I think, if you check my facebook, I'm still a member of a group entitled "When I Was Your Age Pluto Was Still A Planet." Somehow that irreverent, nostalgic name feels complementary to the tone of this documentary.
The Pluto Files is not an incisive look into Pluto's status (or lack thereof) as a planet. It's a fluffy piece on the history and debate surrounding this celestial object. In a prologue of sorts, Dr. Neil Degrasse-Tyson discusses being inundated with stern letters over his planetarium's decision to not depict Pluto with the solar system's eight planets. The rest of of the documentary is framed as his journey to hear many different points of view on the subject. It takes him all across the country. No two scientists share exactly the same opinion.
Nothing really gets below surface level, even if this makes for a pleasant viewing. The most thought-provoking segment is when Tyson meets with the family of Clyde W. Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto. Tyson gets to take a look at Tombaugh's telescopes dating back to the 30s. They weren't the most sophisticated telescopes around, even back in the day, but evidently they got the job done. There's something sort of fantastic about the idea of a hardworking 23-year-old researcher uncovering a whole new planet.
As I write this review I'm hampered by what to call Pluto, by the way. "Planet" is apparently incorrect, but "dwarf planet" takes getting used to and feels a bit ungainly. Or perhaps I'm like Steven Colbert who, in a clip from his show, starts grumbling about how the planets seem like they should be one of the few constants out there.
Pluto is vindicated in one way. During the beginning of this documentary, Tyson chats with some scientists about the oddities of Pluto. Way too small, weird orbit, etc. Research is beginning to show, however, that there are many dwarf planets out in the far reaches of the solar system, and they all share similar characteristics. Pluto may have been demoted, but in the process it has gained a ton of new buddies.
And it will always have its fans on earth.
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