If you think Hubbert's Peak is some up and coming ski resort, you really need to see this film. Directors Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack have crafted an informative and visually stunning film on the ramifications of Peak Oil. The film delves into the history of the oil age and how once booming oil centers such as Baku, Azerbajian and Maracaibo, Venezuela have morphed into ghost towns once the oil was gone. The manner in which access to oil is driving U.S foreign policy, the ubiquitous nature of oil in modern society, and the lack of scalable efficient alternatives to petroleum are presented for the viewer's consideration. Oh, I forgot to mention the discussion of the concept of Peak Oil: that once aggregate world oil output reaches its maximum peak, subsequent recovery will plateau and then begin a permanent decline. Once this decline commences, all hell will break loose with the world economy. Depending on the experts, this decline could already be under way or it could be 20 years away, but it is generally accepted that it is on the horizon. Gelpke and McCormack seamlessly present interviews with knowledgeable thoughtful proponents of peak oil (e.g. Colin Campbell and Roscoe Bartlett) as well as the occasional demagogue (e.g. Matt Savinar). The effect is to inform (in a very entertaining way) rather than frighten. The visual style of the film is reminiscent of Michael Mann and the Phillip Glass soundtrack is on a par with the best work of Ennio Morricone. If you liked "An Inconvenient Truth", you will be enthralled by this equally important yet superior film.
