Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Roland E. Zwick A companion-piece of sorts to "An Inconvenient Truth," "The 11th Hour" is an informative and compelling documentary about the adverse impact humanity is having on the place we call home.Written and directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nidia Conners and produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, "The 11th Hour" shows how de-forestation, the polluting of the air and water, the over-consumption of fossil fuels, the overwhelming accumulation of waste, etc. are collectively contributing to the larger problems of global warming and climate change. It chronicles the impact such changes will have on the people of the planet, as widespread droughts, mega-storms and rising waters make themselves felt with ever-increasing frequency and force.As the filmmakers see it, the root of the problem lies in the disconnect between humans and the environment, in our self-absorbed insistence that nature is ours to subdue and dominate, not to live in harmony with. In an ironic twist of fate, it is that very attitude that may well lead to our ultimate destruction. For it is plainly evident that in a battle between humans and the planet that sustains us, the planet will emerge victorious in the end.After making its case on the scientific level, the movie then takes on the monetary and political forces that make addressing this issue so difficult to do on a practical basis. It goes after profit-driven multinational corporations – primarily the oil industry – for, essentially, buying politicians and, thus, effectively disenfranchising the everyday citizen and voter. But those citizens don't get off scot-free either, as the film makes the point that it is the near-universal obsession with rampant consumerism that greatly contributes to the problem.The last third of the film is devoted to finding solutions to the problem, to designing and developing new technologies that will actually help to make it possible for us to live in harmony with nature. The argument is that this new technology will ultimately result in a new economy, one based on clean-energy and recycled resources, rather than heavily polluting fossil fuels.Scientists, authors and other experts in the field – including Stephen Hawkings – are interviewed throughout the course of the film.The movie ends on an upbeat, power-to-the-people note, showing how all individuals can make a difference by raising their awareness and making informed and thoughtful choices in what they do and buy – and by getting involved.It's an inspiring message from an inspiring film.

Jan van Tonder This movie is an excellent documentary about the current state of our planet and the direction mankind is heading. I feel very strongly about environmental issues and have developed some sensitivity and understanding of the topics covered in the movie.The persons interviewed in the movie have a profound understanding of what they are talking about. The movie is very intelligently made and visualized.People who at least feel sympathy towards environmental issues will find this movie to be highly interesting and enlightening. On the other hand I think the movie is to intellectual and complex to introduce the covered topics to environmental newbies who I guess could find the movie dull due to a lack of understanding.

samurai_jazz Leonardo DiCaprio narrates a disturbing yet infinitely hopeful look at global environmental change and what needs to be done now in order to insure a livable world for ourselves and our children.Certainly some people will no doubt label the movie 'alarmist". These are the same ones who undoubtedly are still ignoring the tons of scientific data to the contrary. Sticking your head in the sand is always easier than doing something about the problem.By the way, this film is not simply a rehash of An Inconvenient Truth. It takes that information and builds on it; bringing viable, workable solutions to all of the various, interrelated problems that together contribute to the crisis facing our world today.My hat's off to DiCaprio and the rest of the talented and knowledgeable people who brought this informative documentary together.The only question is; will we listen? The 11th Hour is now out on DVD, so take the time to watch it. Your children will thank you for it.

vovazhd I went into The 11th Hour expecting a straightforward, didactic documentary summarizing the current threats from global warming. If not for a momentary interest on the subject, I would have probably passed it up altogether. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was extremely nuanced, being an insightful and scientific investigation on mankind's role in global warming.Rather than spurting out random facts and events (like most documentaries), The 11th Hour uses a wide range of viewpoints to build a conceptual foundation that explains the general scientific impression of global warming. Some of the ideas may end up being wrong, but all of them are at least plausible. The different speakers include Paul Hawken, Wangari Maathai, Mikhail Gorbachev, and (my favorite) Stephen Hawking. There are many different ideas communicated, but they are all based on the same underlying principle. The structure of the documentary is very dialog heavy, which can feel overwhelming at times but is guaranteed to bring forth new knowledge to viewers.The main ideas are nothing new for most people educated on environmental news, but the speakers submit some profound new ways of looking at them. A common theme was relating Earth's existence to the human civilization's existence. If we continue to progress global warming, the planet might be able to heal itself eventually, but only once humans are gone. One thing I found especially interesting was the consideration of the economic value of nature, which ended up being roughly two times greater than the world's industrial wealth.My only significant complaint is that the film is often rough in style, organization, and editing. The images sometimes feel out of place or even distracting from the message. Occasionally, the images rapidly jump between completely different environments, which can be hard to process. To be sure, most of the cinematography was excellent, but it just wasn't put together in the best way. Overall, it could have been more focused.The 11th Hour is an insightful and inspiring documentary on one of the most important topics to date. It provides a balanced and comprehensive conceptual overview on the human role in global warming, but also expects viewers to take this knowledge out of the theater and implement it into their own lives. It is extremely educational experience.