Planet Earth has been decimated, and as mankind searches space for a new planet to inhabit, a race of aliens attempt to make a new home on the now-inhospitable planet abandoned by the human race in director Werner Herzog's strange sci-fi saga. Filmed in collaboration with NASA musician/photographer Henry Kaiser, The Wild Blue Yonder travels light years into the stars, and fathoms deep into the Antarctic Ocean, and speaks with noted scientists to offer a unique view of the universe and a
cautionary tale which stresses the importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations. Oscar-nominated actor Brad Dourif plays the role of the alien who arrives on Earth only to discover that the planet hasn't fared much better than the dying world that he once called home. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
This wacky 'science fiction fantasy' (2005) by Werner Herzog looks like it was made for a few thousand bucks, but it's held aloft by the filmmaker's inexhaustible curiosity and wonder.
The Wild Blue Yonder is at times playful and inventive, at others simplistic and silly. Ultimately, Werner Herzog's free-form, idiosyncratic devolution of the documentary is beautiful but dull.
For devotees of lunatic Herzog adventure a la Fitzcarraldo, it's only a serviceable time-killer 'til the arrival of Rescue Dawn, the director's Americanization of his 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly.
An artful mixture of carefully culled and originally produced material, Werner Herzog's a science fiction fantasy purports to tell the story of an alien species.
An unlikely combination, but then Herzog never ceases to surprise and here, despite some dull patches, does so with an off-centre film of an almost dreamlike quality.
Despite the film's playful humour, there's also a deadly seriousness to The Wild Blue Yonder, for it shows man's insignificance faced with the sheer vastness of nature.
Sci-fi nuts, stoners and conspiracy theorists might get a kick out of this. But even Herzog fans will find this mix of found footage and Kinski-lite diatribe as frustrating as it's fascinating.
A scientific context is offered by interviews with researchers expounding modes of intergalactic travel, but the real pleasures are in the organic beauty of deep spaces and the ambiguous position of the humans suspended in them.
Though far from perfect, The Wild Blue Yonder does have something to say about human folly and it makes its statement in an unusual and thought-provoking way.
Much like Fata Morgana, this is the side of Herzog's films I'm not too fussed about. Its dreamlike footage of space and underwater are mesmerising and the sci-fi story narrated by Dourif was also strangely captivating. I also loved the music, the problem is that none of it really fit together. It just seemed a bit
muddled, especially compared to his epic documentaries that I adore.
No quotes approved yet for The Wild Blue Yonder. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'The Wild Blue Yonder'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
