Garbage Warrior review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

“It’s a direction for humanity,” says architect Mike Reynolds as he recycles bottles, beer cans and tyres into self-sustainable homes. Thankfully short on eco guilt trips, Oliver Hodge’s doc follows this maverick as he battles the red tape that entangles his regulation-flouting designs in New Mexico before decamping to tsunami-ravaged India, where his innovative shelters can save lives. Despite being more structurally flawed than one of Reynolds’ ‘Earthships’ and scarcely delivering on its promise of drama, this is a breezy watch. Reynolds comes off as a cuddly, eccentric, if slightly apocalyptic, Womble and blustering bureaucrats – one Republican dismisses Global Warming as a myth – make it easy to cheer him on. Inspiring rather than inspired, maybe, but its charms are hard to resist.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.