Becoming Cousteau is no hagiography, but greater distance might have also allowed Garbus to reflect more on the man's environmental legacy.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 10, 2021

A nuanced portrait of an oceanographer whose warnings are more prescient than ever.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 9, 2021

He appears to have been a remarkable man, and Becoming Costeau, this detailed portrait of him, does him full justice.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 30, 2021

It's a very traditional documentary in many ways, but if you are fascinated by this man and his life... I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

| Oct 28, 2021

No wonder entire generations were captivated by this stuff. It wasn't just the subject matter; it was the filmmaking itself. Garbus conveys that beautifully while briskly threading Cousteau's biography and emotional journey throughout.

| Oct 28, 2021

The director Liz Garbus does a workman-like job of telling this part of his story, with hints about the darker side. Cousteau was a complex and driven man, whose views about the world changed markedly.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 22, 2021

Brought to life by his own words and appearances, the film touches on various themes while letting its lovely images and music wash over you.

| Oct 22, 2021

Becoming Cousteau rises above the trappings of a simple-minded nostalgia trip.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 22, 2021

[An] ardent and transporting documentary... one of those movies that puts a life together so beautifully that you feel it heightening your awareness of everyday things.

| Oct 22, 2021

"Becoming Cousteau" may not be as deep a journey as some would hope, but for having to chart a lot of years, it hits its points about passion, fame and activism smartly, even movingly.

| Oct 22, 2021

It's a swift-moving, detailed biography, recounting a life that was long, eventful and stippled with tragedy and regret.

| Oct 21, 2021

Though this capable documentary is comprehensively informative in so many ways (perhaps to a fault), the one thing it doesn't quite convey is the wonder and marvel of the undersea world of Cousteau, which continued to move him until his death at age 87.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 21, 2021

Garbus has access to some fabulous, colorfully restored footage, some of it never before seen, that makes this an eye-popping experience...

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 21, 2021

"Cousteau" is a thorough if somewhat by-the-book profile of a pioneer in the field of marine ecology and an activist for better environmental stewardship.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 20, 2021

What this fascinating, thoughtful documentary is really about is how even an icon can evolve. The "becoming" part of a life never really ends.

| Original Score: B+ | Oct 20, 2021

[Becoming Cousteau] sometimes feels less ambitious than [Garbus'] best work ... but I found it remarkably soothing and even comforting.

| Sep 17, 2021

Becoming Cousteau will well serve as a reminder and clarifier for those who remember him from their youth, and an invigorating introduction for those meeting him for the first time.

| Sep 3, 2021

"Becoming Cousteau" is a dazzling dive into the depths of an undersea world.

| Original Score: B- | Sep 3, 2021

Cousteau, who died in 1997, described himself as "a witness to change." This respectful, visually compelling biography invites -- indeed, implores - a new generation to bear witness, too.

| Sep 3, 2021

Becoming Cousteau succeeds beautifully in its goal of reminding viewers of Jacques Cousteau's important legacy of underwater exploration and environmental activism.

| Sep 3, 2021