Encounters at the End of the World
Encounters at the End of the World Image
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Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: 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)… Collapse

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    It is a poem of oddness and beauty.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    80
    The images captured by Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger are dazzling all on their own, finding the disorienting psychedelia that is nature at its weirdest.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Don R. Lewis
    80
    I also think Herzog is making a case for those crazy enough to follow their dreams, even when they take you to the end of the earth. Literally.
  4. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    60
    Creating a hypnotically digressive travelogue, Herzog wanders from soul to soul, asking deceptively mild questions to potent effect.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. SydO
    10
    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.… Expand
  2. JS.
    10
    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.… Expand
  3. JayH.
    7
    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.… Expand
  4. AlexH.
    3
    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.… Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

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