Planetary

The film offers many profound points made that need to be perceived by a wider audience, yet the film is badly tainted - and its revolutionary credentials essentially revoked - by the omission of the role of animal exploitation, enslavement and consumption in the degradation of our planetary systems. Indeed, not only is this crucial dysfunction not specifically pointed out, the issue is glossed over, even glorified in the scene with the bucolic cowboys herding their "happy cows" on a pristine prairie. What utter disinformation! The film calls upon us all to become environmentalists... yet you simply cannot be a good environmentalist and continue to fully buy into the corporate/industrial, animal-based food conspiracy! The truth is animal factory farming is the No. 1 cause of rainforest, habitat and species loss, the No. 1 cause of ocean life depletion, the second- leading cause of global warming, high on the causal list of water pollution, water resource depletion, and the perpetuation of human hunger. It is implicated in ALL of the most serious health threats, including cancers, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It is the most inefficient, most unhealthy (for us and the planet) and most unsustainable way of feeding ourselves. Far worse, it is a system of utter non-virtue and violence that our very cultures are based upon. We enthusiastically imbibe in this evil three times a day, and it goes directly into our bodies and souls! If we are to realize the vision of the producers and voices of Planetary, then this crass dysfunction should be right along side the prodigious use of fossil fuels as targets of elimination, Unlike weaning ourselves off fossil fuels, however, turning away from the holocaust of animal enslavement, exploitation and murder may actually help us to become more peaceful, more compassionate, more actualized Homo sapiens in the process. Radical revolutionaries? That's a laugh, as long as you are you are mindlessly enslaved to the conformity and "tradition" of meat and dairy eating. The film is also very slight on actual solutions. Meditation? Please! If you are meditating three times a day and still eating animals, you remain spiritually shallow and possibly doing absolutely nothing to effect change in the world. You're not bonded to the All and the One, you're bonded to your taste-buds. To change the world, we don't just sit down and meditate, we take action! And the one action that is the most revolutionary, the most radical and the most effective at truly changing the individual and the collective is to cease harming animals! NOW! Alas, I'd like to recommend the film, but simply cannot as long as it contains this absurd flaw.

Guy Reid has produced one of the best documentaries yet on what are the challenges facing homo sapiens in terms of its future relationship with planet earth - as one of the speakers says, "we are of this planet, we do not live on it."

To me, it seemed to raise the following key points:

1) Mankind cannot continue the current model of post-industrial age economic growth without this ending in our species' ultimate destruction.

2) Some kind of new model needs to be devised that will enable us to maintain a more symbiotic relationship with the environment. Some very interesting references were made to the way nearly all indigenous societies view their role as protecting and working with nature rather than separating themselves from it.

3) A huge part of the problem is the increasing urbanization that has taken place and the rise of "mega cities", where most inhabitants basically 'couldn't give a crap' about the environment, given that they have very little contact with it (one speaker said some grass growing in a pavement crack might be all they see in a week). In my opinion, governments around the world need to work on a radical new approach to implementing a new model of urban planning where inhabitants are not concentrated into such huge conglomerates.

4) Many of the commentators were asking for a change in social relations - a sort of brotherhood of man, where there are no boundaries and borders. One speaker talked about the fact that, under the current system, we seek to separate ourselves, building ever bigger houses to get away from each other. Another said that if you view planet earth from a fixed point above it, you do not see the barriers created by man but rather one homogeneous biosphere.

To be frank, I don't think this is ever going to happen unless there is some apocalyptic event that breaks down normal national barriers and interests. It is in our innate nature to focus on our own selfish interests and this mindset is almost impossible to change.

My only problem with the film was it very successfully highlighted the current disconnection between homo sapiens and nurturing the planet, but did not devote enough footage on how to achieve a new model that enables our species to thrive without the associated economic growth and abundant materialism we currently enjoy - and that many in society seek. Experts like Professor James Lovelock and Charles Eisenstein (one of the film's interviewees) have some interesting suggestions to make on this.

Unity is a hard-to-grasp concept in this divided world of nations and conflict. For me, this documentary, more experiential than intellectual, conveys its message with a strong clarity and accessibility. Ultimately, we all share the same home.

Astronauts are given this broader perspective of our place. They speak about the state of awe it inspires. Now, each individual of our beautiful, diverse species is able to touch this perspective, through the beautiful images that are accessible, in this documentary and many other sources.

To have a possibility of global peace and harmony, each individual needs access to a broad perspective with a global awareness. I sincerely hope that we, as a species, will be able to mature in living together on and with this planet. We are planetary after all.

I am deeply grateful for what this documentary has given me and hope its message spreads widely.

I went into this thinking it would be a great documentary with great visual images and maybe I could learn something about science or astronomy.

Nope that's not what you get here we get almost 2 hours of being lectured by pseudo professionals. I've never heard of lambasting human nature, how terrible we are and what we could become.

Do they know anything about evolution or human nature at all? It's all a fight for survival of resources. What do you think the Neanderthals or the caveman did?

You don't take away any information from this except wishful Kumbaya thinking like another user said.

Fast-forward through the lectures, which is every other scene and maybe pause some of the beautiful imagery. Which is a task in itself.

Watching the movie brought me in a very peaceful state. A state in which I view every part of earth as a part of myself. The movie starts off with the astronauts talking about their experience in space. This made me realize that this view of the world is needed, especially in contemporary times. A view that Earth is one living organism in this gigantic universe. A view that goes beyond species, race, borders, nationalities and communities. It made me realize that once we eventually do become a species that travels to other planets and maybe even star systems, it will radically change the way we view our existence. As the concept of tribe relates to a kingdom, the concept of kingdom to nationality, so will nationality eventually relate to Planetary.

All these ideas and feelings came to me in the first 15 minutes. The rest of the movie was more a filler with commentary by various people from different walks of life, accompanied with beautiful imagery. It is interesting that in a movie that was fairly centered around spiritual ideas no mention was made to theistic religions. Which was fine for me, but I can imagine some of my fellow Earthlings feeling left out.

The opening message was very strong, the rest of the movie could have left out some of the commentary so that the viewer has more time to reflect on the core message. A tribesman jumping around in animal skins talking about mother earth, or monks chanting away "mindlessly" in a monastery did not contribute to the message of interconnectedness, mindfulness, caring, appreciation and love.