Collapse (2009)
82%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Chris Smith’s documentary, Collapse, is a thought-provoking and unsettling exploration of Michael Ruppert’s radical activism and his mission to expose the “peak oil” cover-up. Smith’s treatment of Ruppert is both clinical and compassionate, revealing the flawed humanity behind his apocalyptic theories. The film is a warning of the potential consequences of our current trajectory, and Ruppert’s vision of the future should be on everyone’s viewing list. However, as Terry Staunton of Radio Times notes, Ruppert’s theories should be taken with a grain of salt, as he may only be worth listening to “up to a point.” Nevertheless, Collapse is a must-watch for those interested in the intersection of politics, economics, and the environment, and a reminder that the world we leave for future generations is in our hands.
If you’re looking for a documentary that will make you feel like you need to stock up on canned goods and build a bunker, then Collapse is the film for you. Michael Ruppert is a man on a mission to expose the truth about “peak oil” and the impending collapse of society as we know it. While some critics found the film compelling and thought-provoking, others thought Ruppert was a bit of a crackpot. Either way, it’s worth a watch if you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned doomsday prophecy. Just don’t forget to bring your tinfoil hat.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2010
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Michael Ruppert, Chris Smith, financial crisis, Wall Street crash, economic disasters, personal woes, peak oil, radical American activist, investigative reporter, CIA whistleblower, reviewed by Hank Sartin, Derek Malcolm, Anthony Quinn, Peter Bradshaw, Tom Seymour, David Parkinson, MaryAnn Johanson, Dorothy Woodend, Will Leitch, Tom Dawson, Terry Staunton, directed by Chris Smith, written by Chris Smith, produced by Chris Smith, genre: documentary, box office: $47.0K, budget: unknown, MPAA rating: unknown, Collapse, Collapse movie, Collapse film, Collapse documentary, Collapse review, Collapse ratings, Collapse cast, Collapse crew, Collapse runtime, Collapse release date, Collapse streaming date, Collapse photos, Collapse trailer, Collapse plot, Collapse subject, Collapse theories, Collapse predictions, Collapse worldview, Collapse questions, Collapse answers, Collapse predictions, Collapse predictions accuracy, Collapse predictions impact, Collapse predictions consequences, Collapse predictions future
Worldwide gross: $46,964
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $61,828
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,070
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,742
US/Canada gross: $46,964
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $61,828
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,729
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,800
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $10,269
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,699
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Chris Smith – director
Director(s)
Chris Smith
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (7)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
If he’s even half right, the world our children and grandchildren will inherit doesn’t bear thinking about.
October 6, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
October 1, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Chris Smith’s documentary centres on a long and disquieting interview with Michael Ruppert, a radical American activist on a mission to expose the “peak oil” cover-up…
September 30, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Smith treats Ruppert both as exhibit and patient, and he comes across as an angry yet compassionate man, secure in his convictions but lost in his emotions.
September 30, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Seymour
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Intelligently probed by director Chris Smith and always compelling to watch, the chain-smoking Ruppert’s vision of the future should be on everyone’s viewing list.
September 29, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
There’s a horrifying train wreck quality to documentarian Chris Smith’s feature-length interview with Michael Ruppert, former LAPD detective, investigative reporter, CIA whistleblower.
February 17, 2021
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
[Collapse] is as much a backwards look at recent history, as well as a prediction for the coming change.
August 22, 2017
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)
A staggering film about a man convinced he’s the only poor son of a gun who gets it … and how, as he grows to realize he might have actually been right all those years, it destroys him
June 22, 2013 | Rating: A
Will Leitch
Deadspin
Unearths the flawed humanity behind the apocalyptic theorising.
September 30, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Tom Dawson
Total Film
There are clear parallels with former US vice-president Al Gore’s arguments in An Inconvenient Truth, only Smith’s film makes less use of showbiz-style graphics.
September 30, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Terry Staunton
Radio Times
Perhaps he’s worth listening to? Well, up to a point.
September 29, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
Tim Evans
Sky Cinema…
Plot
A documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Collapse on Fresh Kernels.
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