode mini-series which debuted on Netflix. It's set on Vancouver Island and follows several different animals over the course of a year...with each episode covering (approximately) one season. The show follows wolves, marmots, bears, bald eagles and NOT just wolves despite the title. In fact, the title to me just seems pretty arbitrary. It could have just as soon been called "Island of the Marmots"!

So what did I like about it? The cinematography is breathtaking. While not as grand as shows like "Earth" or films like the recent Disney nature documentaries, it has wonderful closeup shots of many wonderful creatures and the geography is lovely as well...and all well worth seeing.

And, what did I not love about the shows? The narration...which is OFTEN a problem with nature films. Too often the narration is very non-scientific and humanizes the animals...giving them names and even trying, occasionally, to be funny. I personally don't like this and wish the film was more scientific in focus. But, I guess there's a balance...too scientific and fewer might watch it. All I know is that it looks great...and a few times I winced at what was said in the shows.

The script writer has committed a crime

[landon-70581 · 3/10 · 12 November 2022]

This is stunning work by the camera crew. The factually incorrect script, filled with blatant lies and misdirection turns this into a work of poorly researched fiction.

Everyone involved in this show would be aware of the fact a wolf pack had 2 mothers give birth and 1 always stays at the den while the others search for food. Trying to make it seem like a den raiding was about to occur was nonsense.

Most "facts" were wrong, or obvious lies to push a narrative.

I wish these shows would emphasize the actual issues our planet is facing, such as habitat destroying and pollution everywhere. Climate has always changed on every planet that has ever existed. Storms and heat aren't the problem. Destroying animals source of food through developing nature into human habitat, and polluting the rest is a real issue we could actually all solve. Making storms regular is not a thing anybody can personally do anything about...So why waste time preaching about nonsense.

I'm a huge Will Arnett fan, but I hope he's properly embarrassed he was tricked into reading these lies. We all get fooled and make bad decisions sometimes Will.

Outdated information. Only the camera guy deserves praise.

[everanimated · 1/10 · 17 October 2022]

As a resident of Vancouver Island, and as someone who loves natural history, I can't possibly call this a nature documentary.

While the camera work is absolutely wonderful, the narration and "story" is atrocious. If you absolutely feel the need to watch this, then just mute it and enjoy the visuals.

I don't know how, but they managed to get quite literally everything wrong about wolves. Along with many blatant lies and half truths. This is NOT an educational documentary.

Continuing to spread outdated and misinformation, is all this, "documentary" is doing. As a resident, I feel the need to apologize for this, I think we could of done better.

Watch Netflix feed endangered marmots to a mountain lion

[llllllllora · 3/10 · 8 April 2023]

This is what this Netflix show was to my daughter. A whole family of marmots ill equipped to survive in the wild were basically fed to a mountain lion in this show. It was disappointing to see them unprotected, in light of the facts they're critically endangered, and were raised in captivity.

But the visuals are stunning. The camera person brought their A game. Still, sad about the marmots. They should have all stayed in the safe place they were raised.

The sea wolves were kind of interesting, but we only saw one actually enter the sea. The storyline was confusing, depressing, and overly dramatic.

five stars for the footage!

[gillpiggott · 5/10 · 14 June 2023]

Once again a modern nature film (esp so on netflix) is rendered almost unwatchable with an absurd, childish narration. Who is this aimed at? I grew up watching wildlife on BBC & was able to understand accurate, interesting information. Animals didn't have daft, unnecessary human names, they were not endowed with human emotions & there was no need for trite, banal humour. I would be incredibly peeved if I had captured this incredible, wonderful cinematography and it was then dumbed down with this appalling narration. Again, what are they aiming for? Duplicating Disney is what it felt like, not serious wildlife documenting. Will never watch another netflix documentary, then again I should have known better. Another example of playing to an undemanding, easily pleased audience. What about the rest of us???