4. Atlantis
On a completely different note to Nikita, but equally as influential in terms of film-making, is the undersea documentary Atlantis. Taking two years to produce, the documentary was released in 1992, having been written, produced and directed by Luc Besson. Atlantis was filmed by the ocean-loving Besson and is a significant feature-length documentary about marine life. Being made entirely of underwater scenes, Atlantis captures the beauty, expanse and wonders of life below the surface of the sea. Besson travelled the world filming scenes for the film, and successfully captured the lives of dolphins, sharks, manatees and many more strange and mesmerizing undersea creatures. The documentary film is, to a modern audience, hugely overshadowed by the array of undersea documentaries which frequently appear on our screens. The 2001 BBC production The Blue Planet covered the world's oceans in enormous detail, and features the veritable narration of David Attenborough. To many, The Blue Planet stands as the benchmark for undersea documentaries, but Luc Besson's Atlantis preceded the BBC series by a decade. Luc Besson's attention to detail, and incredible film-making abilities are shown off in Atlantis. The film runs for 75 minutes and is divided thematically, portraying the many aspects of the ocean; the drama, the action and the story of the life below the waves. In terms of its influence and style, it has been dubbed as "the thinking man's Fantasia" and features no spoken narrative, but only music to enhance the stunning visuals.