"I don't think there was a gas station in Eden"--My Oil Storm Review

That was my favorite quote in the TV movie on FX called "Oil Storm".

Overall, I felt the movie put some ideas out to the public that might otherwise be blown over in 60 second soundbytes on the news--as much as one can in a faux documentary 90 minute piece. It was probably good that it was not clearly leaning right or left politically in its presentation because oil depletion will affect every one of us and we don't need to be divided on this issue. I'm just glad someone decided to actually present something to the public to make them more aware of the situation concerning our oil dependency. I like how it ended by evaluating our way of life and what we need to do to change it.

Of the things I didn't like, one was the way it ended by using Russia's decision to turn back the oil tankers toward us as a way back to our usual way of life. I don't think things would be so rosey with the public after implementation of martial law and thousands dying. I felt the movie did not really get too deep into how seriously it would affect our lives. Of course, it showed bare shelves in the supermarket, people dying of frostbite, and the implications of martial law, but I didn't get a real emotional feel from the clips they showed. I think it will be much worse in feeling than presented. The actual numbers they were spewing out really wouldn't mean a thing to a layman who knows nothing about oil. They should've made aware how much oil we use everyday in our country to have a basis for what numbers they were talking about in production. A couple of tankers coming our way is in no way going to solve a crisis like this. Production was a main focus but consumption numbers weren't there to compare. Like inFlying Talking Donkey's review, I can foresee everyone getting the blame like the Saudi's, Russia, and China, etc. Somebody always has to be blamed except for ourselves, I guess.

After watching this, I wonder if the author of this movie searched through the internet to see all of the viewpoints and then tried to intertwine them into the movie. Gee whiz, my favorite line in the movie includes a related concept from Olwe's writing of Edenism on one of my first posts! Hmmm. Had this move been in the making for awhile or was it just thrown together recently? At first, the movie made me think of one of those propaganda war clips made during WWI & WWII you often see on the History Channel. I could see where someone more military-oriented than I would go away thinking that what we're doing in the mideast is the right thing to be doing. I, being more liberal, appreciated the comments from the farm wife talking about how she knew how the peace/civil rights protesters in the 60s felt after her husband was arrested for protesting in D.C. for the farmers.

In a nutshell, it was acceptable. I just hope people will pick up on the message that we need a Manhattan-type energy project and NOW! Not more wars to fight for the last man standing.

peak oil