Review of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) by Thomas L — 10 Nov 2009

It felt more like a making-of-the-movie documentary than an actual movie. As impressive as the feat was, I can't really give too much credit for someone who works so hard to accomplish so little. As far as the themes, Herzog might just as well have declared that the sky was blue.

Megalomania (or whatever you may call it) isn't uncommon, its occurance on a raft in South America doesn't really tell us anything that someone with a modicum of emotional intelligence already knows from basic interactions with people.

While there was more to it than one man's extreme drivenness and detachment from reality, the "more" was still in the realm of the no duh. Real life is far more poetic than Aguirre, and its tragedies more sobering, i'd rather talk with a stranger for an hour and a half, it would probably yeild more important truths about the world.

2.75 stars, a little better than average.