Strengths: Good job of showing suburban bloat and complacent lifestyles that go with it. The half dozen talking heads seem bright and believable, not eccentric. Covers the myth of hydrogen and bio-fuels as energy "sources" (they are primarily carriers and not self-sustaining). Offers good commentary on mass-media denial of the pending oil peak, plus how suburbs might be transformed in the future.
Weaknesses: Could have gone into more detail about petroleum geology to educate the public. People are still left with a vague idea of where oil comes from and exactly why it will peak soon. No mention of the critical overpopulation factor in the creation of suburbs and how continued growth will make it even harder to meet future demands. In fact, I think that's half the problem we face.
Conclusion: I would have liked this a little better if it was done more along the lines of "NOVA" or other science programs, but I thought it was well presented. It does leave unanswered questions that can be filled with denial, and there's plenty of that when it comes to public perceptions of oil.
Technical: The DVD quality is spotty, with block compression artifacts and something that looks like a burn hole in the same location on some older footage.
Weaknesses: Could have gone into more detail about petroleum geology to educate the public. People are still left with a vague idea of where oil comes from and exactly why it will peak soon. No mention of the critical overpopulation factor in the creation of suburbs and how continued growth will make it even harder to meet future demands. In fact, I think that's half the problem we face.
Conclusion: I would have liked this a little better if it was done more along the lines of "NOVA" or other science programs, but I thought it was well presented. It does leave unanswered questions that can be filled with denial, and there's plenty of that when it comes to public perceptions of oil.
Technical: The DVD quality is spotty, with block compression artifacts and something that looks like a burn hole in the same location on some older footage.