Oil Storm

A well done disaster film that holds your attention because it has something important to say, namely that we are are long past the time when we should be looking for alternatives for oil. The film suggests that if we don't prepare for the end of the oil era, any number of miss-steps by ourselves or nature could suddenly and unexpectedly ruin our economy as well as result in thousands of casualties among our troops as well as civilians. Not a message I would have expected from the Fox channel ! It was good to see them explore the possibilities in a persuasive documentary - like format. The arguments are similar to those documented in the recent non-fiction book "Blood and Oil" by Michael T.Klare.

I was only able to catch portions of the movie, it aired on my wedding day, and between chatting with in-laws and other relatives, I was able to sneak in a few scenes to view...I remember telling myself back then, a lot of stuff that went down in this movie is going to come to pass, and darn it, I was right, we are now on the verge of gasoline going up to a ridiculous $4 dollars a gallon, it's already happened in Alaska.

They don't come any greedier than the oil and gasoline industry in this country, yet, in parts of the Middle East, gas is selling for less than a dollar a gallon. Just the other day, I heard a news report on radio about a 19-year old that got arrested for trying to drive off from a gas station without paying, he'd pumped $70 worth of gas before police hawked his stupid butt down. As weeks go by in this town in which I live (I'm too embarrassed by this place to mention its' name), there are fewer and fewer cars on the expressway during rush hour, yet we have one of the worst transit systems in the country, no light rail, just a dilapidated fleet of rundown, 30 year old buses.

Oh, yes, the "Oil Storm" is coming, and it's going to hit some cities much harder than others. This pathetic town in which I live is not ready for it. And to address the comment about this movie's availability, FX created it, perhaps there's a chance they can tell us about it, if they ever took the time to address the concerns of their audiences, which very few do today. If "Redemption" is on DVD, perhaps "Oil Storm" is as well...I want to see it again, in its' entirety this time...What about YouTube? Everything else is there, eh? There's one other movie I can't help but think about in the midst of this pending fuel turbulence....Ummmm..."Mad Max", anyone?

Very well made fictional work. Makes you think hard about how dependent we have become on foreign sources of power. It also makes you think about American people love affair with gas guzzlers and the love/hate relationship with the powers that hold the biggest amounts of oil. Many conservatives do not like their religion, but own vehicles that take $50+ to fill tank. Even being a work of fiction, it still makes you wonder if something like this would happen. What can we do? I do remember Arab Prince Addulah being asked around April 2004 if oil prices would be lowered for the November elections and he stating in that oil is a very important commodity to play political games with it. Funny that prices dropped a few cents in August, and are back high again.

"Oil Storm" is the latest made-for-TV movie to use what is rapidly becoming a tiresome technique: a faux-documentary retrospective that details the events that led up to a disaster.

The story opens in the near future, Labor Day weekend of this year, and describes a chain reaction that leads to global economic turmoil. Drawing from a collection of worst-case scenarios, the film portrays an America in chaos after the oil supply chain is disrupted. Political efforts to alleviate the problems caused by the oil shortfall predictably fail, and the result is a crisis that makes Americans (at least the ones portrayed in the film) question their reliance on oil.

While some may portray the film as anti-Bush, it feels more anti-oil, anti-conspicuous consumption. Political actions in the movie are framed within the context of the current behavior of many of the major global political players - US, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia - and generally might not be too far off the mark.

The contingency planning and consideration of viable alternatives is simplistic, but thankfully, the writers at least avoid the "Mexico closes the border" cliché. In short, the film is about as interesting as watching a tanker spill cleanup.

This was an interesting presentation and makes you think about some things. And that's probably what will scare pro-Bush "values voters", having to think about these issues. For them, they'll immediately dismiss it as propaganda, switch back to FOX "News" Channel and stick their heads back in the sand.

For a TV disaster film with a lot of potential to be bad (see the cheese pile known as "10.5"), it is very well done, especially the writing. Cutting together real footage and fictional interviews & staged "events", "Oil Storm" is deeply engaging and VERY believable. Despite the constant reminders that it is a work of fiction, you often feel you're watching a real documentary.

The actors play a huge role in selling it too because without their low-key and subtle performances, it wouldn't have worked. We've all seen fake documentaries where the actors are so bad, the lines so stilted and nail-on-the-head, you know you're watching a fake. With the exception of the teenage son, the entire cast connect with you like real people facing historic crisis.

Also, the narrator plays a valuable role in selling "Oil Storm" as real. His voice is familiar (History Channel, if I remember correctly) and credible in the documentary format. He does a quality job taking you through the series of events set in the future, as though they happened a few years ago.

Most of all, this film presents the harsh reality of just how interdependent and fragile our economy is. For every scenario the film presents, I'd find myself saying, "Well, then I'd just do this...", only to find out oil has an effect on aspects of our lives we never would have imagined. Life becomes more complicated than "I'll just take a bike to work!" While the catalyst events portrayed in "Oil Storm" are fictional and arguably a little unrealistic, there are a number of situations which could throw us into the bottom line - a massive oil shortage. The film is effective in making a strong case for moving the country away from our dependency on foreign oil.