5 Movies About Energy You Need to Watch

Since discovering fire, humans have been obsessed with energy — and rightly so, as it births civilization and facilitates technological advances.

Our need for energy has steadily increased in recent decades, fueling debates over energy security and scarcity. This has also given way to new forms of energy that are cleaner and more efficient, replacing outdated sources like coal. But one thing remains clear: Energy is vital to human life.

Below, the Investing News Network has compiled a list of five great stories based around oil, gas and uranium. They center on our constant pursuit of energy and our insatiable appetite for it.

1. There Will Be Blood

Loosely based on the 1927 novel “Oil” by Upton Sinclair, “There Will Be Blood” stars Daniel Day Lewis as silver prospector Daniel Plainview. Hearing of oil oozing from the ground, Plainview and his son head to a western town where the elder man strikes it big.

Despite discovering a literal fortune beneath the ground, Plainview’s newfound tycoon status leads to his descent into madness. Since its 2007 release, the film has garnered critical acclaim for its gritty representation of the early oil industry, paired with religious fanaticism and the birth of a nation.

2. Syriana

“Syriana” delves deep into the international trade of the world’s most lucrative commodity, oil.

The multifaceted film follows US oil conglomerate Connex as it begins to lose control of several oil fields in the Middle East. The company initiates a merger with a smaller company called Killen, which has oil projects in Kazakhstan, which the former will need in order to continue its sector dominance

Infused with espionage, geopolitical tension and behind-the-scenes dealings, this geopolitical thriller is a stark look at the international world of oil production and the power it wields.

3. Deepwater Horizon

Based on the true events surrounding the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, dubbed “the worst oil disaster in US history,” this movie follows the escape of crew members from the offshore oil rig.

After several equipment malfunctions, the rig off the coast of Louisiana ignites into a fireball, killing at least 11 crew members. The rest of the team is able to escape the devastation, but questions arise around who is responsible for the disaster.

The Deepwater Horizon rig burned for 87 days and spilled approximately 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

4. Uranium Drive-In

The documentary “Uranium Drive-In” is set in a small Colorado town, inhabited by less than 600 people. The once-booming town thrived off the American uranium industry up until the 1980s, when the country was a top producer of the energy fuel.

In the decades since then, the town has almost reached ghost status. When a new uranium miner comes to town with the promise of safely revitalizing the industry that once benefited the town, locals are excited at the prospect of jobs at the newly proposed mill.

While residents and the miner are confident they can restart the local economy, an environmental group from a nearby resort town wants to prevent the mill from ever being built.

5. Uranium: Twisting the Dragon’s Tail

A two part docuseries produced by PBS, “Uranium: Twisting the Dragon’s Tail” provides a complex history of one of the world’s most “wondrous and terrifying rocks.”

From its melding with the Earth more than 6 billion years ago, to its modern discovery by Marie Currie, this film does a superb job of chronicling and explaining the complicated history of uranium.

Hosted by physicist Dr. Derek Muller, the film examines the role uranium has played in the past, and the role it can play in our energy future — if we can harness its power safely and effectively.

The docuseries doesn’t shy away from hard questions around nuclear safety, while also highlighting advances in nuclear medicine.

Let us know your favorite energy movies in the comments below. And if you’d like more movie suggestions, check out our list of 5 Movies About Gold You Need to Watch.

Images courtesy of IMDb.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.