The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

A followup to 2003’s The Corporation, The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel explores the mostly adverse impact that large companies have had (and continue to make) on the world and whether or not they’ve become socially responsible in recent years. Filmmakers Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott deliver a blisteringly paced and sporadically fascinating documentary that boasts a number of eye-opening facts and revelations, and it’s clear, certainly, that Bakan and Abbott succeed in pointing out the problems inherent in allowing corporations to hold so much power and influence – with, for example, the growing lack of regulations and oversight on conglomerates essentially paving the way for a myriad of recent disasters (eg the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill). And although the picture is likewise packed with intriguing facts and bits of information, The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel does, particularly around the halfway mark, adopt a somewhat overwhelmingly grim and depressing feel that can be awfully tough to take. It’s a relief, then, that the movie closes with a long stretch detailing the efforts of protestors and progressive politicians to make changes for the better, which ultimately cements The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel‘s place as a periodically tough-to-watch yet entirely essential endeavor.

*** out of ****