Earth Hour makes its return on 23 March this year as an annual reminder for us to remember that we need to care for the earth as much as it cares for us. After the recent Mayan apocalypse scare, this year's event is all the more reason for us to be grateful and more aware about mother earth's love for us. In line with remembering to protect the land that has provided for us, Hollywood has been actively imagining ways on how nature might one day snap and retaliate at its ungrateful inhabitants. If we are smart enough, we should treat these stories as early warnings for what may lie in store for us. Cinema Online takes a sombre look through the eyes of cinema of what may come to be if we're not careful with our actions.
This documentary film features former United States Vice President Al Gore's lifelong mission to warn the world about the dangers of global warming which is affecting climate changes. The idea hits close to home as currently Malaysia is one of many countries undergoing the change as well. Is the current phenomenon a forewarning to all of us?
A year after Al Gore's film, Leonardo DiCaprio follows up with this film created, produced and narrated by the star himself. This documentary also revolves around global warming, pointing out in particular about our future being in jeopardy. It also suggests probable solutions on how we may be able to work out a way out of destroying ourselves. Worried about the outcome of the world? Maybe you should pick up some pointers from Leo about making a change.
The Potential Disasters: If warnings are ignored and we continue with our environment-killing activities, there are a few ways where karma will come and bite us in, well, anywhere she can. Scarily enough, these are some possibilities that may actually happen to us if we are not careful.
Professor Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) is ignored when he discovers that earth will soon undergo the next ice age thanks to global warming warnings. The arrogant leaders of earth wave aside his worries only to quickly find out that hell hath no fury like Mother Nature scorned. While all this is going on, Jack's son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), tries to fight his way into surviving the apocalyptic climate change. Besides scaring us with the probable impending disaster, this movie was also indirectly responsible for making Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" film possible. Possibility of happening: Very high, considering the weird weather patterns in recent years.
Plants strike back with some help from the wind with neurotoxins that compels human beings to violently end their own lives in this M. Night Shyamalan horror-thriller. Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) tries to protect his wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and his best friend's daughter, Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez), from certain death, although he is not sure how. Possibility of happening: Low. Creative but somehow not workable since we are pretty sure plants are peace-loving creatures. Of course, it is still no excuse to try and tempt them into releasing their wrath on us. So please, love the trees.
Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) arrives to earth with the intent of saving it only to be met with distrust and hostility from its people. Of course, this reinforces his opinion that mankind is the reason earth is dying. To save her, he must annihilate them to extinction. What stand between him and mankind's survival is Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson, Jacob Benson (Jaden Smith). Possibility of happening: Very low. This is a rare story where earth has a guardian in the form of an alien. While it is believable that earth has its protectors, it is highly impossible that we will ever see one coming down from the skies. If anything, mankind is as much its guardian as they are earth's destroyer.
The earth's core temperature is fast rising and the only people aware of its predicament are elite members of society. The rich and powerful arrange to save themselves with three years of preparation while the everyday man like Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) has to go through great lengths to save his family upon stumbling on the conspiracy by accident. Possibility of disaster: High. Although the end of the world did not happen in the year 2012 as prophesized, the rising temperature of the earth's core is still scientifically possible judging by active volcanoes around the world. The scary part is that the suggested conspiracy might actually prove to be true with the ordinary man being left out to die while the elitists make plans to survive.
There have been various possibilities of how the earth's future would turn out to be and looking at the current state of living and damages we are causing, it is not looking too bright. In fact, the future looks bleak and lonely for our future generations...
Real life father and son team Will Smith and Jaden Smith team up to play reel life father and son General Cypher Raige and Kitai Raige. Both live in the near future where humanity has now evacuated earth due to unknown cataclysmic events in the past. When both crash-land on earth, they find the flourished land has now become a strange and unfamiliar place for mankind.
Possible future: Yes. The fact that earth might do better without humankind may ring true and life will find a way.
Earth has been abandoned thanks to an alien invasion 60 years ago. In 2073, Commander Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is one of the last drone repairmen on earth who is set to be evacuated from earth permanently. However, he still holds some unexplained ties to the once fertile planet...
Possible future: Maybe. It's not hard to imagine a future barren earth but alien invasion seem highly impossible in the real world. But who knows?