Reviews of Koyaanisqatsi 1982
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Koyaanisqatsi is truly one mesmerizing film. Filmed at the beginning of the 1980‘s, its documentary footage of various sectors of the world at the time really succeeds at painting a picture of modernity, captured within the realms of the ever-present natural world. Essentially, this is the art of cinema in its purest form. Devoid of any true characters or conventional narrative, it is a poetic marriage of image and sound that speaks volumes with its aura of sheer simplicity that…
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A triumph of the moving picture, Koyaanisqatsi is surely something extraordinary. Not only can you adjust playing speed and create insane imagery but you can also trip on it for hours. The way Reggio explores natural forces, modern life and the slow death of Earth is remarkable. Philip Glass' music is a haunting shroud over the masterful camera work that incessantly unfolds onscreen. Some of the most absorbing stuff I have come across yet.
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great
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Rather lulling. Fell alseep for four hours then finished it. Freaking cool, though.
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Effectively an 80-odd minute screen-saver, but in quite a good way. One for the film school types.
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Finally, the story of life on earth as told from the perspective of an alien invasion force performing reconnaissance.
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Ahh, Phillip Glass. I think I was too preoccupied with trying to pronounce the name of this correctly to really pay much attention to it.
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A brilliant, early piece of non-narrative filmmaking.
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After the somewhat surprisingly boring 15 first minutes of images, the film picks itself up. Koyaanisqatsi is a truly epic presentation (our should I say warning) of the industrialization of Earth. The score is just mesmerizing, and at times almost creating a dystopian feel to the piece. And with the help of some brilliant editing and fast-motion/slow-motion shots of the big cities, director Godfrey Reggio hits the ball out of the park, and adds a surreal and almost sci-fi like…
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I can see why people may not like this but I found it to be interesting and at times beautiful, ugly, and surreal. The lack of dialogue, and plot are not missed really, and you just become immersed in this imagery and at times it is hard to take it all in. My favorite stuff was the water, clouds, and factory lines. It was pretty surprising that I started watching this so late and I didn't fall asleep, that must mean that it is captivating, right?
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Absolutely amazing! I don't know if his criticisms of the West come across as clearly through all the urban beauty as he might have wanted, but it's a small complaint. We have all seen the Planet Earths of filmmaking, but this doesn't document, it uses the same techniques to show us a view of the world. A world that, as the title says, presents those who live in it with a life out of balance.