There are probably more environmental film rentals than one might realize. Some are promoted heavily, while others are just watched by word of mouth. Some rentals could be movies that you may not have realized are environmental films. The following are some environmental films that should be available at your local video store or at major online rental sites.
An Inconvenient Truth
This environmental film rental follows Al Gore as he travels around the globe educating people about global warming. Gore uses a lot of personal experiences that shaped his view of the declining atmosphere including his loss to George W. Bush for the presidency. A good portion of the film is dedicated to debating the claims of scientists and climatologists that there is no global warming or that it is not progressing as fast as Al Gore and his supporters say it is.
Environmental Film Rental: The 11th Hour
This independent film was produced, created, and narrated by Leonard DiCaprio. The 11th Hour is a feature documentary outlining some of the reasons of Earth's problems. The film basically tells us that the earth is in peril unless we change certain aspects of human activity through technology and conservation. The 11th Hour doesn't focus on problem after problem; the film also introduces solutions and even hope. The ultimate solution is to find a way to coexist with the earth's ecosystem instead of destroying it.
The Planet Earth
This TV series documents "from one end of the Earth to the other". The Planet Earth showcases some of the most breathtaking landscapes and animals that the planet has to offer. Some of the animals have never been filmed before so this high-definition series has many treats for enthusiasts of this type of documentary. There is some disturbing content of animals feeding and attacking each other, but overall the quality of this environmental film rental is extremely high.
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Released in November of 2006, Who Killed the Electric Car? deals with the issues in production and the falsehoods of manufacturers and oil barons to stop the development and commercialization of the electric car since the 1990's. Most of the car and oil companies spent millions of dollars degrading the electric car and proving that there was no demand for it. This documentary films goes on to show how much gas powered car makers (including the original maker of the electric car, GM) and oil companies stood to lose.
The Day After Tomorrow
This science fiction movie details a catastrophic event after global warming has destroyed the atmosphere and created weather patterns that threaten human civilization through devastating winter effects. Jake Gyllenhal and Dennis Quaid star as Dennis embarks on a mission to New York to save his son, who was caught there when the effects quickly overtook the world. Roland Emmerich wrote and directed this sci-fi thriller and there is no lacking in the quality of the special effects.
Soylent Green
Soylent Green was released in 1973 and is a classic dystopian science fiction thriller that dramatized the effects of global warming and over-population. It's hard to find real vegetables, fruit, and meat in the future so the government has created 'soylent green' wafers, which is what people eat to survive. Charlton Heston is a police detective called upon to investigate a businessman's murder and slowly begins to uncover the secrets behind soylent green.
The Environment, According to Films
Depending on what kind of mood you are in, watching documentary environmental film rentals is a good way to learn how the planet is deteriorating, and to discover ways that you can help to save the planet. Also, fictional environmental films are a good way to escape and see how scriptwriters envision the planet and how they maneuver their characters through obstacles directly created by nature and indirectly created by humans. Just like all fact and opinion, though, make sure you watch a good assortment of environmental films to develop your own thoughts.
