Empire's An Inconvenient Truth Movie Review

Plot
After losing the Presidential race in 2000, former US Vice-President Al Gore travelled the world presenting a slideshow on global warming. This is the filmed version of his PowerPoint lecture on the evidence behind the theory and the steps the world can take to combat it.

On the face of it, this is the least appealing film in history. A failed politico, and an American one at that, preaching to the world about global warming with the aid of PowerPoint. Over an hour-and-a-half of tedious tree-hugging and over-earnest emoting. And all in a transparent and breathtakingly cynical attempt to worm his way back into the electorate’s affections. Why not just nail your eyeballs to a freshly whitewashed wall and save yourself 99 minutes of hippy harping?

Amazingly, however, this environmental call to arms is not just revelatory but hugely entertaining to boot. Despite Gore’s reputation as a man so dull he makes dishwater look thrilling, he presents his arguments without being patronising, boring or dry. He mixes in jokes and even a clip from Futurama to keep you going between the beautiful but terrifying pictures of melting glaciers and disappearing forests. And the science is laid out flawlessly — unlike some environmentalists, Gore never cosily assumes that we’re with him in accepting the theory, and instead lays out the evidence piece by comprehensible piece to build to a conclusion that’s hard to fault. He also highlights the vast gap between the scientific acceptance of the theory of global warming (near total) and the media acceptance (about 50 per cent), suggesting that this film is a necessary counterweight to the mainstream media’s sluggish response to the issues rather than a tedious recap of what we already know.

With the skill of a seasoned political operator — but none of the cynicism you might expect of a man so narrowly defeated in the most bitter political battle of modern times — Gore first scares the bejesus out of you and then offers ways to change the future, leaving you with a sense of optimism in the face of a global threat.

But despite his clear agenda, Gore is careful not to turn this film into a party-political broadcast for Al Gore or the US Democratic party. He presents saving the planet as a moral, cross-party, worldwide issue rather than casting stones at the current US administration (despite the fact that Bush’s environmental policies, let’s face it, make him a sitting duck). The closest he gets to political commentary is to rhetorically and pointedly ask, “Is it possible we should prepare for any threats other than terrorism?”, and to remark with commendably little comment on the appointment of former oil-industry employees to environmental protection posts.

That’s not to say that the film is flawless. An Inconvenient Truth is conveniently soft on its examination of the Clinton-Gore administration’s less than glowing record on the environment, trumpeting Gore’s achievements in office rather than, say, the laws which led to an explosion in the popularity of gas-guzzling SUVs. What’s more, this does at times feel like a Gore hagiography — some of the interludes about his personal history feel less than relevant, more designed to elicit sympathy for the man than the cause.

But it’s ultimately hard to fault a film that overcomes your initial cynicism and makes you not only want to make the world a better place but convinces you that you can do something about it. The film not only overcomes the fact that it’s preachy, but makes its preachiness a virtue, so that you’ll leave evangelised, converted to a new religion by a charismatic preacher who finally found his calling.

All Hot Air
It might be easier to swallow some of the drivel in this documentary if Al Bore wasn't at the helm of a successful London-based carbon-trading corporation. So, he not only blows large quantities of hot air out of his mouth, he actually sells it for a living. And since the qualifying science in the film relies on the universally discredited 'hockey stick' graph provided by NASA's Dr. Hansen and cronies, one should watch with an industrial dose of skepticism. If the last three exceptionally cold ... More


Posted by musicalfox at 22:54, 13 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Great stuff
Should be shown in every school. ... More


Posted by Caster at 21:15, 06 February 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
Look at the end of the day the Earth will be around a lot longer than us..........this is evolution, it would happen regardless of what we do........from Cavemen to Dinasours we will be wiped out in a thousan years and something else comes around........people are scared to cross the road who fear this Film are we gonna stop it, are the government, no.......poxy concerts around the World, all the artists took 10% profit from what they made in a year it will be more than the gove... More

Posted by spides at 07:57, 27 April 2007 \| Report This Post



RE:
L: lynnshep Provocative ou think we might learning something ? ... More

Posted by Orbital at 18:50, 26 April 2007 \| Report This Post




Provocative ... More


Posted by lynnshep at 22:02, 16 April 2007 \| Report This Post




Provocative ... More


Posted by lynnshep at 22:02, 16 April 2007 \| Report This Post




... More


Posted by devondude at 15:28, 03 March 2007 \| Report This Post



Best horror movie ever - but its REAL
This scared the sh1t out of me. Yes I know we already know all about these issues. But to have it presented all in one like that with images of disappearing glaciers, massive ice cubes falling into the sea and raising water levels by 20 feet! Thats some horrifying stuff, and unfortunately it doesn't go away when you walk out the cinema or press stop on your DVD like it does with other scary movies - its REAL. This should be fast tracked to DVD and shown on terrestrial TV tomorrow. ... More


Posted by MyPOV at 10:04, 08 November 2006 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
Man, is this ever a hard sell: a former Presidential candidate waxes lyrical on the perils of global warming while his Powerpoint presentation plays in the background, complete with stats, graphs and – gasp – pie charts. Given a choice between this and Clerks 2 et al, the majority of moviegoers will no doubt give it a wide berth. That’s not snobbery, there’s are reasons film like An Inconvenient Truth will be largely ignored; your host, Al Gore, is, firstly, a politician, and secondly, a politi... More

Posted by Ali Baba at 23:43, 03 October 2006 \| Report This Post



RE: RE:
L: jpk105 The biggest surprise for me with this film was that people were enlightened. If you were unaware of what Gore had to say then where have you been! Little of this film should be new to the public (I've seen it in the papers, heard it on the news etc.) Having said that Al Gore was clearly aware of people like the guy next to me in the cinema who couldn't help but say wow every five minutes and so I applaud Gore for what he is trying to do.] He is a gifted public speaker (aren'... More

Posted by felix sore foot at 19:26, 02 October 2006 \| Report This Post



RE:
The biggest surprise for me with this film was that people were enlightened. If you were unaware of what Gore had to say then where have you been! Little of this film should be new to the public (I've seen it in the papers, heard it on the news etc.) Having said that Al Gore was clearly aware of people like the guy next to me in the cinema who couldn't help but say wow every five minutes and so I applaud Gore for what he is trying to do. He is a gifted public speaker (aren't all politician... More


Posted by jpk105 at 14:44, 02 October 2006 \| Report This Post




this is a superbly entertaining and educational and intelligent film of one of the most important ( but least covered) subjects presented by the man that should have ben US President. the best doc since Super Size Me ... More


Posted by bdoyle at 19:58, 27 September 2006 \| Report This Post



Political stunt?
Well, for the first time ever we have hurricane Gordon heading to EU right now. That should tell... This is not fair, it ought to be westbound. Better than fiction! ... More


Posted by hboinay at 00:09, 21 September 2006 \| Report This Post



Political stunt?
Well, for the first time ever we have hurricane Gordon heading to EU right now. That should tell... This is not fair, it ought to be westbound. Better than fiction! ... More


Posted by hboinay at 00:04, 21 September 2006 \| Report This Post



RE: CARRY ON AT YOUR INCONVENIENCE
Having seen the film I think we can put to rest the idea that Gore is using this as some political stunt. This is clearly an issue he feels very strongly about, and has done for many years. If it was merely a political stunt, why travel round the world trying to convince world leaders and students that this is a major issue? As he points out, this is a moral issue, not just a political one. His presentation is superbly done, clearly making his points and allowing th... More


Posted by iainthekid at 10:35, 20 September 2006 \| Report This Post



RE: CARRY ON AT YOUR INCONVENIENCE
I was surprised at how little he did mention the presidency race actually. I already knew quite a bit about this subject beforehand but found that it was shown in a new and very believeable way. Whether he is preaching to gain favour or not really isnt an issue. Watching this should make everyone change their thoughts about the environment. Personally I think it should be compulsory viewing in schools! ... More

Posted by sportyrich2000 at 18:07, 12 September 2006 \| Report This Post



CARRY ON AT YOUR INCONVENIENCE
Inevitably, this includes an "I Was Robbed Of The Presidency" scene, just in case you'd forgotten who he was. However, this is a startling look at the effect that Global Warming is already having and will continue to have unless our governments act soon. Fortunately, it's delivered without sermon, sometimes with humour, but always with intelligence. If you leave the cinema without being affected by at least 1 of the subjects covered, there really is no hope for you at all. Gore is, li... More


Posted by felix sore foot at 12:07, 11 September 2006 \| Report This Post

An Inconvenient TruthAl Gore's massively entertaining but worrying documentary on global warming.

An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore's massively entertaining but worrying documentary on global warming.