An Inconvenient Truth (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'An Inconvenient Truth' is a documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim, & narrated by our Ex Vice-President, Al Gore. This film (if you can call it that) offers a gripping look at Gore's crusade to educate on the terrors of global warming. The documentary exposes both the 'supposed' truths & misconceptions surrounding global warming. Gore's lecturing is eloquent. The topic is immensely interesting. But the delivery of it is not. And am I to believe everything Gore says?
A longtime supporter of the environment, Gore is able to give us an array of intriguing facts, numbers, models, graphs, information in a straightforward way. I enjoyed Gore's presentation, in that … he's charming, humorous, and even somewhat self-deprecating. I like his verbal style. I want to rally behind him in his pursuit to protect the Earth from further climate problems. These problems are as follows: Politics & economics don't help each other in a battle to save Earth. He lays down a lot of scientific opinions of various problems. He tells us that human-generated greenhouse gases have to be reduced quickly. He alerts us that the annual temperature & CO2 levels are way off. And the collapse of an ice sheet in Greenland or in Antarctica could raise sea levels to disastrous heights; very scary.
Europe could enter an ice age. Melt water from Greenland (low in salinity) could change the Gulf Stream & trigger frigid temperatures, famine, etc. It's a colossal domino effect. Many say that global warming is unproven; that when we last had these very same problems ... there were no civilizations. There was no pollution, car exhausts, etc. THAT is something that could have been discussed; so some of Gore's 'assertions' feel false here. But the point if the film is to educate on the 'problems', solely. Gore concludes that we can reverse the effects of global warming by planting more trees, drive different cars, yada yada yada.
While Gore is an effective orator, in dumbing things down so that the public can understand his point(s), he gets way too tangential upon reflections from his own past and political aspirations. Too much of the film turns into a trip down memory lane for Gore. The film's central theme/point becomes diluted. And while his discussion of global warming is persuasive, there isn't much counter-evidence; no hard sources for his material; no practical solutions; no discussion that maybe humans AREN'T the whole problem. Also, the film is fairly dull. I know it's a documentary, and I was definitely 'into' it. But I was antsy to see it end (and it's not a long picture). To provide vital information, 'An Inconvenient Truth' is fairly decent. As cinematic (or even documentary art), it's a bomb.
A longtime supporter of the environment, Gore is able to give us an array of intriguing facts, numbers, models, graphs, information in a straightforward way. I enjoyed Gore's presentation, in that … he's charming, humorous, and even somewhat self-deprecating. I like his verbal style. I want to rally behind him in his pursuit to protect the Earth from further climate problems. These problems are as follows: Politics & economics don't help each other in a battle to save Earth. He lays down a lot of scientific opinions of various problems. He tells us that human-generated greenhouse gases have to be reduced quickly. He alerts us that the annual temperature & CO2 levels are way off. And the collapse of an ice sheet in Greenland or in Antarctica could raise sea levels to disastrous heights; very scary.
Europe could enter an ice age. Melt water from Greenland (low in salinity) could change the Gulf Stream & trigger frigid temperatures, famine, etc. It's a colossal domino effect. Many say that global warming is unproven; that when we last had these very same problems ... there were no civilizations. There was no pollution, car exhausts, etc. THAT is something that could have been discussed; so some of Gore's 'assertions' feel false here. But the point if the film is to educate on the 'problems', solely. Gore concludes that we can reverse the effects of global warming by planting more trees, drive different cars, yada yada yada.
While Gore is an effective orator, in dumbing things down so that the public can understand his point(s), he gets way too tangential upon reflections from his own past and political aspirations. Too much of the film turns into a trip down memory lane for Gore. The film's central theme/point becomes diluted. And while his discussion of global warming is persuasive, there isn't much counter-evidence; no hard sources for his material; no practical solutions; no discussion that maybe humans AREN'T the whole problem. Also, the film is fairly dull. I know it's a documentary, and I was definitely 'into' it. But I was antsy to see it end (and it's not a long picture). To provide vital information, 'An Inconvenient Truth' is fairly decent. As cinematic (or even documentary art), it's a bomb.