RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Wheel of Time
Wheel of Time

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

Wheel of Time (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
94 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 18

Fresh: 17

Rotten:1

Average Rating: 7.7/10

Runtime: 81 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: The title of this Werner Herzog documentary refers to the Kalachakra Mandala, the intricate sand painting meant to help the faithful visualize the interior plane. It is at the heart of the Buddhist... The title of this Werner Herzog documentary refers to the Kalachakra Mandala, the intricate sand painting meant to help the faithful visualize the interior plane. It is at the heart of the Buddhist initiation ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India, which Herzog reverently records here. The spiritual realm is virtually impossible to capture on film, but Herzog has managed to do just that, creating a lyrical, mystical visual poem. He interweaves footage of pilgrims traveling to the ceremony in prostration, a pilgrimage to the holy Mount Kailash, and numerous monks participating in the rituals. One young monk buys a small bird only to let it fly away, symbolizing the freedom of all beings. Everywhere, monks and laypeople are deeply meditating, chanting, and praying. The Dalai Lama makes an appearance in a fascinating and humorous interview with Herzog, and also performs rituals and leads the faithful in prayer. The final part of the film takes place in Austria, where the Dalai Lama conducts the same rituals in a markedly contrasting environment. Much of the film becomes a hypnotic sea of faces as Herzog's camera makes its way through the crowds. The multiplicity of individuals seen only briefly reinforces the symbolic nature of the Mandala itself: when the ceremony is complete, the painting is destroyed and its sand granules are scattered, representing the ephemeral nature of life. [More]

Director: Werner Herzog

Director: Werner Herzog
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Oct 25, 2005

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Wheel of Time

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 18 (sorted by date)
Text View
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Wheel of Time is flawed because Herzog attempts to illustrate faith through the exercise of faithfulness. He runs after the poetry of Buddhism and it eludes him.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Maria Garcia
Film Journal International

Herzog clearly communicates an outsider-looking-in status in Wheel of Time.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
07/06/06
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Becalmed yet electrifying.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/24/06
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Wheel of Time lacks the intensity of many of Herzog's works, and the meditative nature of the monks is a strange match for the wildness of Herzog.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/06/05
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

A respectful depiction of religious zealotry

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
11/29/05
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

Awe-inspiring for those of all faiths who sincerely hope that this world can be a peaceful one.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/07/05
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

What could end up feeling like a by-the-numbers Discovery Channel docu is enlivened considerably by wry asides from the helmer.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/22/05
Leslie Felperin
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The director made his name in the '70s with a series of intense fictional films, but he's also proven a fascinating documentarian.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
07/22/05
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As always, Herzog comes up with some unique and often ridiculous human behavior in the midst of all this peace and tolerance.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/21/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

[Herzog] knows instinctively when to linger and when it's time to turn away.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
06/16/05
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The assembly and eventual destruction of the Kalachakra sand mandala is the cycle around which the German director Werner Herzog's absorbing documentary is structured.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
06/16/05
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Riveting and unique.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
06/16/05
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Extraordinary documentary on two Buddhist rituals that bring out thousands to meditate and to express their devotion.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
06/16/05
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A recent string of excellent nonfiction features now comprise an exciting new phase in this always adventurous director's career.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/15/05
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Taking a low-key approach, Herzog captures the pilgrims' intense fervor. The sight of 500,000 people united in prayer is mind-blowing.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
06/15/05
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Patient and fascinated, but never succumbing to abstraction.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
06/14/05
Ed Park
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

For a Herzog documentary, Wheel of Time is surprisingly unfocused.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
06/04/05
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
L.A. Weekly

Herzog recognizes the gravity of his material here, and as such conducts a considerably lighter trek.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
06/03/05
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine
 
 
1 - 18 (sorted by date)
Text View
all

Latest News for Wheel of Time

July 26, 2007: Critical Consensus: Woo-Hoo! Simpsons Is Certified Fresh; No Reservations Is Bland; Rescue Dawn Shines
This week at the moves, we've got America's favorite family in their long-awaited big-screen debut (The Simpsons Movie); a tale of two chefs (No Reservations, starring Catherine... More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Wheel of Time

Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
79%
79%
Gran Torino
30%
30%
12 Rounds
23%
23%
Confessions of a Shopa…
—
The Code
39%
39%
Inkheart

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
22%
22%
Push
12%
12%
The Unborn

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

What’s Hot On RT

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

Pt. 3: Cuaron's darker Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Mockumentaries

Best Mockumentaries

From Borat to Spinal Tap, this one goes to 11

Humpday Clip

Humpday Clip

An exclusive peek at the indie comedy!

Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince

How good is the 6th Harry Potter?

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: T.J. Hooker Film in Development
36
  • Warners Shortens Green Lantern Wishlist Source: Hollywood Reporter
114
  • Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3 Source: MakingOf.com
42
  • Spider-Man 4 Gets Its Third Writer Source: Latino Review
60
  • Warners Wins Favorable Ruling in Superman Case Source: Variety
20
  • Remo Williams Rides Again Source: Risky Biz
10
  • Mortal Kombat 3 Filming in September? Source: Slashfilm
82
  • MacGruber Gets a Director Source: Variety
39
  • PG-13 Turns 25 Source: VideoETA
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
92
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
70
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
67
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Transformers and Ice Age Tie for Top Spot
59
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
53
  • Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock
44
  • Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
43
  • Five Favorite Films with Kathryn Bigelow
39
  • Tomatometer Watch: How Good is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
28
  • RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
26
  • Five Favourite Films with Jaime Winstone
19
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
0
  • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10
  • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
2
  • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
5
  • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
10
  • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
24
  • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
5
  • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
11
  • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
7
  • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
7
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Wheel of Time at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno External Link

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles External Link

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

A Baywatch Comedy?
A Baywatch Comedy? External Link

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.