Review of The Wild Blue Yonder (2005) by Joanna N — 10 Feb 2008
A mixed bag. I loved the idea of Brad Dourif as a bitter alien, giving his inverse, insider perspective on our exploration into space. However for extended periods Dourif takes a backseat while we labour through long stretches in a spacecraft or under ice. Though at first this footage feels profound and glorious, almost mythical, this initial impact soon dissipates and becomes monotonous and tedious. The soundtrack is similarly patchy, sometimes beautiful and haunting, at other times a nasal chanting that drones on gratingly like an air raid siren.
The concept of using real footage in a 'mockumentary' style with a fictional premise is appealing, but this and Dourif's segments mutually detract from each other. I would have liked it to be more focused on Dourif's character, with his Vonnegut-esque style, bizarre yet serious. The combination of both produced an uneasy, confusing premise: was Dourif producing a documentary, interviewing the mathematicians and so forth? It doesn't come across that way, but otherwise how do they fit together?
In summary, some beautiful footage, and Dourif's character provides an intriguing premise of it's own, but this film is hampered by its languorous lapses of footage and muddled focus.
This review of The Wild Blue Yonder (2005) was written by Joanna N on 10 Feb 2008.
The Wild Blue Yonder has generally received positive reviews.
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