Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 29, 2020

Okay, confession time: I was something of an HGTV junkie even before Covid-19 made us all prisoners in our own homes and (if you're like me, anyway) with a distinct preference not to watch the news every hour of every day. That said, I've frankly never been a huge fan of the so-called Property Brothers, for really no discernable reason other than that I've tended to enjoy some of the "hosts" of HGTV's other home renovation and/or selling shows better than twins Jonathan and Drew Scott. I may need to reassess that judgment after Jonathan Scott's Power Trip, though, since this often surprisingly riveting documentary casts Scott in a new (solar?) light. My wife, who works in the green energy industry in our home state of Oregon, had actually heard about this documentary and asked me if I had heard about it, which at the time I hadn't, so I was happy to be able to see it for review purposes, if only because my wife could also get a chance to view it. Those "meta" aspects obviously won't be as relevant for many potential viewers as they were to me, but for anyone interested in the state of the global energy grid, Jonathan Scott's Power Trip is a fascinating, if potentially disturbing, look at how solar, despite its obvious promise, is still encountering roadblocks from the fossil fuel industry.

A lot of the HGTV stars have built their reputations on being "user friendly" renovation experts, and the first thing that may surprise fans of any of the Scott shows on that network is how downright provocative this documentary is. Scott is absolutely unabashed in his criticism of fossil fuel utilities in general and proponents for the current power structure (in all senses of that term), including notables like the Koch Brothers. Beginning with the installation of solar panels on his own home in Las Vegas, Scott begins by dissecting some truly boneheaded decisions made by Nevada's public utility commission and governor which pretty much ended a burgeoning solar industry in the state virtually overnight, leading to unemployment for thousands (the state later reversed these decisions after a general outcry from the populace).

Scott then branches out to various other regions of the country, notably down south where coal is still a "presence", but where he finds some truly unlikely allies, including in the form of a woman who is one of the founders of the Tea Party (!) but who is a vocal advocate for solar and a nemesis of state electric utilities, at least insofar as those institutions tend to keep consumers from being (and here's the ironic part, in terms of general politics) "pro-choice" in terms of where they can get their power.

This is a surprisingly emotional documentary at times, especially when Scott is interviewing some former coal miners suffering from black lung. Scott's celebrity probably helped him secure interviews with a whole array of notables, including Al Gore and Bernie Sanders, the latter who unsurprisingly isn't especially enamored of how states with a lot more sun than Vermont seem to be working against the potential of solar power.

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MPI Home Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As tends to happen with documentaries cobbled together from various sources, there are some quality variances here in terms of things like television news broadcasts and what looks like some stock footage. Otherwise, though, the bulk of the contemporary interview and "on the road" sequences look sharp and well detailed. The palette isn't especially vivid, but looks natural. There are some very minor issues with banding, but nothing very distracting.

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 track. The surround track does offer a bit of activity in some of the outdoor scenes, where ambient environmental sounds can dot the side and rear channels, and the score regularly utilizes those channels as well, but otherwise, the stereo track is probably more than sufficient for this talk heavy enterprise. Scott's somewhat somnambulant narration is well prioritized. Optional English subtitles are available.

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:19)

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even if you don't have solar, don't plan on having solar, or are not even a fan of green energy in particular, you may well find Jonathan Scott's Power Trip a surprisingly riveting documentary. Technical merits are solid, and Jonathan Scott's Power Trip comes Recommended.