Movies like The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs? (2023)
The best movies like The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs? (2023) are Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021), Chasing Coral (2017) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). If The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs? hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Octopus Teacher (2020)7.9/10 from 1,115 votes
- NewestWolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026)Released 2026
Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021)
A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChasing Coral (2017)
Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called "coral bleaching" -- a sign of mass coral death -- has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaqoyqatsi (2002)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPowaqqatsi (1988)
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeepsea Challenge 3D (2014)
Described as being a film about determination, danger and the ocean’s greatest depths, James Cameron's "Deepsea Challenge 3D" tells the story of Cameron’s journey to fulfill his boyhood dream of becoming an explorer. The movie offers a unique insight into Cameron's world as he makes that dream reality – and makes history – by becoming the first person to travel solo to the deepest point on the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFuck (2006)
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEarth (2007)
An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSeaspiracy (2021)
Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species — and uncovers an alarming global conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeep Blue (2003)
Deep Blue is a major documentary feature film shot by the BBC Natural History Unit. An epic cinematic rollercoaster ride for all ages, Deep Blue uses amazing footage to tell us the story of our oceans and the life they support.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShark Whisperer (2025)
Marine conservationist and social media activist Ocean Ramsey fearlessly swims with sharks in this documentary about her risky mission to protect them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDolphin Reef (2018)
Echo is a youngster who can't quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to her silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But Echo has a tough time resisting the many adventures the ocean has to offer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBreaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (2021)
David Attenborough and scientist Johan Rockström examine Earth's biodiversity collapse and how this crisis can still be averted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Plastic Ocean (2016)
A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisExplorer: The Last Tepui (2022)
This documentary starring climber Alex Honnold and famous biologist Bruce Means document their expedition to the South American sky islands in search of new species and discoveries. Follows elite climber Alex Honnold and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026)
Reconnecting with a pack of wolves he has followed for seven years, Bertie sets out to capture one of the Arctic's most dangerous and rarely filmed hunts: wolves taking on a bull moose, prey roughly ten times their size. Led by Kona, a striking white breeding male, the pack faces a critical winter as dwindling food supplies, an encroaching rival wolf and an aging leader threaten its survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Octopus Teacher (2020)
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAnna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (2023)
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShark vs. Tuna (2018)
A clash of true oceanic titans sees fights in the remote battlefields of Ascension Island. Tuna are often faster, fitter and bigger than the sharks.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Shark Vs. Whale (2020)
A routine drone survey turns deadly when Ryan Johnson, a marine biologist based in South Africa, films a humpback whale being attacked and strategically drowned by a Great white shark. This is a total perspective shift for the creature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Woodpeckers: The Hole Story (2022)
Go deep into the woods to explore the lives of a unique avian family. Woodpeckers come in 239 species and live on every continent except Antarctica and Australia, playing a powerful role in every ecosystem they inhabit. They come in all shapes and sizes, each uniquely engineered for their particular lifestyles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Life Cycle of the Newt (1942)
Underwater and microscopic photography by F. Percy Smith tell the story of a newt's life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Scars of Growth (2024)
The Green Deal, Europe’s new growth strategy, is Brussels' recipe to save the planet from climate collapse. With electric cars and renewables, the EU believes it can promote economic growth while protecting the planet. Is that possible? Green technologies require many critical metals that are supplied mainly by China. To reduce dependencies, politicians are in favor of reopening “green” mines in Europe. But people living in the areas are worried that their lives will be sacrificed for the energy transition. This is the case of Hector, a Spanish farmer, and Matti and Karin Niia, two Swedish reindeer herders. They are determined to fight against these projects that threaten their way of life. While the industry is lobbying for the adoption of an EU law on critical raw materials to facilitate the opening of new mines, Diego, from an environmental NGO, travels across Europe to investigate whether mining can ever be truly sustainable.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Das geheime Leben der Rothirsche (2020)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Himalayas (2011)
The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayan range is far reaching, spanning thousands of miles, and holds within it an exceptionally diverse ecology. Coniferous and subtropical forests, wetlands, and montane grasslands are as much a part of this world as the inhospitable, frozen mountaintops that tower above. The word Himalaya is Sanskrit for abode of snow, fitting for a stretch of land that houses the world’s largest non polar ice masses. Extensive glacial networks feed Asia's major rivers including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra. More than a billion people rely on these glacier-fed water sources for drinking water and agriculture. The Himalayas are not only a remarkable expanse of natural beauty. They're also crucial for our survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Planète animale 2 : Survivre (2017)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Watch Out for Orcas! Danger Off Gibraltar? (2024)
Since the summer of 2020, boats along the Atlantic coast from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Bay of Biscay in the north have been repeatedly attacked by orcas. The whales purposefully attack the rudders and destroy them. Researchers are trying to find out what drives them. Curiosity? Competition for food? Or play?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Inspecteur Savary (TBA)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs??
The closest matches to The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs? are Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021), Chasing Coral (2017) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs??
Start with Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021), the closest match to The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs?.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs??
My Octopus Teacher (2020), rated 7.9/10 by 1,115 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs??
Wolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs??
Yes: Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021), Chasing Coral (2017) and Naqoyqatsi (2002).
How are movies similar to The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs? chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Chagos Islands - Hope for Coral Reefs?, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.