Kung Fu Panda
Release Date: June 6, 2008
Budget: Unknown
Image copyright Dreamworks 2008

Kris says: "Five-star green favorite"

Kung Fu Panda is a Dreamworks animated feature, so the characters aren't even real! The producers called some big-name stars in for some good ol' fashioned voice work. This eliminated the need to travel to exotic locales in private jets stocked with Cristal and Evian.

The star of the show is Po, a giant panda who leaves a life of noodle-making to become the ultimate kung fu fighter. Pandas—an endangered species who have inspired many to fight deforestation—eat a diet that's 99% bamboo. That's about as low on the food chain as you can go folks! (Our pal Po does like to indulge in dumplings from time-to-time, but overall he eats a healthy Asian diet.)

Many other endangered species have starring roles: red pandas, snow leopards, and golden monkeys. My personal favorite, a praying mantis—Master Mantis, voiced by Seth Rogen—is perhaps the greenest cast-mate of all. Many organic gardeners use the predatory adults as an alternative to pesticide use. And sexual cannibalism (whoa) is common among mantises in captivity. No doubt it's the ultimate "cradle to cradle" lifestyle: you get born, you grow up, you mate, you get eaten by your lover, and the energy goes back into making your offspring. Very efficient, indeed.

On the flip side, PETA may not be happy about the personification of animals because it trivializes the plight of these endangered species. For some reason, Po wears shorts, blatant over-consumption when a panda's thick wooly coat should be more-than-sufficient keeping him warm in the forest.

But that can't outweigh the fact that Po is voiced by the fantastic Jack Black, an eco-champion in his own right. Not only does he recycle, drive a hybrid vehicle and have solar panels on his home, he's an active member of the National Resources Defense Council (NRCD) who has also spoken out against global warming. Get ready to feel the thunder, y'all.

Iron Man
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Budget: $140 million

Image copyright Paramount Pictures 2008

Max says: "Greentech to the rescue"

Iron Man is hands-down the greenest blockbuster of the summer. The movie's secret? Green technology.

The flick chronicles Tony Stark, full-time baller, owner of Stark Industries. Tony spends his time reveling in the fame and affluence he's earned by designing weapons-for-sale in his company's lab. Later, he also spends some time flying around in a bad-ass metal suit, fighting for freedom and equality...which is nice...

Stark's ultimate invention is the "arc reactor", a blue energy-producing gadget he keeps in his chest, was born from a close encounter with Afghan terrorists. The reactor is sustainability’s golden ticket. It pumps out 12 gigawatts per second -- more powerful than world's largest nuclear reactor -- and produces essentially zero waste. If an arc reactor were real, fossil fuels would become obsolete. Overnight. Plus, if it’s safe enough to keep chest day and night, it probably won’t lead to a Chernobyl.

One of the few strikes against Stark--aside from the fact that he's a war profiteer--is that when he flies around in his suit, flames pour out the bottom of his feet, which means he’s burning something. It's not really clear why this is necessary if the suit is powered by the supersustainable arc reactor in his chest...but those are just details! Who wants to dig into the fact when supersustainability is being promised by big corporations?

In the end, the only real Achilles heel of Iron Man is the film’s predictability. After all, we’ve all known for a while that the green revolution will use this tried and true formula: jingoism + terrorists + military contractors = good times for all! Give it up for Iron Man.

The Dark Knight
Release Date: July 18, 2008
Budget: $180 million

Image copyright Warner Bros. 2008

Joe says: "It may as well have been called The Green Knight"

I'm no superhero movie buff like my roommate Grayson (who looks suspiciously similar to San Diego Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding), but given what we’ve seen in previous Batman flicks, I think it is safe to assume we will witness an untold amount of action scenes that take place in eerily dark and rainy conditions. Let's follow an infrequently explored reality about the Batman legend: Batman is good. Batman is modeled, as the name suggests, on the bat. Bats can see at night. Things that can see at night don’t need lights…ah ha! So if you want to be good, like Batman, learn to see at night. Think of all the energy we’d save if we were all a little more like the Dark Knight.

Plus, in a rainy place like Gotham City, obsessive gardeners like my dad could entirely forgo garden sprinklers and irrigation. Let's not forget about rain's role in slowing desertification. The Dark Knight isn't simply a film about a superhero saving the world; it is actually saving our world!

Oh, and just forget about director Christopher Nolan's request that Hong Kong residents to leave their lights on overnight to enhance the city skyline during filming. He was only kidding…I promise.

So in conclusion: Learn to see at night. Live in a rainy place. Save the world. Thanks caped crusader!

The Incredible Hulk
Release Date: June 13, 2008
Budget: $130 million

Image copyright Universal Pictures 2008

Peter says: "His green is more than skin deep"

The dude is green. Literally green. But there’s more to the Hulk’s claim to the green blockbuster crown than his flesh tone. Dr. Banner (a.k.a. happy Hulk) doesn’t drive. He takes public transpo and hitches rides with friendly strangers (at least he did in the TV show). All his belongings fit in the tiny bag he carries from place to place, and he never flies anywhere. Sure, this is how he must deal with a genetic everything-rage condition and inability to simply ‘let go’, but isn’t that how modern life makes us all feel from time to time? His actual footprint may be huge, but his carbon footprint is tiny.

Naysayers may attack the Hulk because he destroys all of his clothes every time he gets angry. They’ll claim his destructive ways result in a huge amount of unnecessary redevelopment – especially when he punches through concrete, which requires an enormous amount of energy to produce. These slanders miss the point.

At its core, The Incredible Hulk isn’t just a 'do less harm' green charmer, it's a modern Promethean fable about the dangers and unintended consequences of scientific development and genetic modification. The Hulk is the embodiment of modern society’s obsession with progress at all costs and, while gentle Dr. Banner represents humanity’s resilient and innovative spirit in the face of unfathomable challenges. (I feel like Bill Walton should be reading this aloud.)

Remember that the Hulk is played by Edward Norton, an off-screen green hero who supports causes like solar energy investment and human rights. He’s also a founding member of Friends of the Highline, a project that’s turning an old section of elevated train tracks in Manhattan into a very innovative slice of urban greenspace.

Oh, and did I mention that the Hulk’s skin is green?

Sex and the City
Release Date: May 30, 2008
Budget: $65 million

Image copyright HBO Films 2008

Don says: "You don't have to be a superhero to be a green hero"

It is easy to take cheap-shots at a movie whose main character is a freelance writer whose wardrobe would make most fashionistas thinks they died and went to couture heaven. Yes, Carrie and her friends regularly go out wearing enough baubles to make even P. Diddy do a double take.  Sure, Samantha (Carrie's BFF), with her new bi-coastal lifestyle, has a carbon footprint that rivals her list of former paramours, but that isn't the point...

All these other movies are worse offenders when it comes to wasting time and resources. While other crews were jetting off to exotic locales with their scorched-earth movie making mentality, SATC was firmly planted in Manhattan, the most sustainable city in America, where 80-plus percent of residents ride public transportation.

SATC may seem like consumerism heaven, but the merchandising of other films is obscene by comparison. We know the producers likely spent a pretty penny on the cast's wardrobe alone, but most of it is couture and vintage and will be worn for 50 years to come, not tossed in the trash like a kung fu cereal box toy.

The budgets for all these summer blockbusters were at least double that of SATC. Big budget films pump out carbon by way of energy hungry computing-fed hours of animation and special effects to cover up poor plotlines and even worse acting.

In summation, dear reader, consider the amount of waste involved with SATC's competitors--the money, the resources, the merchandising spewed out by superhero films. Clearly SATC is the true green winner.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Release Date: May 22, 2008
Budget: $185 million

Image copyright Paramount Pictures 2008

Alissa says: "captivating, thrilling, suspenseful, AND green"

Crystal Skull, is not only captivating, thrilling and suspenseful, it's also the most environmentally conscious movie of the summer.

Indiana Jones is truly one with nature. At the beginning of the film, he's captured whilst, "digging in the dirt." Doesn't that sound like a guy who really cares for Mother Earth? He shows his respect for the planet by his mode of transportation. Indiana Jones is about to take the train (public transpo!) before super summer hottie, Mutt, rides in on an environmentally conscious motorcycle! Motorcycles are "greener" than cars because use less fuel, right? No? Details…

For much of the film, if Jones and Mutt aren't riding the motorcycle, they're walking. It doesn't get much greener than that. Wherever Jones and his crew go, tomb or temple, they're guiding their way with torches, which use no gas or electricity. Gas lamps are burning at their jungle campsite, but that's the fault of the KGB, not Indy.

Jones also helps save the planet by his infrequent (non-existent?) use of a shower. He gets clean the natural, eco-friendly way, by flying off waterfalls.

Unfortunately, the film doesn't show Indy and company as champions of indigenous people's rights; it shows him hitting some native folks in the face with a shovel. But I'm sure that was just a misunderstanding. After all, Indy’s an archaeologist, so respect for other cultures is at the heart of his profession.

Indiana Jones is clearly the "greenest" character in any summer blockbuster. But I'm willing to wager that Indy-in-the-flesh, Harrison Ford himself, is equally green!Harrison Ford is definitely not shy about showing his support for the forests of our planet. In a commercial by Conservation International, Harrison Ford, well, I'll just let you see for yourself:

What did I tell you? Is he not the "greenest" guy around?

Hancock
Release Date: July 2, 2008
Budget: $150 million
Image copyright Columbia Pictures 2008

Peter says: "greatest of the green superheroes"

For those unfamiliar with this lesser known superhero story, Hancock stars Will Smith as a grumpy and misguided superhero who half protects, half terrorizes (proterrizes?) LA with his own brand of narcissistic superherodom. You may not have heard of Hancock. You may not even like Hancock. But this film is simply, overwhelmingly, the greenest of the summer.

For starters, Hancock is a devout anti-consumerist. His clothes are likely third-hand, he clearly doesn't bathe, and he doesn't live in the typical superhero McMansion. The film's preview shows him sleeping on a park bench, so he may even be a freegan. Hancock needs no ride because he can fly under his own power, and he doesn't sit on the board of any big corporations so he's in nobody's back pocket. Good on yah, Hancock.

All that is just window dressing for Hancock’s real green cred: he's an entirely virtual, low impact brand of superhero. In 1966, Batman's comic book circulation topped out at over 900,000 copies...per week! The Hulk's peaked at around of a quarter million. While Batman was saving Gotham, he was cutting down the Sherwood Forest and The Shire in the process. Thanks caped crusader! You and your well-coiffed superhero brethren have done enough damage. Please cease and desist.

Sure, Hancock has holes in his green resume--like throwing beached whales at sailboats, or destroying half the city every time he saves someone, but these pale in comparison to his low impact lifestyle. There's only one freegan who fights for freedom.