Movie Review: Downsizing (2017) is Dull and Bores with Global Warming

Downsizing

Downsizing: Don't Think that it is a Fun Movie

A friend and I went to see the movie Downsizing (2017). It was between this movie and All the Money in the World (2017). My friend decided that the Downsizing movie would be less of a downer (less depressing) and that it would be a fun and lighthearted movie. Boy, was he wrong. It is not a comedy. It is a dull and depressing movie about how the Earth will end at the hands of methane gas due to Global Warming.

This movie was dull and depressing and boring. The movie was disappointing and I will tell you why.

The following contains spoilers.

The Downsizing Trailer is Misleading

First of all, if you get the impression that the movie Downsizing is a fun and lighthearted movie from the trailer, then you are sadly mistaken.

I thought the movie was going to be similar to Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989), in that they would exploring the nuances of being shrunk and small in comparison to the rest of the world. Downsizing is not like this at all. There are only a few moments in the movie where this happens.

First, Matt Damon plays lead character Paul Safranek. He is an occupational therapist that is a middle class guy working in Omaha Steaks in the Midwest. So he and his wife agree to be shrunk so they can multiply their wealth (the small lifestyle requires less money to life and the money goes farther).

So we get to see the process of Paul Safranek getting shrunk. They have to remove all of his hair from his body, and all of the fillings from his mouth. This is because any non-living tissue would stay the real size, and kill the person during the shrinking process.

Downsizing: Only a Few References to Being Small

Here are the following references in the movie to being small:

The opening speaker: Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen 

In the movie, it starts with the guy that invents the shrinking process. Dr. Jorgen

He speaks to a group of people, and they are impressed with the small footprint that a tiny person creates.

The high school  reunion: This the second encounter when a couple from high school is carried into the reunion in a glass box.

After Paul Safranek is shrunk, and handed over from the normal size nurse to the minature nurses, the normal nurse is chatting with the minature nurses. This is one example of the cross reference between large and small. The next example is when Paul Safranek wakes up, the nurse shows him a pack of large Saltine crackers, and mentions how cute that is. After this, the only other reference to them being small is when they travel on a bus, because normal size people and miniatures can travel on the same bus.

Aside from the examples given above, the movie imagery veers heavily from the whole premise of being small. After about the halfway mark of the movie, they do not show any more size comparisons or normal to miniature comparisons.

Downsizing Stays Depressing Throughout the Movie

The overarching them throughout the movie Downsizing is Global Warming. This is no secret. From the start of the movie, Dr. Jorgen and his colleagues present their process at a conference in Turkey.

Then we go into the future. This happens quite a bit throughout the movie. Five Years Later. One Year Later. Five Years Later. etc. This is just one sign that the movie can't tell a continuous story about anything interesting.

Overall, the movie is quite depressing. Paul Safranek is taking care of his sick mother. Paul Safranek is not able to buy the house his wife really wants. Paul Safranek's wife divorces him because she gets cold feet when about to be shrunk. Lastly, Dr. Jorgen says that methane has been released at the Antarctic and the Earth will no longer sustain life.

In terms of a positive uptick in the movie, the only positive is that Paul Safranek falls in love with a Vietnamese refugee, and this takes up the majority of the second half of the movie. He says that he finally understands his purpose in life, and wants to go with the original small community underground for thousands of years. However, he changes his mind at the last minute, because he is in love with the Vietnamese refugee woman.

I found myself wondering: "How much longer will this movie last?" many times, and the movie seemed to drag on. It failed to deliver.

To sum it all up, this movie is not a lighthearted comedy movie about being shrunk. It is a heavily political movie focused on the effects of Global Warming hysteria.

Regardless of your stance on Global Warming, this movie felt incomplete and disjointed at best. I left the movie feeling unsatisfied. I would not willingly want to watch this movie ever again. That would be torture. It's that bad.

2017 College Football Playoff National Championship: Alabama vs. Clemson

2017 College Football National Championship Alabama and Clemson

As far as college football goes, there is nothing bigger than the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. On Monday, January 9, 2017, it will be between Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Head Coaches and Mild Alabama Offensive Coordinator Controversy

Nick Saban coaches the Alabama Crimson Tide, and Dabo Swinney coaches the Clemson Tigers. Some controversy may be said of the Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who accepted a job as the head coach of Florida-Atlantic University, and will not be on the field for this National Championship game. His replacement is Steve Sarkisian, who will be coaching on the sidelines, and this is the first time he has called plays since 2014 and being clean from alcohol abuse. Sarkisian took a break from coaching to undergo rehab for substance/alcohol abuse. The Los Angeles times has reported many alcohol incidents during his head coaching at Washington. In comparison, when Kirby Smart was announced as Georgia's head coach, he finished out the post-season play as Alabama's defensive coordinator before assuming his new position at Georgia.

2017 College Football Playoff National Championship: Alabama vs. Clemson

Monday night's game is a rematch between two talented college football programs. As Dabo Swinney said after his win over Ohio State, Clemson has set itself up as an elite football program. And most fans of college football would agree that Alabama is already the best college football program in the nation, seeing post season play almost every year, thanks to the coaching from Nick Saban, and the great athletes that are recruited by his program.

As you can see below, Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are both in the top three for coaches with the best win percentage for coaches at the same school since 2008 (ESPN).

Statistic: If Alabama wins on Monday night against Clemson, it will be the first team in college football history to finish a football season 15-0 (wins/losses). Source: SEC Country

Alabama Crimson Tide's Biggest Threat is Deshaun Watson

Alabama's biggest threat in Monday night's game is the Clemson quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Last year, he was able to score 40 in Clemson's loss to Alabama. Deshaun was able to throw for 405 yards, with only 1 interception, and he ran the ball for 73 yards.

Alabama's defensive play forces the opposing team's quarterback of playing a perfect game, and Deshaun Watson is capable of playing great under pressure.

Steve Sarkisian needs to run the ball more than Lane Kiffin

While Jalen Hurts has been playing exceptionally well for a true freshman quarterback, Alabama fans are voicing that they want to see Steve Sarkisian run more plays that involve Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris, and Joshua Jacobs in running the ball down the field.

Details on New Star Trek Discovery Television series on CBS in 2017

Star Trek: Discovery

New details released on the Star Trek TV show, called Star Trek: Discovery on CBS in 2017. Information about the show reveals that the lead character will be a woman that is a lieutenant commander, before the Original Star Trek series takes place, featuring Captain Kirk and Spock.

This EW article points out that this isn't the first time that Star Trek has has a leading lady on the show. Star Trek Voyager, airing from 1995 to 2001 had a female captain -- Kathryn Janeway.

The writer-producer Bryan Fuller talks about the role of this female lieutenant will be diverse, and very likely African American. He says that he spoke to the first black woman in space, Mae Jemison, to gain inspiration for casting this lead character in the new Star Trek: Discovery television series on CBS in 2017.

The COO of CBS expects Star Trek: Discovery in 2017 to get at least 15 million viewers for the television premiere event.

Star Trek Discovery Television Series to be Diverse in Many Ways

What will make this character interesting is that she is not the Captain, so she will have a different perspective than previous Star Trek television series.

In addition to this, Fuller has made it very clear that "absolutely we're having a gay character," noting that Bryan Fuller himself is openly gay. There will also be robots.

Whoopi Goldberg has gone on record to say that she would love to bring her Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Guinan, to the new Star Trek: Discovery television series.

Fun Fact: The new Star Trek television series will take place approximately 10 years before Captain Kirk's notable five-year mission.

Editor's note: One of my personal favorite Star Trek series was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, featuring Captain Benjamin Sisco. I really enjoyed watching this series. Share in the comments section your favorite Star Trek series and why.