It was a murder mystery unlike any other: Who Killed The Electric Car? In the 1996 documentary, director Chris Paine investigated the puzzling, sudden removal of the electric car from the market, despite the existing demand and technological feasibility. He pronounced the guilty parties to be car manufacturers in cahoots with oil companies.

So now - five years later and with gas prices at an all-time high - Paine asserts the time has come for the Revenge of the Electric Car. It's his follow-up documentary and it holds the distinction of being the opening night film for the enviro-driven Planet in Focus film festival.

Which brings us to a curious point: The Revenge of the Electric Car is surprisingly short on any genuine environmental assessment. The presumption is simple and absolute: Oil guzzling is bad; electricity guzzling is care-free and good. So as far as comprehensive environmental docs go, this one may leave some people wanting. Thankfully though, there's also a lot of great drama that left me wanting to spread the word.

What's so compelling is that we get behind-the-scenes access to the top players who are now hustling to bring the electric car (back) to market. There's car giant GM whose CEO has done a complete flip-flop, from being against the niche vehicles to now making them the core of business strategy with the release of the Volt. Then there's indie upstart and hotshot millionaire Elon Musk. After making wads of cash with the creation and sale of Paypal, he invested his own money to produce the celebrity-coveted Tesla roadster. One memorable quip places Musk as "the closest thing we've seen to a real life Tony Stark (from Iron Man)."

Greg "Gadget" Abbott showing the batteries in his converted car. (WestMidWest Productions/Mongrel Media) It all makes for an intense ride that lasts 90 minutes and then seems to end as abruptly as the electric car in Paine's earlier film. There is no big dnouement, as director Paine quickly cuts to the chase. But it IS a mighty fine chase that screeches out: the electric car is making a comeback, and this time, it's here to stay.

Revenge of the Electric Car is opening in Toronto on Oct 14 and will open in other major cities throughout the fall.

-- Jelena Adzic