jvurban Review of Mysteries of the Great Lakes

Mysteries of the Great Lakes (2008)

Maybe an off-center title, but still a great documentary

[10/10 · 18 January 2016]

One viewer complained that this film has a tiny bit about the Great Lakes and a whole lot about restoring the sturgeon population. In actuality, the film provides an informative outline of the geological story of the formation and evolution of the Great Lakes, including how the overall flow of water actually reversed as the ancient ice masses receded. The graphics showing all this are impressive and fascinating. There is also much material about how human populations depend on the Lakes and how we first damaged them and now are learning to use them responsibly. Historic exploitation and near-eradication of the sturgeon and efforts to restore it are thus placed in the context of the whole history of the human relationship with these huge bodies of water. The sturgeon story provides a nice thread of continuity. And it gives me hope for the human race to see not only the fish biologists working with the sturgeon during spawning season but also the growing crowds of approving observers. At the narrative center is a biologist and a 120-year-old female sturgeon he has been following for years. At the end of the film -- but I won't spoil it. We saw the film with our 9- and 12-year-old grandkids and they loved it.