In 2006, Al Gore’s PowerPoint presentation documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” was hailed for calling attention to climate change. Years later, there’s still public debate — though not much among the scientific community.
“Chasing Ice” is another documentary that hopes to usher in less debate and more action. It’s part science lesson, but mostly a sweeping, often gorgeous nature film.
The film chronicles photographer James Balog’s project to document melting glaciers. If watching ice melt sounds as interesting as, well, watching paint dry, give this a chance.
Balog’s painstaking work in setting up elaborate time-lapse photos isn’t just because he feels this is a great photo project. He aims for this to be the smoking gun, a visual that even the deniers would have a hard time denying.
Visually, “Chasing Ice” is the sort of treat that calls for big-screen treatment. It’s not all time-lapse, either. His crew managed to capture some spectacular moments that are breathtaking.
There is a bit of loss of focus as the film moves between its science lesson and the focus on Balog, but if this topic interests you (and those recent 65-degree December Ohio days mean it should), it’s best experienced in a theater.
