NOT ONLY CAN films make us feel entertained, frightened, or sentimental. They also make us more conscious and heedful of the world around us, especially the negative impacts caused by humankind. Indeed, it is us. 

You may not realize this since we focus on what is ‘entertaining’ to our eyes these days. But environmental issues form part of the of the hot topics in the film industry. From old ones to the new flicks, environmental films provide us with educational details about what is happening to our world and its possible repercussions. These films address various topics, including climate change, deforestation, ecosystem, and sustainability. Here are some movies and documentaries to keep you wide awake on the current situation of Mother Earth: 

The Lorax (6.4/10)

This 2012 animated film narrates Ted, a 12-year-old boy, pursuing his dream girl Audrey, in a village called Thneed-Ville. Despite the vibrancy of the scenery, no flowers or trees can be found in this place. Everything is artificial.  

Ted goes on an adventure outside Thneed-Ville to impress Audrey, who dreams of seeing a real tree, only to discover a wasteland – grim and gritty, with no sign of life in sight. This eventually led to Ted acquiring a Truffala Tree seed from Once-ler with the instruction to plant it. The mayor of Thneed-Ville was against this, but once Ted knocked the city wall down to show people the environmental desolation outside, the townsfolk immediately turned against the mayor and ousted him.  

Greedy industrialists like the mayor in Thneed-Ville led us to the destruction of our environment. The effects of persistent pollution and deforestation are seen and experienced by all of us today. The Lorax teaches us that poor respect for the environment for the sake of profit will eventually lead to our damnation, resulting in the loss of lives and means of sustenance for all of humanity.  

Wall-E (8.4/10)

This movie follows the adventure of a lonely robot who picks up boxes and cleans up piles of trash on a heavily littered and abandoned Earth. Lonely no more, Wall-E eventually meets Eve, an advanced robot sent by humans from an outer spaceship space, who is tasked to find any sign of life and gauge whether chances of living may still occur on our planet. Eve stumbles upon a plant in a compartment where Wall-E lives. This leads them on a journey to safely transport the said plant to the spaceship to show humans that life is still possible on Earth.  

Wall-E shows us a clear picture of what our planet will look like if we don’t pay attention to the amount of waste we produce. Shipping boxes, plastic bags, bubble wraps from deliveries, and the pollution emitted by vehicles and technologies causes the breakdown of our environment, leading to climate change and disasters. Wall-E reminds us to save and nourish our planet before it’s too late.  

Don’t Look Up (7.2/10)

You’re probably familiar with this movie as Ariana Grande was one of the cast members and the artist who sang the film’s apocalyptic theme song, “Just Look Up.” This record-breaking Netflix film starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Jennifer Lawrence follows a science professor and his young student as they uncover a fast-approaching comet that will likely destroy Earth. They used their power to convince the government and the public of the devastating consequences this comet may have on humankind. However, they struggled to convince the populace as no one took them seriously. The only thing that matters to the public is Kate Dibiasky’s (Jennifer Lawrence) reaction-turned-meme, which has gone viral on social media. 

While the movie sometimes ruins the mood because of its parody-ish scenes and lines, the film is still consistent in sending an alarming message on climate change and how the government acts in this kind of situation. Overall, this film encompasses how we live in a system that permits us to ignore scientific truths and the possibility of self-destruction for the sake of the wealthy people’s gain.  

Kiss The Ground (8.2/10)

The documentary “Kiss the Ground” argues that revitalizing the Earth’s soils can balance the climate, refill the water supply, save species from extinction, and better feed people. Woody Harrelson, the narrator, expresses his skepticism about the future. The documentary, however optimistic about the impacts of climate change. 

Individuals may make slight alterations like eating a more plant-based diet, composting, and applying more significant concepts to their tiny gardens. The big sell, however, is regenerative agriculture, which provides an economically viable virtuous cycle of healthy soil, plants, water, and skies, as opposed to the vicious cycle of industrial agriculture, which relies on additives, pesticides, and government subsidies and depletes the land at unsustainable levels. 

Seaspiracy (8.1/10)

With its global coverage of maritime environmental concerns, Seaspiracy casts an extensive net. The documentary tackles the grueling goal of identifying the human-induced issues confronting Earth’s enormous ecosystem, the ocean, from plastic pollution to whaling and commercial fishing to the role of nonprofit groups in the conservation of marine areas.  

Ali Tabrizi ventured out to celebrate his favorite ocean but found himself investigating the damage people imposed on the peaceful waters instead. Humanity is causing havoc on marine life and, by extension, the entire world, from plastics and fishing gear polluting the waterways to the irrevocable harm of bottom trawling and by-catch to illegal fishing and catastrophic hunting activities. What Tabrizi eventually discovered not only calls into question conceptions of sustainable fishing but will astound everyone who cares about the beauties of ocean life, the planet’s future, and our position on it. 

Racing Extinction (8.2/10)

Focusing on wildlife, a team of scientists goes on a mission to draw attention to humanity’s role in losing at least half of the world’s species. The documentary shows the horrific mass extinction and how these animals are illegally treated in countries. With eco-activists help, topics such as the black-market animal trade in Hongkong and Mainland China as traditional medicines and the amphibian existential crisis were put in the spotlight as environmental activists put all their work on the line to stop the extinction from happening. As the documentary emphasizes the lifeline of the species, it also dives into potential solutions and encourages everyone to save the environment. 

This documentary shows how the greediness of humankind may be a threat in hastening the population of the species in the world. But it shows brave scientists and environmental activists putting their lives on the line. It is frank about the world’s current situation. Its powerful message is that everyone can help save the Earth from its catastrophic consequences. 

People’s and animals’ lives matter. There is yet potential for society to progress, and these six films could be a good starting point for that. So let us work together to end the repercussions and begin living what is valuable to us: protecting the world we are living in. 

(With Mauri Fernandez and Melaiza Andrea Flores)