The worst part about any activism is when the man eclipses the message. "Cool It" is supposed to be Bjorn Lomborg’s response to Al Gore’s "An Inconvenient Truth" but it falls into the mistakes of that film and then can never redeem them.
Lomborg isn’t of the belief that global warming is a myth; he just doesn’t think it’s as essential a problem as so many other problems facing the planet. He displays some more practical ways to tackling some of the energy issues, including nuclear power (which makes this the most unfortunately timed DVD release since "Hereafter").
There are plenty of effective arguments, but the documentary does not cover any of them well. In a brief 88 minutes, the majority of the film is spent on Lomborg’s Christ-like status. He’s seen talking to children, the residents of an impoverished African village and his Alzheimer’s-affected mother. Al Gore’s personal life was an unnecessary diversion from his PowerPoint in "Truth," but it was never half of the film.
The rest of it is underdeveloped and unconvincing. There is a portion of the film criticizing Gore and the government for their use of scare tactics. Lomborg says the world shall not fall into the ocean nor shall the poles completely melt. Instead of focusing on the science, the film keeps focusing on what’s not happening. There are random clips of celebrities talking about recycling or children being afraid of the end of the world. The film even seems to be using the tactics it’s against by having the DVD cover show the world surrounded by bills and burning up.
Any interview with a professional is undercut by cheap editing and a focus on sound bites over a thorough argument. There is a lot of potential to having a counter-argument, yet it’s too self-aware about that position. Al Gore’s name is said so many times that it’s almost like it’s a personal attack on him. With a weak presentation of its stance, the film’s message seems more like, “Eh, it’s not that bad.” What a missed opportunity.
The extras include deleted scenes from a really short movie.
Film: 2 Yaps Extras: 2 Yaps