Director: Davis Guggenheim Studio: Paramount Pictures Genre(s): Documentary Rated: PG (For mild thematic elements) |
If you want to see a horror movie that built upon a
foundation of realistic fears, then “An Inconvenient Truth” is the movie for
you. Forget that you are a Republican or
Democrat. Forget that your part of the
Greenpeace movement or if you drive a Hummer.
“An Inconvenient Truth” has a message for everyone regardless of what
they believe in, and that message is “we need to wake up.” For over thirty years former Vice President
Al Gore (though he introduces himself as “I’m Al Gore, I used to be the next
President of the United States”) has been very concerned about the
environment. I know there are some
people who would debate that, but for the sake of this movie let’s pretend he
does.
He cares about the environment. One of the things he worries about most is
global warming, which in his eyes is causing rivers to dry up, ice caps to
melt, and storms to become fiercer.
Since Hurricane Katrina was a sad reality during the making of this
film, we get the sense that he only feels more powerfully about the subject
now. Whenever he wasn’t in office (and
even a few times when he was), Gore was traveling the nation with this slide
show trying to bring awareness to this inconvenient truth. What’s scary is how legitimate this all sounds. Now, I’m not going to get too political in
this review. I know that (despite what
this film says) there IS some conflicting research on global warming!
While we know it is happening, the actual cause of it hasn’t
been proven without a shadow of a doubt.
That might not sit well with Gore, but it’s the truth. What makes “An Inconvenient Truth” a powerful
documentary then is the fact that while this stuff can’t be proven, it sure is
a scary thought. When Gore flips between
his “before and after” pictures of melting glaciers, one cannot help but feel
increasingly worried as the film goes on.
Even if the point is not solid, we hear the message loud and clear. That point is that the we are using too much
energy, and if we don’t slow down we could potentially do some long-term damage
to our planet that can’t be reversed.
Now what if this film is wrong? What if driving less doesn’t help with global
warming at all? Well, in that case you
save on your gas bill. But if this movie
is right, we’re going to be kicking ourselves for being so selfish with our
resources. As Gore states early on,
“this is not a political issue but a moral issue.” I personally agree. While I do believe “An Inconvenient Truth” is
slanted to fit an agenda, it’s not an agenda that is evil. It’s a warning worth thinking about at least.
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CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents there is only very mild language. However, many of the images and arguments are disturbing...but not in a graphic way. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
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