Who Killed the Electric Car?

2006

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critics

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70

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 68 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 68 Ratings

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WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: June 28, 2006

Starring: Martin Sheen, Mel Gibson

Summary: This documentary chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, examining its cultural and economic ripple effects and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Director: Chris Paine

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: PG

Runtime: 92 min

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Awards & Rankings

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Metascore

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

91

Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman

Who Killed the Electric Car? makes you angry, and also sad, to live in a country where innovation could be contrived into an enemy. Read full review

83

Baltimore Sun - Michael Sragow

Who Killed the Electric Car? makes you feel that no good idea, let alone good deed, goes unpunished. Only the exuberance of the moviemaking keeps your spirits high. Read full review

80

The Hollywood Reporter - Michael Rechtshaffen

A potent hybrid of passion and politics fuel this energetic and highly compelling documentary. Read full review

75

Philadelphia Inquirer - Carrie Rickey

As efficient and zippy as its subject. Read full review

70

L.A. Weekly - Judith Lewis

It's a laudably complicated, if emotional and a little comic-book goofy, story of how a confluence of forces - industry skepticism, trained-seal lobbyists and, last but not least, consumer reluctance - undermined the future of a quiet little bean of mobile metal that the anointed few who could afford to lease it passionately adored. Read full review

70

Salon - Andrew O'Hehir

By the end of Who Killed the Electric Car? you'll be worked into a lather one way or another. Paine crams in more theories, ideas and arguments than the movie can easily hold, but that's OK with me. Read full review

40

Village Voice - Rob Nelson

The real question is why this purportedly impassioned documentary investigation of a great subject--the culture's conspiratorial dismissal of eco-friendly alternatives to the gas-guzzler -- would assume such massive viewer disinterest that it coats the pill with C-list celebrity NutraSweet, including Martin Sheen voiceovers -- that would sound unforgivably hackneyed even on basic cable. Read full review

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User Reviews

10

MickeyG.

Jun 29, 2006

Best movie and truthful, unless you're too RIGHT! Take the kids, this one was made for their future.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

JoeH.

Feb 4, 2007

I would have given it a 20 out of 10. It was a very well-done film with a great message. Everyone should see this movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

CorV.

Jun 29, 2006

Magnificent plot, finally I understood why the car companies were making such conflicting statements and actions. Great footage and involvement.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

DougK.

Aug 1, 2006

Excellent statement of what happened. Without Chris Paine and Dean Devlin this story would never have been told. Now what ever they do to us, at least the truth is out.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

StuartS

Oct 21, 2006

Go see this film and you will gain a lot of insight into why we have an energy crises and perhaps why America is having so many problems. Go see it and tell everyone you know to do so also. It is too bad this film did not get more exposure.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

9

DianeB.

Jun 27, 2006

Now I know why General Motors was so eager to cease production and recall all of the EV 1's. Viewers get caught up in the mystery and also feel saddened at the destruction of such a beautiful car.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

0

JeffS.

Jun 10, 2007

A pile of left-wing propaganda combined with B-list celebrity interviews and narration by the "real" president, Martin Sheen. Hybrid and electric car technologies are held up to be glorious and infallible while other technologies are mocked and impugned. The filmmakers did a good job of A pile of left-wing propaganda combined with B-list celebrity interviews and narration by the "real" president, Martin Sheen. Hybrid and electric car technologies are held up to be glorious and infallible while other technologies are mocked and impugned. The filmmakers did a good job of pointing out the shortcomings of other "new" technologies but they never discussed the limitations of hybrids or electric cars. Also, in order to fully appreciate this film you need to have no understanding of basic economics or consumer behavior. If that's you, then you too will "probably want to give this film "20 out of 10 stars" like the sycophantic tree-huggers who got here before me.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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