It blew my mind.
This might be one of my favorite Herzog films now.
It's as timely as ever and it's focus on the earth as an indifferent force which we have always had a connection to is such a breath of fresh air in this climate of absurd politics and violent systematic oppression.
Also, it's quite a visually terrifying film.
I thought this documentary lacked focus and was poorly paced. At one point it started to feel like a documentary about North Korea rather than volcanos. The best displays of a volcanos destructive power can from recycled footage from older documentaries.
shareI agree, an unfocused mess. Not impressed with Herzog at all. Not enough on volcanoes and when he veers into the affect on human beings, it wanders off target there too. Only up side is there is some new volcano footage in HD which was wonderfully shot.
shareLike most Herzog docs, he focused on whatever fascinated him, that the broader topic happened to lead him to. I watched this because it was a Herzog documentary, and the things that he finds fascinating I usually also find fascinating. Did some people watch this because they're interested in volcanoes only?
--- grethiwha -------- My Favourite Films:
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This isn't a film about Volcanos. Its a film about mankind's relationship with them.
I'm aware. He still spent too much time on North Korea. Also it doesn't change the facts the best parts are the Volcano footage. Plus some of his Hertzogisms were a bit much a a he babbles about retarted reptiles. It's not a bad documentary but I've seen like seven of the documentaries on the Oscar submission list and six were better than this.
shareI noticed that too and I thought it was a bit weird, but when I thought about it more I realised he was probably referring to the fact that they're just extremely slow creatures (older/non-colloquial definition of "retard").
shareHalfway through they're digging for bones and I thought is this real or crazy? What is finding these bones supposed to tell us? Also they looked like dried bones, not fossils... I understand the dust they were on was once volcanic ash, which would be pretty wild to experience, but what did they learn from the bones? That section seemed rather pointless.
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This isn't a film about Volcanos. Its a film about mankind's relationship with them.
shareGood point.
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One part volcano, one part fossil excavation, one part North Korea...
shareYou guys are missing the point.
Herzog went to fossil digging and North Korea for specific reasons. One was to mention the importance and the connection of volcanic eruptions with the human psyche and our own sense of "eternity" (i.e., religion). The other was the appropriation of a sacred symbol of Koreans in order to perpetuate a communist dictatorship, although the Kim dinasty doesn't refer themselves as connected to the International Communist system anymore. I loved the way Herzog showed what really mass indoctrination is. And yes, it happens in Cuba, just like it happened in the Soviet Union.
Javier H. Moreno
www.cacaorock.com