Although I'm far from backing up my ideals with all my actions, I am pretty much in the choir when it comes to this eco-message-documentary fronted by film-star Leonardo DiCaprio because I am liberal, make an effort to recycle and have the good taste to worry about my resource use (I know how that sounds but at least I'm honest). So for me it is not an issue to review the film without it turning into me taking issue with the overall message of the film. If anything I risk the other trap that many have fallen into which is to review the message and not the film. So let me just get that trap out the way by saying that the message, in my opinion, is worthy and important and I have no doubt that all those involved in this film felt this and were keen to get it made and out to as big an audience as possible.
Reviewing the film is a different thing altogether though because while the aim may have been to get the message out there and push this agenda, the actual film itself does the opposite due to the way it is delivered. The structure, content and style of the film is flawed across the board and it did put me off leading me to wonder how someone who was sceptical to begin with would cope with the flaws in it as a film. Where The Inconvenient Truth builds its case and took the viewer along with it, 11th Hour just jumps right in and never stops hitting the viewer with information. Nothing wrong with that in concept but when it is done in a poorly structured and fast-paced way it does rather feel like you are being preached at by a hell-fire reverend rather than talked to or even lectured (in the academic sense of the word). The visuals don't help partly because they are just frantic and unnecessary at times but also because they clash with the much more sedentary talking heads that fill the vast majority of the running time. The end result is the feeling that the film is just trying to bully you into submission rather than carefully taking you down a path where even some sceptics will be conceding points.
There is plenty of good stuff in here and those that are already won over may not even feel the flaws in delivery as they nod their heads in agreement. However, while I can agree on the importance of the message and the aims of the makers, good intentions alone do not make for a good film and here the delivery is consistently weak in a couple of key areas to the detriment of the film. A shame but this is one for the choir and even then it needs a chunk of good will to ignore the film and concentrate solely on the message.
Reviewing the film is a different thing altogether though because while the aim may have been to get the message out there and push this agenda, the actual film itself does the opposite due to the way it is delivered. The structure, content and style of the film is flawed across the board and it did put me off leading me to wonder how someone who was sceptical to begin with would cope with the flaws in it as a film. Where The Inconvenient Truth builds its case and took the viewer along with it, 11th Hour just jumps right in and never stops hitting the viewer with information. Nothing wrong with that in concept but when it is done in a poorly structured and fast-paced way it does rather feel like you are being preached at by a hell-fire reverend rather than talked to or even lectured (in the academic sense of the word). The visuals don't help partly because they are just frantic and unnecessary at times but also because they clash with the much more sedentary talking heads that fill the vast majority of the running time. The end result is the feeling that the film is just trying to bully you into submission rather than carefully taking you down a path where even some sceptics will be conceding points.
There is plenty of good stuff in here and those that are already won over may not even feel the flaws in delivery as they nod their heads in agreement. However, while I can agree on the importance of the message and the aims of the makers, good intentions alone do not make for a good film and here the delivery is consistently weak in a couple of key areas to the detriment of the film. A shame but this is one for the choir and even then it needs a chunk of good will to ignore the film and concentrate solely on the message.