Movie Review: The Truth vs. Alex Jones

Conspiracy theories are hardly a new invention, but it feels like there has never been a time in which it’s been easier for them to spread or that there have been quite so many people eager to buy into them en masse. There are undoubtedly countless explanations for both of those things; a growing disillusionment with the status quo, feelings of being forgotten by those in charge, the proliferation of the internet. But there is perhaps no one individual who has had as direct a hand in this as Alex Jones, whose InfoWars program has achieved massive reach and fed (or initiated) countless conspiracies with no regard for consequences, as evidenced by his insistence that the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School never happened.

Dan Reed’s documentary, The Truth vs. Alex Jones, opens with a brief primer on the man himself before switching focus to that tragic day in December 2012. Even all these years later it is painful to relive, and hearing the parents of the victims describe their children and the event itself is heart wrenching. After reminding the viewer of these families’ loss and suffering, it is all too easy to become enraged when Alex Jones goes on the air the same day and almost immediately begins calling it a hoax. Referring to the mothers and fathers as crisis actors and discounting the very existence of their children, he wastes no time working himself and his audience into a hate-filled lather, inciting a wave of harassment and threats against a group of people already struggling to cope with the unthinkable.

After years of this, some of the families launch a pair of lawsuits against Jones in the perhaps naïve hope that it might get him to stop. Instead, he doubles down, claiming the trials themselves as a part of some grand conspiracy and refusing to cooperate wherever possible. Luckily, he seems to be up against judges who won’t abide his grandstanding and contempt and it begins to feel like he might actually receive some sort of comeuppance for using such a horrific event to help push dietary supplements.

Anyone who follows the news will be at least passingly familiar with many of the beats of this story, but getting the perspectives of the families, the lawyers, and even some InfoWars staff really helps to flesh it out. Unsurprisingly, Jones himself doesn’t sit down for an interview, though footage of his testimonies in court, during depositions, and on his show make his stance (or lack thereof) clear enough. It would have been interesting if there was some examination for why people were so quick to buy into his lies, but there have been other books and movies to already touch upon similar ground. This film will put the viewer through the emotional wringer, but it’s always engaging and serves as an excellent summation of an important part of our history. ★★★★★