Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Documentary on psychedelic potash mines, expansive concrete seawalls, mammoth industrial machines, and other examples of humanity’s massive, destructive reengineering of the planet.
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch is first and foremost a visual experience — Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, and Nicholas de Pencier deliver stunning, large-format-inspired cinematography of industrial landscapes that is genuinely exceptional, from neon-hued potash mines to vast seawalls. The film's 'plot' is more thematic than narrative, functioning as a loose essay with limited argumentative drive, keeping it below average in that dimension. Acting is not applicable in the traditional sense and scores low accordingly. The film occupies familiar territory for eco-documentary, though its visual ambition and scale lend it reasonable distinctiveness. The ending is contemplative but doesn't deliver a particularly strong or memorable culmination to its thesis.