As society tackles the problem of feeding our expanding population safely and sustainably, a schism has arisen between scientists and consumers, motivated by fear and distrust. Food Evolution, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, explores the polarized debate surrounding GMOs. Looking at the real-world application of food science in the past and present, the film argues for sound science and open-mindedness in a culture that increasingly shows resistance to both.
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I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
This documentary is a waste of resources. I didn't see any long term research science showing GMO'S are safe. The problem is monoculture which makes mono crops vulnerable to pests, pathogens etc...If Hawaii was growing 10 different species of Papayas that would've never happened so GMO would be unnecessary. It also doen't show any scientists trying to bring back biodiversity or any other natural solutions to the problem just wants you to know scientists are right. Which is a waste of an hour of my time. Neill, keep looking for water on Mars like the rest of useless scientist out there.
The film does show both sides of this issue, but it leans towards arguments to support the potential benefits of GMOs. Like most all doc films, the bias come across in the tone and in the amount of footage which highlights certain viewpoints. Did the filmmaker select the most astute anti-GMO people, to be as fair-handed as possible? Not at all.Most of the anti-GMO people in the film came across as preachy extremists. In one scene, there's a public debate between both sides, and the anti-GMO people resembled buffoons.One thing the film did not seem to address: there are no studies on the long term effects of GMOs, many years after they're consumed. Because GMOs were introduced only about 23 years ago, I don't consider the current studies to be iron-clad. Coffee is bad, coffee is good--you know the deal--studies reveal new warnings, and then contradict themselves years later.I'm accustomed to Q&A sessions after screenings. But the brief verbal "survey" (survey?) given by the Director came off as simplistic, consisting of extremely broad questions. When one viewer expressed frustration about the film, the Director responded in testy, defensive tone. Perhaps he was burned out from battling complaints from anti-GMO activists. In contrast, when other viewers squealed their praise for his film, the Director was gracious. It was an odd few moments.I would somewhat recommend this film.
I saw this last week. It's really great to see a science-based look at this topic, rather than the emotional, non-science viewpoint of those who don't understand it, which has been the typical Hollywood presentation of this subject. I wish it could have covered some topics in more depth, but movies have their limitations. A large portion of the population has been misled into believing genetically modified crops are inherently bad, and poor people around the world suffer because of the influence of westerners who have more money than they have science education. The only reason I gave 9 stars instead of 10 is that there should have been more subtitles for those of us English-speakers not adept at understanding heavy accents.
I saw this at the DC Environmental Film Festival. I didn't know to expect, given the audience, but the crowd really enjoyed the movie. So unlike many of the people reviewing here, I've actually seen the film. There was also a panel of experts discussing the film after the showing, and they did the best they could to answer audience member questions. This film addresses pretty much every argument you might have against GMOS, and then show how the claims against them are untrue. Issues of health, safety, environment, big business, corporate shills, weed resistance, pesticides, yield, etc. and correct the misinformation that 's out there on the web by talking to actual scientists who actually work with GMOs. A much better source than some random person who opposes them, don't you think?This is an excellent film to watch if you're not sure where you stand on the issue of GMOs, or have heard a bit about it, but don't know enough to really go either way. If you are completely closed- minded about the issue, then don't bother, because no amount of science, logic, and reason is going to change your mind, to paraphrase Tamar Haspel in the movie.