-Written by Brendan Schechter.
Nearly eighty years have passed since the conclusion of the Second World War and its effects can still prominently be felt today across the globe. Most people think about the large scale battles such as D-Day or Iwo Jima and the dramatizations of the war in media of various types. Christian Wehrle looks at a lesser studied aspect of the conflict in World War 2: The Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon.
His documentary explores the area known as Truk Lagoon located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, a major hub of activity during the war. There, Wehrle and his team investigate the island and its current state, including visiting three shipwrecks; I-169, Fujikawa Maru, and the San Francisco Maru. Using masterful underwater camerawork, this documentary brings these coral encrusted shipwrecks back to life. Wehrle made each wreck feel unique by showcasing how different they all were. For example, the two ships ending with Maru seemed extremely similar, however, by examining the contents of the San Francisco Maru and hearing the first hand accounts of why those who dive that wreck like it so much helped distinguish the two.
The background music was also a great stylistic choice; it made the experience feel more surreal and important to the viewer.
However, there were some glaring problems with this documentary. At times, it felt like there was not enough respect shown to those who lost their lives on the wrecks explored. Within the first five minutes of the documentary they show skulls and other fragments of human remains but never give a trigger warning or indicate that that is what the audience is seeing.
There were also a few odd stylistic choices. One section of World War 2: The Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon goes completely silent, making those watching wonder if it was an intentional choice or if what medium they are watching this on is having some sound issues. The script also got very repetitive. Like it is written at the beginning of this review, World War II is still talked about and studied extensively in 2024. That is a fact that this documentary will remind you of at the end of every section of the film. It is not bad to inform the audience of when something might be a bigger deal than they realize, but when it's overstated it feels a tad pretentious. The intro was also a bit of an issue because there were some cool visuals present during that section but not the rest of World War 2: The Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon. It just seemed odd to have that kind of stuff in the intro talking about background knowledge rather than using it to show diagrams of how the ships sank or maps of the area that detail where they actually are.
The beginning of this documentary promised a film for history aficionados, ecological advocates, and explorers at heart, and it delivered on that front. It just delivered in a way that might not be entertaining to all of those types of people. Overall, I rate World War 2: The Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon a six as it’s a good look into a little known part of the Second World War.
Directed by Christian Wehrle.
Starring Casey Campbell, etc.
6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
