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Encounters at the End of the World
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MPAA RATING: G
Starring Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog confirms his standing as poet laureate of men in extreme situations with Encounters at the End of the World. In this visually stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation and home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer (Oct-Feb). Over the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal, and sometimes absurd experiences of the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get. (THINKFilm)
| GENRE(S): | Documentary |
| DIRECTED BY: | Werner Herzog |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: November 18, 2008 Theatrical: June 11, 2008 |
| RUNNING TIME: | minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Alex H. gave it a3:
It doesn't work as a nature documentary, as it lacks enough footage or information to stand up to Planet Earth, or even your average National Geographic documentary. Instead, the movie relies on half-baked philosophical musings, with about as much insight as a stoned guy rambling about humanity's inevitable extinction. Herzog's English is relatively poor, and his linguistic limitations mean he often relies on cliche, and this reveals how trite most of his ideas are. The music is intrusive and often manipulative - especially the choral pieces, which draw obvious cave/cathedral comparisons. For $5, you could rent this film. But for the same price, you could buy a joint, get your buddy stoned, and ask him about his thoughts on life. PASS.
Hyper S gave it a5:
A documentary of sorts has two goals in my view: 1) Either entertain the audience. 2) Or spark a sense of curiosity and imagination in the audience and educate them along the way. This film failed to do both. The film was about Antarctica, but you could have renamed it to "Alaska" or "Canada" or even "Colorado" and no one would have known the difference. Heck take a camera into a random apartment complex and interview the tenants and you'd probably get a more entertaining film. The film focused more on the more-often-than-not lackluster researchers on the continent instead of showing the audience the aura of Antarctica. Where are the exotic creatures? Inspiring underwater sequences [all but one in the film]? What no cool ice glacier canyons or anything? We got a few seconds of some Penguins [snore], a couple of starfish [snore], one clam [snore], and one jellyfish [snore]. Oh, but we got to watch them sexually assault a family of seals! I'm a fan of documentaries, but this one has no theme... no point... just random bits glued together and the pace was too slow just waiting... hoping... for anything to peek one's curiosity. I became so bored I began envisioning the narrator as Arnold Schwarzenegger just to pass the time. Save the time and just flip on the Discovery channel and watch Planet Earth or something. In 5 minutes you'll get more than this film has to offer in 1hr 40 mins.
Jay H. gave it a7:
6.5/10. Frequently fascination, occasionally slow moving and boring. It is a very informative documentary with some arresting images and it is well researched. Good narration.
Syd O gave it a10:
Truly and exceptional documentary. Herzog steps beyond the "penguin" side of Antarctica to show the truly mysterious and other worldly goings on of the continent and it's imported inhabitants. His dry humor never lets the film get to caught up in itself. It really is a delight to see.
Doug N. gave it a9:
Werner Herzog doing his usual thing. Much better than the penguin movie last year. He explores the usual off beat characters, plus the beautiful landscape. Excellent.
J S. gave it a10:
Antarctica is as unusual as Herzog's film. Not a drama, yet it is dramatic, neither is it a travelogue or a documentary, though it easily covers all that. The film is a new catagory: metafilm. I just made it up, but it fits. Herzog's film delivers a visceral connect with our place, this blue ball we live on, rolling through an alien sea of darkness we know little about. It's almost as if the world is split into those who have seen it, those who have lived in Antarctica and met realities masked back home on the mall, and those who have not seen it. Such mystery is the grandeur of great filmmakers.
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