An Inconvenient Truth
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Movie Reviews of An Inconvenient Truth
Movie Review: A Global Warning. (Also, A Surprisingly Entertaining Movie That Can Change Skeptical Minds)
Summary: 5 Stars
With 800 Amazon reviews (or so) and counting, I don't think there's much (if anything) I can say about this DVD that hasn't already been said. I can, however, write about the impact this film has had on myself and my family (which is something I don't think too many of the other 800 reviewers know). So here goes:
I saw this film initially in the theater, more out of a sense of duty and obligation (my mom wanted to go) than a sense of imminent entertainment. I mean, I didn't exactly mind Al Gore going in, but I didn't necessarily consider him to be the most compelling figure the world (let alone the movie world) had to offer. But the movie, surprisingly, had me captured and enraptured, and Al Gore was actually engaging and, dare I say, entertaining. What happened to the old, stiff and dull Al Bore I once knew and felt so apathetic about? Apparently, greenhouse gasses have not only warmed up the globe but have warmed up old Al as well. Nice to see.
At the closing credits, everybody applauded and filed out to their SUV's. My mom actually made a cell phone call with her car idling in the parking lot, so I guess the projected satellite shots of her Florida beach house being inundated by the ocean didn't affect her as much as I would have thought. But I immediately went home and logged on to the movie's website (listed in the closing credits) and have been following its steps to reduce my "carbon footprint" ever since. Plus I bought a copy of this DVD to lend out to family members (who didn't feel as obligated as I did to accompany Mom to this movie, apparently). And their reactions have been even more striking:
My usually materialistic-at-any-cost sister was very moved and is now acting more to preserve a better world for her son than to fulfill her every consumer comfort need. And my brother-in-law, even more shockingly, was affected too; being a germophobe, he was horrified to see the effect atmospheric warming has on the creation/incubation of newer forms of various microscopic bio-nasties (note: this is not the technical term, I don't believe).
Suffice it to say, this movie is surprisingly entertaining and actually can move skeptical people to make some positive changes in their daily lives. My zany family is living proof of that!
Movie Review: By far, the most important film of our time
Summary: 5 Stars
The point of watching this movie is to begin to familiarize oneself with some of the most basic scientific facts behind the impending global environmental crisis, which is by far the gravest danger that humankind has ever faced.
Even beyond the more immediately obvious consequences of storms and droughts, rising sea levels and ecosystem disruption, a recent Scientific American article (Oct. 2006) points out compelling evidence that several of the Earth's past mass extinction events (including ones that destroyed >95% of all species) were caused when high CO2 levels from ancient volcanoes resulted in extensive acidification, deoxegenation and heating of the oceans, killing most marine species, and causing a build-up in the oceans of toxic gases produced by anaerobic bacteria, gases which then upwelled into the air in large plumes, killing most land animals as well.
If present trends continue, we could be faced with CO2 levels comparable to those that apparently caused these past mass exinction events by near the end of this century. Even today, we are already beginning to see increasing numbers of deoxygenated "dead zones" in the ocean, produced by some of the same effects, which are already beginning to kill shoreline animals via red tides and so forth. As CO2 levels triple over the next century, as they will if we bury our heads in the sand with a "business as usual" approach, the possibility of these dead zones growing into another world-wide mass extinction event, this time caused by our own negligence, becomes frighteningly plausible. If this happens, we cannot just blindly assume that humanity will be among the small percentage of species that will be lucky enough to survive the environmental cataclysm. Thus, taking steps TODAY to begin to normalize CO2 levels could be essential for the survival of humankind beyond the coming century.
So, if you don't want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to wind up choked to death by poisonous gases spewing out of dead oceans, then PLEASE, see this movie, get to know the science behind it (which is thoroughly documented in numerous high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific journals), and then TAKE ACTION - for, changing the world begins with our individual and collective political will.
Movie Review: Trying to be a good steward of the earth...
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought the documentary was great. I still have questions - like why were there next to no hurricanes in 2006 and why are the oceans not boiling due to the current CO2 levels in the atmosphere? Although I believe the information presented in the film to be largely true, I also believe the earth to be at least as complex as the human body - created just as wonderfully and intricately. That said there are just unknowns about how the earth copes with stress (or doesn't cope) as there are with how the body heals (or doesn't).
So I will set my questions aside for this reason - what does it hurt to be a good steward of our planet? It takes a few extra minutes to put my recycling in the bin. Even if global warming is a hoax, who wants landfills? I do a little more research when I buy a car. But isn't that smart anyway? And doesn't it benefit me financially to drive a car with higher gas mileage/lower emissions? I spend an extra 10 cents on yogurt manufactured by a company that offsets 100% of its CO2 emissions. But that yogurt also has no artificial sweeteners and no chemicals - isn't that better for me anyway? I walk my kids to school. Hello, heard of childhood obesity? I reuse plastic grocery bags (and paper ones too, for that matter). Isn't this just being frugal, thrifty and smart? I buy "green" electricity from my power company - don't I want to step outside and breathe good, non-polluted air?
The message here is that it is NOT DIFFICULT and NOT A HARDHSIP to be an environmentalist - or don't call yourself an environmentalist - say you are protecting the earth, helping to create a clean home for your family or being a steward of our greatest natural resource - the pale blue dot. Each of us can do little things that take less time cumulatively than getting a haircut every 6 weeks, cost us very little and are directly beneficial. In this age of instant gratification, it makes no sense to me why someone would not want the immediate effects of earth stewardship - they are practical and instantly beneficial. Even if you don't believe the long-term gloom and doom, don't you want the immediate good parts of the environmental movement - less landfill, sweet-smelling air, exercise, decreased fuel costs, and health? Shame on you if you don't.
Movie Review: To the point education on climate change! Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD does a great job of summarizing the climate change issues, what the problems are, what can be done and why the current administration has not addressed it and in fact has ignored, blocked honest information and lied about climate issues as a problem. It also addresses why the press has not kept the faith and reported this in a forth right manner.
It amazes me how clear and obvious it is when you are presented the facts. Its also amazing how so many respected scientist and experts were ignored adn punished because the facts they were presenting were inconvenient to the oil companies and politicians. If acknowledged those facts would force politicians to take this seriously and DO something.
Its rather embarrassing to the United States (and should be to us as voters)that we are politically ignoring this while much of the rest of the worlds governments have been doing something about pollution and climate change for years.
For example, did you know that one of the most signficant reasons US made cars have trouble selling in the rest of the world is not because of competitiveness or pricing? Its because the US emission standards for US made cars are below the rest of the world, and therefore US cars do not meet those standards and cannot be sold in those countries.
There would be many more jobs in the US, an auto industry that was doing well and the auto unions would have more of what they want if we could sell more cars overseas. But the current administration does not want the emission standards to rise because this would result in better fuel economy and less gas sales, hurting the administrations friends in the oil industry. What ever happened to politicians doing what is best for the electorate and all of the US? Best for the world and future children? Embarrassing.
Mr Gore does a great job of making this easy to follow and its very understandable. He backs up his observations, insights and comments with facts.
Read the book as well. Its fills in a lot more detail that is not possible to do in a DVD version.
Thank you Mr Gore for taking the risk of this unpolpular issue and making this your cause for over 20 years.
Movie Review: A context for appreciation, not a critique
Summary: 5 Stars
Go and see this movie, and if you've seen it, simply recommend it. Here's why. This movie, despite reasons, stirs up a lot of passionate controversy. You may not feel that my comment is relevant to this movie, though I say that it is more relevant than any other comment posted, which is why it may not seem so.
First of all, the only thing that bothered me, is, why did it take so long to release it world wide? Why is Australia still waiting for the DVD? Maybe the makers had no authority over the marketers.
My perspective. Emotions make more sense that logic, yet so many people make little use of this. In school very few understand the nature of probability or the Law of Similars. These are symptoms of decadence. For instance, I have a plant in my room that was ugly and while I try to like all my plants equally, I wanted to remove this plant, even throw it outside so that it could die (I never would of course). A few weeks later, my mum told me that it was not growing properly and needs more sunlight. Makes sense now. Now it has more sun, and my nasty feelings towards it are passing. `Bad' feelings go hand in hand with `bad' situations. This is so true that so many don't realize much of the meaning of it. Emotions are our brains link to the rest of the world. If you want to have your brain so you can survive, and yet be blessed with more room to grow, realizing your emotions is a key.
The brain is not responsible for consciousness, it only remembers it.
Beyond global warming, there is change ahead. Here is how I see, status quo. You deny the impending destruction, for you do not want to mourn. You are a frustrated fighter for the world, for you have determined your loss. The life around you is wretched, for are battling yourself to see it. You don't know what to do, for you over-simplified the situation. You are angered by the fighters, for your shared loss makes you kin. You taste freedom for short moments, until again you fall behind.
I will not sacrifice myself for the system, for I strive to be the system at its best.