Summary
Down to Earth With Zac Efron is an easy-to-follow Netflix series that uses a star to platform a real problem
I genuinely heartily laughed earlier as I saw a review that claimed Down to Earth With Zac Efron is “hopelessly simplistic”. I sometimes wonder what critics are expecting. Were they expecting ‘environmental scientist’ Zac Efron, paired with ‘ecology expert’ Darin Olien to provide an in-depth and analytical thesis on renewable energy efforts? I think the point has been lost here so let me explain…
If you are unaware, Zac Efron is a famous movie star with a huge following of intensely loyal fans. Now, imagine if Zac decided to do a documentary series on the environment where he wasn’t exactly the expert himself but by travelling to different parts of the world, he educated himself and *drum roll*… educated his fans. Down to Earth With Zac Efron is not designed to be led by experts. Like Somebody Feed Phil, we are the tourist — we are Zac’s naive eyes.
For instance, in the opening episode which focuses on Iceland, Zac is checking out the geothermal systems that provide the country’s electricity and he makes the comment that he had no idea how much effort is required to generate green energy.
And we had no idea either, Zac — point proven.
Down to Earth With Zac Efron moves through each episode freely, presenting areas of the world that have got it right. As the world is desperate for wide eco-friendly systems, this Netflix series demonstrates how it can be possible. It’s insightful, but more importantly, it is not boring. It’s a window into a possible global future if the human race decides to get it right.
But with light humor and Zac and Darin fooling around testing each other’s banter, Netflix’s Down to Earth With Zac Efron is an easy-to-follow Netflix series that uses a star to platform a real problem — we need to save the earth and open our minds for long term survival. And there is nothing wrong with that.
