This documentary is filled with images from the first few flickers on the movie screen until the conclusion. There are flashes of forest fires, war, exhaust pipes, chickens, and many other subjects in this 95-minute documentary. The topic of global warming is examined in great detail and it includes a host of environmental “experts” who warn of impending dangers such as more frequent hurricanes like Katrina if our path is not changed. The topic of fertilizers, pesticides, and toxins is discussed and the part they play in environmental concerns.
The movie actually is a bit slow in spots, despite its frequent use of changing images, mainly due to the fact that the message is repeated throughout, and there are a lot of brief commentary spots from the many communicators who speak in the film. This list includes former Soviet leader Gorbachev and Leonardo DiCaprio himself, the producer and narrator of the film. In an interesting feature, the film shows former presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, signing various environmental bills into law.
There are a few evolution comments and humans are compared to chimpanzees. On the other hand, a Catholic priest weighs in on his take regarding the environmental issues. A few solutions are suggested at film’s end and one is left to draw one’s own conclusions, although we are clearly told that, although we may close our eyes, this is a scientific problem which demands our attention. We award the Dove Seal to this film, while noting that environmentalists will more than likely be the ones who attend this picture, and not so much the people this film intends to reach. This is one young kids would more than likely not enjoy as the target is an older audience.