Revenge of the Electric Car
2011 Directed by Chris Paine
Synopsis
A sequel to 2006's Who Killed the Electric Car?, director Chris Paine once again looks at electric vehicles. Where in the last film electric cars were dismissed as uneconomical and unreliable, and were under multiple attacks from government, the auto industry, and from energy companies who didn't want them to succeed, this film chronicles, in the light of new changes in technology, the world economy, and the auto industry itself, the race - from both major car companies like Ford and Nissan, and from new rising upstarts like Tesla - to bring a practical consumer EV to market.
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I’m not a car guy. I don’t like them. I wish I didn’t have to have one. They’re wastes of money, wastes of time and wastes of energy once they hit the age where all you do is worry about how much longer they’ll last. Plus, they’re gross and a huge reason why our planet is slowly dying. I’d love nothing more than to move into a city and just hop on a subway or walk to wherever it is I need to be, never having to worry about being a car owner ever again.
After I saw Who Killed the Electric Car? I was sad and angry that something so objectively great was destroyed just because it didn’t make…
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I get the feeling that the co-operation from General Motors on this film is entirely due to them realizing what a PR disaster "Who Killed The Electric Car?" was. It's what was edited out that I'd like to see, oh to be there when the cameras weren't running!
The film is shot beautifully and you really get drawn into the story to the point where you almost forget you're watching a documentary. Of course we all want a cleaner, better mode of transportation so you're cheering everyone on from the outset, from the garage enthusiast to the Silicon Valley startup, you even feel for the big corporates - GM and Nissan.
Only history will tell us how this one ends.
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An interesting, if overly optimistic, look at electric cars from 2008-2011. It tells the first chapter of a story that in 2013, we're only starting the second.
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Very interesting doc on the future of vehicles and manufacturing. Worth a watch
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More satisfying than the first doc, but perhaps more down to the happier ending. Still really interesting.
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A look into Nissan, GM and Tesla in the race to provide electric cars to the public without compromise. Worth a watch for the fascinating troubles Tesla faced which made me think that their current success and public PR fight will not serve them well in the long run.
It's very interesting to see what has happened since the filming of this documentary has ended. The car GM were developing, the Volt, has not been a sales success. The car Nissan were launching, the Leaf, hasn't been a success either. As for Tesla? Well, they are still managing to get extraordinary press coverage and column inches. But car sales? No.
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I’m not a car guy. I don’t like them. I wish I didn’t have to have one. They’re wastes of money, wastes of time and wastes of energy once they hit the age where all you do is worry about how much longer they’ll last. Plus, they’re gross and a huge reason why our planet is slowly dying. I’d love nothing more than to move into a city and just hop on a subway or walk to wherever it is I need to be, never having to worry about being a car owner ever again.
After I saw Who Killed the Electric Car? I was sad and angry that something so objectively great was destroyed just because it didn’t make…
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A superior sequel to Who Killed the Electric Car?, a rather slanted, one-sided piece of fandom, Revenge actually tries to tell the story of four people trying to make their vision of the electric car: Bob Lutz of GM, Elon Musk of Tesla, Carlos Ghosn of Nissan, and Greg “Reverend Gadget” Abbott, the indie guy. In particular, the seeming surprise shots of Musk and Lutz touring “Electric Alley” at a car show, and giving the Nissan Leaf a once-over are priceless.
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My review for Total Film: www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/revenge-of-the-electric-car
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Recommended by ShowBill. Not bad, but this sequel is clearly not as good as the original. The original focuses on the environmental aspects and is more well-rounded. Here the focus is primarily on the financial aspects of running a car company. It is all about the money.
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I get the feeling that the co-operation from General Motors on this film is entirely due to them realizing what a PR disaster "Who Killed The Electric Car?" was. It's what was edited out that I'd like to see, oh to be there when the cameras weren't running!
The film is shot beautifully and you really get drawn into the story to the point where you almost forget you're watching a documentary. Of course we all want a cleaner, better mode of transportation so you're cheering everyone on from the outset, from the garage enthusiast to the Silicon Valley startup, you even feel for the big corporates - GM and Nissan.
Only history will tell us how this one ends.