River Monsters

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Man-eating fish tales are too intense for young kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this investigative series features many re-enactments of drownings and vicious fish attacks on humans. These, coupled with harrowing eyewitness accounts of similar tragedies, ensure that it's not for kids -- or the faint of heart. Some tragic tales even cause the host to get choked up onscreen. The host also often puts himself in harm's way to get a close-up view of the lethal fish he studies, so be sure to remind kids that dangers always exist in any wildlife encounters.

  • The show promotes keeping an open mind when it comes to popular beliefs about the vicious nature of the fish it tracks. Each episode features many emotional accounts from injury victims and witnesses to deaths from fish-induced wounds (for example, a grandfather recounts how he only recovered the bones of his young grandson after he was attacked by piranhas).
  • The host models persistence and determination, leaving no stone unturned in his investigations. But he also often puts himself in harm's way to observe creatures' behavior
    and test their attack instinct -- though he always treats the fish with
    respect.
  • Re-enactments of drowning scenes and blurred shots of people attacked by flesh-eating fish. The host often uses himself as bait, swimming in fish-infested waters to test their attack instincts, so there's always the possibility of injury. He also baits them with animal carcasses so he can watch them devour the meat.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

In RIVER MONSTERS, extreme angler Jeremy Wade travels the world to get a first-hand look at fish whose reputation for killing and eating humans has become the stuff of legend. Among the species Wade studies are piranha, bullshark, and wels catfish; at each stop, he uses local witness accounts and his own observations of the creatures' behavior to analyze their instinct to execute unprovoked attacks on humans.


Is it any good?

 

This dramatic series will reel you in with its fascinating close-up views of the legendary water creatures at the heart of many underwater horror stories. Wade often catches live samples of the species he studies, and the visual aids give viewers a close-up look at unique features like razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws that make the fish so deadly. The good news is that Wade is thorough in his studies, taking a CSI-like approach to piece together the facts and suppositions of the myths he investigates before making a conclusion about a species' supposedly deadly nature. Fish enthusiasts will probably be more intrigued by the show's subject matter than the average viewer, but there's enough drama to maintain most adults' interest.

Speaking of drama, there's an overabundance of the human variety to captivate viewers, but the graphic first-hand accounts of attacks -- some of which bring Wade nearly to tears -- are too upsetting for kids and sensitive viewers. Many interviewees talk about the injuries they received, the deaths they've witnessed, and the emotional work of recovering partial bodies after an attack.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about wildlife and nature. What are some basic rules about interacting with wildlife?

  • How do scientists study wildlife in their native habitats? How does their knowledge make us -- and the animals -- safer?

  • What responsibilities do humans have toward animals? How can we help
    protect their habitats? What would be the consequences of the loss of
    their habitats?


This review was written by Emily Ashby
Parent
September 3, 2010
 
River Monsters
Fun show to watch and really get into. The host is highley dedicated to what he does.

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Parent of 8 year old
April 28, 2010
 
Seven year old boy's dream show!
My seven year old is fascinated by this show. It is exciting, shows different cultures, a respect for nature and animals and has just the right amount of gross factor for kids. Yes, there is some violence in the re enactment scenes, but it is not gratuitous and much milder than shows like Pokeman. The host is really easy on a mom's eyes too!

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Adult
July 23, 2009
 
Informative tails captivate the viewer
People usually like the feling of being bigger than their surrounding animals. This show shows the viewer some extraordinary content of "maneating" river monsters.

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Kid, 13 years old
July 14, 2010
 
Boons' rating
This is a very harmless educational show. however, there are some re-enactments of people getting killed by man eating fish. thats what puts this show on the iffy scale. if your child would watch this you should fast foward the re-enactments. also, the fish are real, not CGI monsters. your child would maybe get scared that there are bigger fish in the ocean.

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Kid, 12 years old
May 2, 2011
 
Educational but dramatic
The dramatinzation of the reanactment of the story of a fish attacking a human looks violent with the blood everywhere but its appropriate if your older so you can understand where amazing fish live learn facts and storys of different cultures and/or fish in different areas.The guy who catched the fish shows a good role model like if you want to be a fishing champ or fish catcher someday.But I wouldnt show it to younger viewers since it might scare them to explore and/or go into water.

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Kid, 13 years old
March 13, 2012
 
Jeremy Wade catches the "one that got away"....
I love this show because at the end there is always confirmation of the behemoth fish's existence. The stories and encounters are intriguing, the fishing scenes when you can hear the slack in the line being pulled are exciting, and the brute size of the monsters he catches is mind-blowing!!! Look forward to the new seasons every April!

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Teen, 14 years old
May 14, 2012
 
PARENTS READ THIS
ARE PEOPLE CRAZY I TRIED THIS SHOW WHEN I WAS 11 AND I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES!!!!!!!! I LIVE IN FLORENCE AL. ON THE TENNESSE RIVER AND I AM SCARED TO GO FISHING NOW AN EVERYTIME WE PASS OVER THE BRIDGE I HAVE TO LOOK AWAY!!!!!! PARENTS BE SMART AND DONT LET YOUR KIDS WATCH THIS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kid, 8 years old
May 13, 2012
 
This is just disgusting and will give you nightmares!
Ewwww! Are people insane? This is just disgusting! And you call this educational? What were you THINKING?!?!? Jeremy is an example of a brave guy, but the show itself is DISGUSTING! I mean, it'll haunt your dreams! I had a nightmare from this show of being killed by evil, vicious fish! I mean, who wants to see kids who are like, 6, Getting torn to bits by fish?!?!? This is all Animal Planet cares about now, they treat this show like a king. If you want a good show from AP, I suggest "Too Cute" or "Big Cat Diary"! I mean, those shows are a trillion times better then this! Sure, Big Cat Diary shows a bunch of animals eating and killing others, but it's not over-the-top! And, Too Cute, I recommend that show if ANY show on AP you were to watch! Too Cute has no violence. Too Cute is what you call educational. And, if you want to see poor kids getting torn to bits, then this is the place to go.

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Teen, 13 years old
March 8, 2012
 
facinating fish
very good show one of my favourites but the accounts of attacks and when he talks to people about attacks are upsettling and horrific such as a grandfather lifting his grandsons bones after being eaten by pirahnas. and their are much worse!

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This review was written by Emily Ashby
TV rating:TV-14
Network:Animal Planet
Cast:Jeremy Wade
Genre:Educational

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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