Matt Damon and John Krasinski did a great job writing the
screenplay and acting in this thoughtful film drawn directly from modern
headlines. They do a decent job of addressing the issue of fracking, attempting
to show both sides of the argument. America, especially America's small towns,
needs the energy and the wealth the technology brings. It promises to help us
gain some independence from foreign oil. However, there is a rush to develop
these wells in rural America too quickly. The technology is new, and the long-term
dangers are unknown. It's clear after watching the movie where Damon and Krasinski
sentiments and beliefs lie, but unfortunately as the main character says early
in the film, "the energy companies have already won." Fracking is
here to stay. A June 2012 study reported over 680,000 underground injection
wells in the US, I'm sure there are many more than that now. Back to the movie
– well acted, nice cinematography, good characters, and a strong story. Sadly,
the writers decided to put in a couple of surprise twists at the end that were
totally unnecessary. I was entertained by the sudden and unexpected twists, but
afterwords felt that it somehow cheapened the well-developed first 7/8 ths of
the movie. Worth a rental if you're interested in fracking and its effects on
rural towns.
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