Herzog's film is based around the accounts of an alien forced to leave his own planet and travel across the Universe in search of a safe new home. After settling unnoticed on Earth, the alien race can only watch as mankind discover their homeworld and trample across it in the name of pioneering exploration.
Some interesting points are raised (the ethics of clumsy exploration, our perception of ourselves within the scheme of things etc.) but the format is rather hokey and Brad Douriff's monologues to camera are jarring and damage the films integrity and authority. But the real footage from an orbiting shuttle is captivating and the actual 'alien' planet is stunning (it's actually made up of footage shot under frozen water).
Flawed but unique, sporadically interesting and very beautiful.
Some interesting points are raised (the ethics of clumsy exploration, our perception of ourselves within the scheme of things etc.) but the format is rather hokey and Brad Douriff's monologues to camera are jarring and damage the films integrity and authority. But the real footage from an orbiting shuttle is captivating and the actual 'alien' planet is stunning (it's actually made up of footage shot under frozen water).
Flawed but unique, sporadically interesting and very beautiful.