So some of it's definitely disappointing. I watched the first two Qatsi films back in 2013, and despite liking both a lot, seeing that Naqoyqatsi was less well-received made me apprehensive about watching it.
Finally watching it now, some eight to nine years later, some of that apprehension was reasonable, but some not so much.
The digital effects sometimes work and sometimes don't. To have computer-generated images of falling coins pop up multiple times in a montage that also shows stock market traders yelling, people gambling, and wealthy celebrities is pointless. You're already getting your point across just fine!
The computer-generated images are inconsistent, too, as are the filters used. Sometimes it's striking, like some night-vision type footage of warfare scenes. Sometimes, it looks pretty bad (there's a great time lapse shot of the White House that's preceded by an awful looking CGI-ish shot of the Hollywood sign, for example).
But y'know what? For all its flaws, it does do a decent job at capturing what the first decade of the 21st century sort of felt like. It's the only Qatsi film made during my lifetime, so that's something I could appreciate more so here than with the other ones. And the other thing done well here is the score: even if Godfrey Reggio might occasionally let you down with the visuals, Philip Glass brings his A-game when it comes to the music.
Things have changed so much since 2002 that I'd honestly like to see another film in this series that tries to capture either the 2010s or (god forbid) the mess that has so far been the 2020s. Even though both Reggio and Glass are still alive, I'm not holding my breath that they'll collaborate again to put out something similar, but you never know...
(EDIT: Looks like they did do another documentary called Visitors in 2013, so might have to check that out)
Finally watching it now, some eight to nine years later, some of that apprehension was reasonable, but some not so much.
The digital effects sometimes work and sometimes don't. To have computer-generated images of falling coins pop up multiple times in a montage that also shows stock market traders yelling, people gambling, and wealthy celebrities is pointless. You're already getting your point across just fine!
The computer-generated images are inconsistent, too, as are the filters used. Sometimes it's striking, like some night-vision type footage of warfare scenes. Sometimes, it looks pretty bad (there's a great time lapse shot of the White House that's preceded by an awful looking CGI-ish shot of the Hollywood sign, for example).
But y'know what? For all its flaws, it does do a decent job at capturing what the first decade of the 21st century sort of felt like. It's the only Qatsi film made during my lifetime, so that's something I could appreciate more so here than with the other ones. And the other thing done well here is the score: even if Godfrey Reggio might occasionally let you down with the visuals, Philip Glass brings his A-game when it comes to the music.
Things have changed so much since 2002 that I'd honestly like to see another film in this series that tries to capture either the 2010s or (god forbid) the mess that has so far been the 2020s. Even though both Reggio and Glass are still alive, I'm not holding my breath that they'll collaborate again to put out something similar, but you never know...
(EDIT: Looks like they did do another documentary called Visitors in 2013, so might have to check that out)