Collapse – DVD Review

Film, Reviews



They used to say that in the future everyone will get their 15 minutes of fame. I think now they ought to say that in the future anyone can star in a movie. If Collapse proves anything it’s that someone, somewhere will pay a crazy old guy to ramble on for 82 minutes about government conspiracies and the like. That’s what seems to be why Collapse exists: so that crazy conspiracy nuts can see someone else besides Alex Jones guiding them to the “truth” behind world events.

Michael Ruppert is a former LAPD detective who claims to have family roots in the CIA, now retired and pontificating on world events. As Chris Smith was doing research on the CIA’s history in drug smuggling they came upon Ruppert, who apparently proved to be so fascinating that instead they decided to focus the documentary on him. Eighty minutes later and we can tell one thing’s for sure: Ruppert’s kind of nuts.

The film focuses on Ruppert’s predictions about the collapse of society due to the decline in fossil fuels, amongst others. Ruppert mainly rambles on for 80 minutes about all things apocalyptic, tying it all together with the recent economic downturn and about how it’s all going downhill. And it’s kind of scary, not in the apocalyptic type of scary but more in how Smith and his crew managed to put up with the nut job.

He’s not the sort of nuts that’s cute, like a cat that chases its tail. We’re talking the kind of nuts that you have at home during Christmas when crazy Uncle Johnny starts talking about how the NFL is rigged because the King of Sweden told him so as he communicates to him through radio messages via the fillings in his teeth.

If anything it proves that with the clever use of news footage, conspiracy theories and an old guy with too much time on his hands can make for 80 wasted minutes.

For a film that’s as crazy as it is, it has a good transfer. This is mainly a dialogue centered film with archival footage, which has been cleaned up a little bit and looks good.

Collapse Update is more ramblings from Michael Ruppert, updated since his “predictions” in the film.

Deleted Scenes are available.

Michael Ruppert has had his 15 minutes of fame, now he gets to remember it on DVD. Recommendation to avoid at all costs.


MPI Home Video presents Collapse . Directed by Chris Smith. Starring Michael Ruppert. Running time: 82 minutes. Not rated. Released on DVD: June 15, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.