A decade after An Inconvenient Truth (2006) brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution.

10 years ago, Al Gore released his environmental documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ to critical acclaim, a film that was essentially a call to arms to ordinary people as well as our political leaders to start taking the issue of climate change more seriously. A decade later he’s returned with a sequel, essentially to catch us up on all of the progress (or lack of in some cases) that has been made since, culminating not with the Paris Climate Conference as intended, but with the victory of Donald Trump in last year’s US presidential campaign.

That particular moment forms an interesting footnote to the whole documentary, coming hot on the heels of the important and powerful agreement that was reached in Paris, with Trump’s decision to withdraw earlier this year threatening to derail the whole agreement. In any case, the film is about much more than one man, and I felt the film was at its strongest when it drew a comparison between climate change and the real effects it is having and will continue to have on the planet, and I found it educational and informative without feeling like a lecture. Gore’s folksy charm makes him a likeable presence in front of the camera, and I enjoyed the insights he gave when meeting various key decision makers around the world, but it’s when he gets really fired up and angry that ‘Truth to Power’ really hits home.

‘Truth to Power’ may lack some of the incendiary bite of the first documentary, but it’s more than just an update and I found it to be another important, and often vital piece of filmmaking about one of the greatest issues facing our world today.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk

Starring: Al Gore

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6322922/