Climate Change News: Did Al Gore's Documentary, 'An Inconvenient Sequel' Get Good Reviews?
Al Gore's latest climate change documentary, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," opened Friday in limited release and has received mostly positive reviews. The documentary is the follow-up to "An Inconvenient Truth," which opened in 2006 to critical and box-office success, and won an Academy Awards for Best Documentary, as well as Best Original Song.
Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, "An Inconvenient Sequel" touches on the progress and challenges made to contain greenhouse gases and Gore's efforts to convince world leaders to invest in renewable energy, leading to the historic signing of the Paris climate accord in December 2015. The film has taken on added relevance after President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement on June 1, leading to global condemnation.
Based off of 51 reviews, "An Inconvenient Sequel" has earned a 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes' aggregator scale. It also received "generally favorable" reviews from Metacritic, earning a 67 percent score from 20 reviews.
Read: Al Gore Talks 'Inconvenient Truth' Sequel: There's Still Time To Solve Climate Change Crisis
Many top critics praised the effort. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times referred to it as an "involving and unexpectedly passionate film," while claiming that the "film is at its best following the former vice president as he spans the Earth both gathering and promoting his message."
Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal commended Gore's message, claiming that "Mr. Gore remains a prodigy of hope, with energy that seems endlessly renewable.'"
Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the sequel a positive review. "He may have wanted to be president, but Gore has surely found his calling, and his own energy seems more renewable than ever," she wrote.
Village Voice critic Alan Scherstuhl provided a lukewarm assessment. He wrote that it doesn't measure up to its predecessor, saying viewers shouldn't "expect the world to chuck medals at this follow-up." He added, "it’s still a somewhat aimless travelogue of meet-and-greets and brand-building, lacking the urgency of the 2006 film or of recent climate-change docs like Jeff Orlowski’s weep-along marvel "Chasing Coral.'"
Read: Al Gore Slams Donald Trump In ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ Sequel Trailer
"An Inconvenient Sequel" may be a tough act to follow after "An Inconvenient Truth," which earned a 93 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from 160 reviews. The 2006 film was considered in some ways a comeback for Gore after his narrow defeat in the 2000 Presidential Election.
"An Inconvenient Truth," directed by Davis Guggenheim, earned $24 million domestically and $25 million globally, and pulled in a reported $281,330 its U.S. opening weekend. The featured song, "I Need to Wake Up" by Melissa Etheridge, also helped garner more attention.
Early weekend box office reports claim "An Inconvenient Sequel" has earned $61,000 domestically. Reviews for "An Inconvenient Sequel" could improve or falter upon its box-office run this weekend, with more critics gaining the opportunity to view and critique Gore's latest film endeavor.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures, Shenk and Cohen, a husband-and-wife filmmaking team, have credits that include "The Island President," "Lost Boys of Sudan," and "The Rape of Europa."
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