"Inconvenient Truth" Movie Review - Eric Shapiro 9-17-06
An Inconvenient Truth is a very bold title, even for a documentary. If the facts had been presented any less convincingly, perhaps it would have been too much. As things are, anyone who sees this movie and doesn’t at least acknowledge the existence of global warming is either in denial, stupid, or doesn’t care about the lives of their children and grandchildren. Al Gore proves to be the perfect presenter, with a biting wit that fortunately never manages to compromise the film’s underlying sense of seriousness. Gore isn’t afraid to occasionally (after all, he deserves his time in the spotlight after being robbed of the presidency) step out of the spotlight. For example, a humorous clip from an episode of Futureama is used to describe the concept of global warming in simple terms. In fact, it takes little intelligence to understand the arguments for global warming, leading one to question how any honest person can call them into question. Gore spends a significant amount of time presenting diagrams to the audience. A toddler could see the clear correlation between carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and the temperature of the planet. If it is a “natural cycle” as some critics say, then why does it rise and fall at almost the exact rate as air pollution? Furthermore, a stable economy can no longer be used to rationalize dangerously high fuel emissions. Ford and General Motors are lagging behind in sales because of the fact that they refuse to give their vehicles better gas mileage. If scientifically verifiable graphs are too subtle for certain minds to comprehend, than the videos pictures should quell all doubts. The disappearance of glaciers and polar ice caps is not just noticeable, but impossible to miss. Gore says at one point that America needs some kind of jolt to force us into action. But haven’t we already had more than one? The tidal wave in Asia killed millions. Oh wait, that doesn’t affect us. But if hurricane Katrina wasn’t enough to start the current administration down the path of self-preservation, than nothing will, except maybe a hurricane in Texas. What we need is a change in leadership. Granted, An Inconvenient Truth is never blatantly speaks out against the Bush administration, but that is not the point of the movie. It doesn’t matter if you supported Al Gore when he ran for president, because this is not a political movie, or a political issue. It is a moral one; an impassioned plea to save our own lives, coming from someone who genuinely cares about the American people.