11th Hour review
Few things annoy me more than product endorsements by celebrities or ‘models’. Some celebrity actress will tell you that she uses this wrinkle cream to help her look young, when in fact what helps her look young is good genetics and photoshop. The same thing for sport supplements and equipment, some sports star will attribute his success to an energy drink or supplement, or a guy/girl with an 8 pack will tell you to use this machine to get an 8 pack with just 14 seconds a day for 3 days. The only reason those people are doing the adverts is because they are already successful or already have an 8 pack, they had probably never even heard of these products until now.
People are generally highly influenced by these endorsements. For some reason, they don’t seem to understand that there is no relationship between the achievements of the person and the product. I think that endorsements should be illegal, it’s false advertising.
The only time I agree with celebrity endorsement, is when it comes to social and environmental issues. The 11th Hour is a documentary which shows how we are destroying the earth and that if we don’t mend our ways urgently, like immediately, we could face extinction. It’s produced and narrated by Leonardo diCaprio, although he doesn’t really feature much. Hopefully his endorsment of this important message will influence some people.
The movie is not long, about 80mins, and not complicated. It basically consists of exerpts of interviews with various people, interspersed with some relevant (alternately breathtaking and sickening) visual footage. I preferred An Inconvenient Truth, probably because I like information. Al Gore used facts to get across the seriousness of the situation, where 11th Hour relies more on expert opinion.
I would say it’s worth watching, but more for people who don’t know much about the various crises facing the earth right now. I didn’t learn anything new and I think those who watch it will thirst for more information, which is great as there is plenty of information available.
Check out the website here.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Dax,
I watched 11th Hour when it first came out last year and despite not being a fan of the man-boy actor known as Leo (incidentally, I have since changed my respect for him after some good performances alongside Jack Nicholsen etc.), I was impressed AND challenged by the film. Unlike Al Gore’s documentary an Inconvenient Truth that simply paints a bleek picture (with some questionable claims), 11th Hour presents a wide range of leaders, from the former head of the CIA to architects on what we as the most influential species on the plant can do (or think about doing, as individuals, designers, consumers etc.) to reverse the rapid environmental decline in which we find ourselves.
Frankly, I think our 11th hour has passed. Things are going to only get worse and despite our efforts, expect much more suffering and discomfort for the forseeable future.
To me, the main point of the film is to really see our existence in context. We are PART of nature and not masters of it. We think, through the rapid industrialisation of the world based on a petroleum based economy, that we have tamed our planet and made way for more human ‘advancement’. The fact is thought that we’ve dramatically damaged our enironment to the point that we have arranged, some might argue, for our own extinction. Life on Earth will continue with our without humankind. We could be one of thousands of species that have lived and disappeared from the planet.
The point is, we can’t just say we hear the clock ticking and gee I keep hearin the same story. We all, little by little, day in and day out, need to make an effort to rescue our planet. It’s so easy to adopt a defeatist attitude and stick one’s head in the sand. It’s standing up and getting friends, family, colleagues, governments, businesses etc. to change the way they thing about the planet that sustains us. We are all products of Mother Nature and she is not happy with her children and how they’ve maintained their house…tick, tock…
December 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Some good point there, Andrew. The film does try and emphasise that we are part of nature, and that we have abused our advantages.
I agree with you that the 11th hour has passed and that there are difficult times ahead. Man will not be able to do what is required to prevent this from happening.
tick, tock…