Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth

Stars (Out of 10): 9

One Word Summary: See it

Movie Details: MPAA RATING: PG for mild thematic elements Starring Al Gore GENRE(S): Documentary   DIRECTED BY: Davis Guggenheim   RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: May 24, 2006  RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes   Relevant Sites: IMDB Official Movie Website Watch The Movie Trailers Shopping: Shop Amazon for items related to this movie. Shop for movie posters at AllPosters

"An Inconvenient Truth" Review:

          There are many truths in the world that we ignore because having to deal with them is simply to difficult. Instead, we deny their existence and go about our normal lives. Global warming is one of those truths, and Al Gore's documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth” exposes these facts and makes it clear that this is not a situation we can continue to ignore.

          America's lasting image of Al Gore is of a sore loser who just wasn't willing to admit to his inevitable defeat. To most it seemed that Gore simply disappeared after the 2000 election, but this simply isn't true. In 'An Inconvenient Truth,” Gore swears that he's delivered 'the slideshow” at least 1,000 times. 'The slideshow” is the basis for the movie; it is Gore's presentation on global warming, filled with facts, graphs, images, and raw scientific data, that he's delivered throughout the United States and as far away as Japan. Gore says that he's spreading the word on the problem the only way he knows how; by hitting the road and talking to anyone who will listen.

          After seeing 'the slideshow” once, it is almost impossible to deny the existence of Global Warming, and Gore highlights the fact that literally no reputable scientific journal has even questioned its reality of global warming. He says that one of the biggest misunderstandings about global warming is that it's only a theory, when in fact anyone who's studied that data will assure you that it's very very real.

          Some of Gore's data includes graphs on the relationship between the level of carbon in the atmosphere and the average temperature (this data was collected from ice capsules in the arctic). The correlation between carbon and temperature is simply undeniable, and in an extremely dramatic fashion, Gore hops on a cherry picker and elevates himself high above the room to show where the temperature will be if the data is extrapolated 10 years from now.

          It is in this way that Gore is not simply a voiceover to information that speaks for itself. This isn't a dull movie at all. He presents his 'proof” in an interesting, powerful, and often times humorous way. Gore begins his slideshow with 'My name is Al Gore and I used to be the next president of the United States.”

And equally as important is the fact that Gore's message isn't apocalyptic. He makes it quite clear that our fate isn't sealed, that we're not doomed… yet. The rest of the world has already begun the process of reversing the causes of global warming, and it is our responsibility to follow. He points out that all the technology needed to make these changes already exists.

The most striking cause and one that it would seem the government most responsible for making would be to raise CAFE standards on automobiles. In Europe, cars have an average fuel economy that is almost double the average in the United States. Why? Unfortunately, this issue doesn't even seem to be on the government's radar. One walks away from 'An Inconvenient Truth” with a strong sense of just how corrupt Washington is. How can an issue that affects not only every single American but every living thing on our planet not be on the forefront of everyone's mind? Because it's inconvenient or unprofitable for oil companies or automobile manufacturers? I hope not.

The Bottom Line is that if you plan on living on this planet 10 years from now, you must see this movie. Gore shows maps of what the new geography of the world will look like if we don't address global warming and the glaciers on Greenland continue to melt. Say goodbye to parts of Florida, lower Manhattan, and urban centers in China, India and throughout the world. Global warming is not a theory, and it's time we stopped thinking about it as one.