An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 18, 2017

There's an old joke that some huge number of statistics -- like 70% -- are made up on the spot, and that humorous anecdote seems ever more relevant in today's divisive political climate (pun very much intended). That's not to say that any of former Vice President Al Gore's statistics are made up -- either those presented in his original global warming Documentary An Inconvenient Truth or in this sequel, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power -- but in a world that is almost entirely driven by agenda, which yields extreme skepticism and extreme fanaticism around practically every issue, it often feels impossible to find the truth in the maelstrom of politicized and carefully presented facts and figures and, oh yes, opinions. A slickly produced Documentary from either side is not going to convert the masses and it's only going to proverbially preach to the choir. Take climate change. There are an awful lot of smart people on both sides of the issue. Very smart people on one side claim irrefutable fact that, yes, climate change (which used to be called global warming) is indisputable scientific fact and other very smart people on the other side who say it is indisputable scientific trash. Both sides claim the other are solely driven by political and, often intertwined, financial agenda. Turn on MSNBC or CNN, and hear that climate change is real. Turn on Fox News or most talk radio programs and hear that it's bunk. Does An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power break down barriers? No. Does it, politically and statistically, beat down climate deniers? No. Is it red meat for climate advocates? Yes. The film does its job, but it's very existence and in this climate make it more cannon fodder for either side than anything else.

In the film, Al Gore discusses the far-reaching ramifications of global warming, or "climate change," and how it's altering the world's landscape and future from the Arctic to Africa, from China to Florida. He covers the political climate and some revolt against the validity of climate change, at one point even mentioning that "our democracy has been hacked." He briefly looks back at the 2000 election results and spends some time covering (then candidate) Donald Trump's stance on climate change, which is, of course, counter to his own. He discusses how climate change, and a warming trend in particular, is facilitating the spread of dangerous new diseases, like Zika. The film looks at how his telethon from Paris was interrupted by the horrific terror attacks on that city in November 2015, and the film ultimately builds towards the worldwide ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement. The film ends with a note about President Trump's exit from said agreement.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is unquestionably slow and plodding, often playing out like a reality television program that follows Gore throughout the world as he visits areas affected by climate change -- where ice is melting, where streets are flooding -- intercut with a presentation on climate change. The film certainly lacks the power and immediacy of the original, an original that, love the film or consider it total bunk, offered much more passion and a more convincing presentation. This film is not all about charts and graphs. Some are certainly utilized, a few to very good effect -- such as Chilean solar power energy usage -- but the film is mostly very hands-on as Gore finds himself on the front lines of the climate battle. He even enters "hostile territory" in Georgetown, Texas where a Republican mayor in the "reddest county in a red state" has transformed the city's power infrastructure. It's a great sequence, representative of a coming together of ideas, even if the two men seem to reach the same conclusion from different viewpoints. The meeting is cordial and even affable; it's the film's best sequence and even as the film generally paints Gore in a (no doubt carefully constructed) focused-on-task and positive light, the sequence humanizes him in a way no other in the film achieves.

Gore does present himself in an agreeable way. He's straightforward, a little dry, but his passion clearly runs deep and it's hard not to like him at least on a personal level as the film develops, even if one is coming into the debate from the other side of the isle. To his credit, the film doesn't play as an explicit call to arms; rather than just try to rally the troops -- which he does do as he addresses various sympathetic groups or those in search of more knowledge throughout the film -- An Inconvenient Sequel plays more as one man's passionate appeal to not only be heard, but to be understood, which is reinforced in a key early scene when Gore is being grilled by a congressional committee and barely allowed to address the questions presented to him. He turns the situation around not with fiery rhetoric but rather by stating that he'd like to have a more personal, one-on-one conversation with his questioner, away from the lights and cameras. The film does grow a bit repetitive as Gore essentially travels from one in-crisis area to the next, interspersed with his stage presentations, but the movie doesn't severely overextended itself.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power features a proficient 1080p image sourced from a digital shoot. The image is generally high-yield, boasting often fantastic textures, particularly in static interview close-ups where facial features, hair, jackets, and neckties reveal plenty of intricate and intimate fine-point details. Medium shots are clean and well defined, too, never struggling to capture essential-plus details on audience members or various environments, particularly around the stages and backstage areas that play rather prominent in the film. Shots of melting ice and running water are impressively detailed, too, crystal clear and very eye-catching. Colors are well saturated, neutral in presentation with no over-push and no reservedness. There's enough depth and punch to please. Black levels are fine and skin tones appear accurate. Modest banding is occasionally visible over large swaths of single colors, mostly skies, and light noise can be seen sprinkled throughout. Otherwise, the image is good-to-go.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is rather simplistic with only a few instances where it stretches. There's some light, but critical, depth to exploding glaciers seen early in the film. Some wind gusts and rising water effects play with strong general definition and stage saturation midway through. Musical delivery is gentle and clear, offering pleasing front-side width, though it largely plays as a supportive element underneath the core narrative-driving dialogue, which is delivered firmly and clearly from its natural front-center home.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power ships in "environmentally friendly" packaging. Slipcover fans will be disappointed to find that one is not included. The disc ships in a basic fold-open cardboard-style package. The disc is surprisingly easy to remove from its embedded hub, much easier than some other custom packages out there. Printed inside is the list of "10 ways to act" on behalf of the climate. As for the disc proper, a few extras are included, and a UV/iTunes digital copy voucher is included as well.

• Effecting Change: Speaking Truth to Power (1080p, 26:43): Gore looks back on the original movie, and the filmmakers of An Inconvenient Sequel discuss the process of putting the picture together, including assembling a team, new themes and evidence used to enhance the climate change narrative, Gore's dedication to the cause, and much more, including behind-the-scenes footage and making-of anecdotes.
• Lyric Video (1080p, 3:42): Truth to Power by OneRepublic.
• Truth in Ten (1080p, 11:29): Al Gore, from his family farm in Tennessee, recaps the movie in a short period of time before an intimate audience.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power isn't going to turn climate change deniers into believers, but one must wonder whether that's really the point. It seems Gore is more interested in simply getting the message out there and engendering more debate than he is converting the masses, which he must know is a losing cause, as it seems to be with every issue that has sharply divided people. This is hardly as memorable as the original, but it does offer some updated details more relevant to recent history in climate and politics. Paramount's Blu-ray, which arrives in "environmentally friendly" packaging, features quality video and audio. A few extras are included. Fans can buy with confidence, and those who don't buy into climate change probably didn't even bother clicking on the review, so it goes without saying that they probably shouldn't invest in the product; the film is more-or-less fine for what it is but it's not going to convert many, if any, skeptics.