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The Wild Blue Yonder
Metascore
65 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Ray Bennett
    80
    Herzog's strangely beautiful film has marvelous music and hypnotic imagery. A documentary for stoners and people who are that way naturally, it is a cautionary tale for wishful thinkers.
  2. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    80
    Not a major Herzog work or one that will draw a large audience, but a must-see for those who suspect (as I do) that he's one of the greatest talents now working in this medium.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    80
    There is pleasure in such useless beauty, of course, and pleasure too in drifting with the jellyfish amid the wild blue yonder of a great filmmaker's imagination.
  4. Variety
    Reviewed by: Leslie Felperin
    80
    Should stand with the likes of "Fata Morgana" and "Lessons of Darkness" as one of helmer's best efforts at smudging the lines between docu and fiction.
  5. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    75
    Werner Herzog's self-proclaimed "science-fiction fantasy" is a meticulously constructed fiction made from a combination of real-life footage repurposed in ways a conventional documentarian couldn't imagine.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    67
    The Wild Blue Yonder has a small message to deliver about the importance of ecological conservation, but mostly, it's an excuse to cut together mesmerizing undersea and outer-space photography while a hypnotic soundtrack drones on.
  7. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    63
    A meandering, amusing trifle, Werner Herzog's latest film is as cheekily flaky as his recent "Grizzly Man" was sharply down-to-earth.
  8. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ed Halter
    60
    Though occasionally striking, the footage doesn't pack the evocative punch Herzog intends, and segments that should be lyrical mind trips only result in overstretched longueurs.
  9. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Sid Smith
    50
    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.
  10. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    50
    Wavers between (sometimes) brilliant and (mostly) boring. But it would be wrong to call it a failure.
  11. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    50
    By the time Herzog tried to pass off jellyfish as Dourif's old pals, my indulgence was nearing its end--but then so was the movie.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. cabrita
    5
    A film that is on to something in it's approach but fails in it's execution. Herzog's long scenes are feel extremely long because they do not have the power he thinks it has. Because of this the film is a bit of a drag to watch, but I guarantee it will be the best misfire you have ever seen.… Full Review »
  2. AugustusS.
    8
    A stunning, well-made film, definitely the most interesting modern one I have seen in some time. The photography in the exploration parts are beautiful. Brad Dourif does a great job as narrator, very convincing, very real. I do not generally like Middle Eastern music, but it was used very effectively, and I cannot imagine anything else working better for this film. Some audiences may find it boring, especially the segments inside the space shuttle, but these are an integral part of the whole work. The message, that we as humans do not appreciate our planet, is very relevant and delivered with gravitas. Unlike many directors who were great in the seventies, Herzog seems to have retained much of his brilliance and creativity, though this is not a masterpiecee like "Aguirre."… Full Review »
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