PLAYING WITH SHARKS--THE VALERIE TAYLOR STORY, from National Geographic, tells the story of Valerie Taylor, who has worked to educate the world about sharks, and to promote conservation efforts for them.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Sep 18, 2022

It doesn't...dive as deep on such an important subject as Taylor warrants. While it features undeniably interesting historical moments, the filmmaking on display...does not equal Taylor and her colleagues' archival footage in aquatic action.

| Original Score: 5/10 | Jul 7, 2022

Playing with Sharks is a must-watch for everybody. Its a film that gives us an interesting insight into the life of one amazing woman and highlights the beauty of the ocean creatures that deserve a better reputation.

| Original Score: A | Feb 11, 2022

A front-row look at an extraordinary life.

| Dec 3, 2021

The charismatic subject of writer-director and Emmy-nominee Sally Aitkin's new documentary, 'Playing with Sharks: the Valerie Taylor Story,' has been at home in - and in love with - the ocean since she was in her early twenties.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Aug 5, 2021

Taylor's tireless commitment to [her] cause and her love for what the seas offer are inspiring for young and old alike.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 2, 2021

[If] Valerie May Taylor didn't exist, the movies would have to invent her. Luckily for us she does, and Sally Aitken's fascinating documentary, Playing with Sharks... gives Taylor, now a spry 85, her well-deserved due.

| Jul 30, 2021

Offering plenty of visuals to make that point, Valerie Taylor and Playing with Sharks make ideal summer viewing.

| Jul 30, 2021

Playing with Sharks not only offers an informative, eye-opening viewing experience for kids and families, but also the chance to participate in engaging deep-dive discussions about Taylor's exceptional life journey.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 30, 2021

A breathtaking, eye-opening dive into an extraordinary woman's life under the water.

| Jul 27, 2021

Her tales of sexism within the industry as she cut through the waters in her brightly-colored swimsuits make for a telling introduction as she grew to become one of the most respected in her profession.

| Jul 24, 2021

Although this tribute doesn't dive deep enough, just hitting the highlights proves sufficient in a fascinating portrait that's both educational and endearing.

| Jul 23, 2021

If you are in need of inspiration of the fierce, feisty and fearless female kind, you can't do better than this semi-deep dive into the life of Valerie May Taylor as revealed in the documentary Playing With Sharks.

| Jul 23, 2021

Playing with Sharks pulls off the rare feat of being thrilling and moving. Such a multivalent tone is, in fact, pitch perfect for an examination of humankind's fraught relationship with sharks.

| Jul 23, 2021

A fascinating ecological and moral study.

| Jul 23, 2021

Are we meant to recoil from sharks or care for them? Likely some of both, but the documentary comes out looking unsure.

| Jul 23, 2021

With arresting archival footage and interviews with the subject who seems just as game today, this doco shows how a scuba diver ahead of her time morphed from scuba diver pin-up to eco-warrior

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 23, 2021

Playing With Sharks has its visual thrills but also tells one good story after another, not only about making movies and flirting with death but about the nature of the fish and the steely character of the movie's human subject.

| Jul 23, 2021

An illuminating film that's well worth the deep dive.

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

Through Aitken's lens, Taylor's story is told with such respectful and informal excellence. If it succeeds at anything (and it succeeds at many things), it's that it shows that sharks need us, and we need them.

| Original Score: A- | Jul 20, 2021