X
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 26 m
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 26 m

Summary Technological advancement, economic development, population increase - are they signs of a thriving society? Or too much of a good thing? Based on the best-selling book A Short History of Progress, this provocative documentary explores the concept of progress in our modern world, guiding us through a sweeping but detailed survey of the m...

Directed By: Mathieu Roy, Harold Crooks

Written By: Harold Crooks, Mathieu Roy

  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 26 m
  • 2012
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 26 m

Surviving Progress

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 14 Critic Reviews
59
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
7.2
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Technological advancement, economic development, population increase - are they signs of a thriving society? Or too much of a good thing? Based on the best-selling book A Short History of Progress, this provocative documentary explores the concept of progress in our modern world, guiding us through a sweeping but detailed survey of the m...

Directed By: Mathieu Roy, Harold Crooks

Written By: Harold Crooks, Mathieu Roy

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Ronald Wright

Self - Author, A Short History of Progress

Mark Levine

Self - Group Leader, China Energy Group

Robert Wright

Self - Author, Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny

Marina Silva

Self - Former Minister of the Environment, Brazil

Kambale Musavuli

Self - Friends of the Congo

Vaclav Smil

Self - Population Scientist & Author, Global Catastrophies and Trends

Colin Beavan

Self - Engineer & Author

Michael Hudson

Self - Economic Historian & Former Wall Street Economist

Jane Goodall

Self - Primatologist

Ming Chen

Self - Self Driving Club Tour Guide

Changnian Chen

Self - Professor & Chen Ming's Father

J. Craig Venter

Self - Biologist & CEO Synthetic Genomics

Raquel Taitson-Queiroz

Self - Environmental Police Officer, IBAMA

Gary Marcus

Self - Cognitive Psychologist & Author, The Birth of the Mind

Daniel Povinelli

Self - Behavioral Scientist

Victor Gau

Self - Director, China Association of International Studies

Margaret Atwood

Self - Author, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth

Simon Johnson

Self - Former Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund

Enio Beata

Self - Sawmill Owner

David Suzuki

Self - Geneticist & Activist

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 14 Critic Reviews
59
50% Positive
7 Reviews
50% Mixed
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 14 Critic Reviews
59
50% Positive
7 Reviews
50% Mixed
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
May 2, 2012
Surviving Progress is a bright, entertaining (!), coherent argument in favor of these principles I have simplified so briefly. It's self-evident and tells the truth.
By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW
75
Apr 4, 2012
By turning the idea of progress on its head, the nimble Surviving Progress exquisitely presents to us the possibility that humankind's achievements may cause its downfall.
FULL REVIEW
70
Apr 4, 2012
The film trots out a who's who of great thinkers - Jane Goodall, Stephen Hawking, Margaret Atwood, assorted scientists and historians - who are riveting as they walk us through the question of whether we will or can survive progress. The anticapitalism prognosis is grim, and the hope offered is slim indeed.
By Ernest Hardy FULL REVIEW
60
Apr 15, 2012
The cumulative power of so many great minds envisioning our potential self-destruction is undeniable. You may start planning your move off the grid before the movie even ends.
By Elizabeth Weitzman FULL REVIEW
50
May 17, 2012
More to the point, the title doubles as accusation. Progress is dangerous and requires survival tactics, just as a hurricane or avalanche does.
By Mark Feeney FULL REVIEW
50
Apr 8, 2012
As with many films of its ilk, Surviving Progress takes on more than it can comfortably handle, veering haphazardly from subject to subject.
By Frank Scheck FULL REVIEW
40
Apr 4, 2012
Like the myriad dangers threatening the earth, the film is simply too unwieldy, a sprawling mass of ideas that are dutifully checked off and then given only superficial explanations in lieu of insightful explorations.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
7.2
80% Positive
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings
7.2
80% Positive
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Big Picture Media Corporation, Cinémaginaire Inc., National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Release Date Apr 20, 2012
Duration 1 h 26 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up
View All Details

Awards

Vancouver Film Critics Circle
• 1 Nomination

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