Naqoyqatsi (2002)
Miramax Films

Description

In this cinematic concert - the concluding film of the Qatsi Trilogy preceded by the critically acclaimed Koyaanisqatsi ("Life Out Of Balance"), and Powaqqatsi ("Life In Transformation") - mesmerizing images reanimated from everyday reality, then visually altered with state-of-the-art digital techniques, chronicle the shift from a world organized by the principles of nature to one dominated by technology, the synthetic, and the virtual. Extremes of intimacy and spectacle, tragedy and hope, fuse in a tidal wave of visuals and music, giving rise to a unique artistic experience that reflects Reggio's visions of a brave new globalized world.

Tags

Globalization

Collected reviews and ratings

9.8 DVD Verdict | Mike Pinsky

Naqoyqatsi challenges its audience to escape from the grasp of the virtual world. And when it is over, we congratulate ourselves on having stepped back into the "real world," where we believe we can control the pace at which technology, the golem we thought we created to change the natural world, changes us.
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9.0 filmcritic.com | Max Messier

A harrowing exploration of man’s slow devolution through science, technology, and warfare in the forms of raw stock footage, computer animation, military training videos, and major conglomerate product commercials, the film is a true sight to behold.
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8.0 DVD Talk | Randy Miller III

Long story short - if you liked the other two movies is the Qatsi series, you're bound to get something out of this. If you're unfamiliar with the first two, I'd advise you to check them out first... viewing this outright might be a little too disarming (unless you're up for the challenge!).
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7.5 Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

If Microsoft and Nike ever merged into one corporate megalith (MicroNike?) and commissioned Leni Riefenstahl to direct its visionary new Super Bowl commercial, the result might look something like Godfrey Reggio's Naqoyqatsi.
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7.5 TV Guide | Maitland McDonagh

Dense collage of digitally altered images often looks shockingly like some super-hip media agency's show reel.
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6.0 New York Times | Stephen Holden

Its relentless depiction of competition, regimentation and universal bellicosity inevitably reflects an international political climate charged with mounting fears of war and terrorism. What makes the film all the more disturbing is that much of it is also beautiful.
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6.0 Amazon user reviews

For the Completist, I recommend Naqoyqatsi. It's by no means a bad film. But for someone unfamiliar with the Qatsi aesthetic, I wouldn't start with this one.
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4.0 Variety | Todd McCarthy

That Reggio uses the most high-tech means to deliver a cautionary commentary on high technology is an easily digested paradox. More problematic, as it has been from the beginning of the trilogy, is the way his tweaking of images of pain, suffering, tragedy and physical devastation overweeningly aestheticize the experiences he depicts.
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