GASLAND PART II Review

Release Date: July 8th, 2013 (HBO)
Currently Available on HBO GO
Director: Josh Fox
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 8/10

Josh Fox’s Gasland Part II takes all the information learned about natural gas extraction from the first film, and expands and updates everything to bring viewers up to speed on the situation.  Spoiler alert, things are not looking good.  While some have said this is just more of the same, with people lighting their water on fire, and ridiculous amounts of evidence showing the harm fracking causes, in this case, more of the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Sometimes people need to be repeatedly hit over the head with the facts before they begin to sink in.

That isn’t to say however, that this is simply a rehash of the first film.  In the three years since the original Gasland came out, there have been many developments in the natural gas industry, unfortunately none of which include making it safe.

Fox expands his quest to expose the dangers of fracking by traveling to Australia, Los Angeles, The Louisiana Bayou, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.  He casts a wider net in the sequel and packs in almost too much information to process.  It’s a documentary designed to anger and befuddle.  It’s a call to action to end this fracking before it’s too late.

Like the first entry, Fox succeeds in everything he sets out to do with the film, save for actually ending natural gas drilling.  When the evidence is presented directly in front of you, it seems ludicrous to claim that this is not causing significant harm to our land.

If people weren’t convinced of the ill effects of natural gas drilling in the first Gasland, Fox brought out the big guns with this one.  In an information overload, he bombards the viewer with case studies, interviews, reports, statistics, and some good ole investigative journalism.  Though this information seems overwhelming, it’s presented in a very digestible and entertaining way.  Fox frequently injects humor into the film, which helps lighten the mood, and play into the absurdity of it all.

One of the new findings explored in this film that was particularly interesting was the correlation between fracking and increased earthquake activity.  Studies are now showing that areas with a high concentration of natural gas drilling are experiencing far more earthquakes than previously recorded.  If the rampant water and air pollution doesn’t concern people, the fact that it causes the Earth to literally move should be causing a stir.

Unfortunately, Gasland Part II will most likely be preaching to the choir.  Although many of the subjects in the film are conservative Republicans, and this shouldn’t be a partisan issue, due to the overwhelming support by our government (including the President), many will regard this as simply left wing rhetoric without giving it the time of day.  That doesn’t mean that this film is any less important however.  The key to stopping this lies within the voters, and awareness is the first step in causing a change.

As someone who grew up in Pennsylvania, the natural gas capital of the world, and currently lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida, home of the BP oil spill, I am able to see first hand the results of this dirty business and it simply must be stopped.  For those unfamiliar with the effects of natural gas drilling, Gasland Part  II is an absolute must-see.  Those that have seen the first film will find a lot of familiar information here, but the new findings will prove to be more than enough to reignite your anger and frustration, which is a good thing.