Rating: 
Summary: Great film, terrible DVD!!!
Review: Good thing this is out of print. I hope they reissue a better quality DVD. This is one of the worst-authored discs I have ever seen. I first saw the film on VHS and wish I'd bought it that way--this thing really looks like an mpeg file. To give you an idea of just how bad this is, the black of the end credits has brown-grey squares (perfect squares all the same size) flashing throughout it the entire time--and no, they are not supposed to be there.Reggio and Glass created a brilliant short subject that should have won an Oscar. Perhaps a reissue could be coupled with Reggio's unreleased shorts _Evidence_, and music video "Patricia's Park" could be included, if the rights were available, but more important would be a DVD without such heavy "artifacting," "pixillation," "blockiness," whatever you want to call it. Those of us with the Apex that can play anything and anywhere are particularly screwed since it's not as good at hiding such defects. This is the sort of film that only film conoisseurs are going to appreciate it, so why not give it a high quality release?
Rating: 
Summary: Buyer beware!!!
Review: I have read the other customer reviews that praise this DVD. In fact, that is the only reason I bought it. And now I am left wondering what I am missing. I have seen it twice and still can't find the genius in this production. I am sure the raw footage was breathtaking. However, the clips are too short and the editing doesn't seem to flow. The music is overbearing and unnecessarily focal, as if the director is depending on the soundtrack to lend coherency to the film. Give me National Geographic's stock footage library and a Mozart CD and I'll make a better production than this.
Rating:
Summary: Am I missing something?
Review: I have read the other customer reviews that praise this DVD. In fact, that is the only reason I bought it. And now I am left wondering what I am missing. I have seen it twice and still can't find the genius in this production. I am sure the raw footage was breathtaking. However, the clips are too short and the editing doesn't seem to flow. The music is overbearing and unnecessarily focal, as if the director is depending on the soundtrack to lend coherency to the film. Give me National Geographic's stock footage library and a Mozart CD and I'll make a better production than this.
Rating: 
Summary: "Fantasia" in real-life, (world-spirit/life of the earth)
Review: I was first blown away by "Koyaanisqatsi", which was meant to be seen on the big screen. Then "Powaqqatsi" from the local video store. I first saw "Anima Mundi" on the local PBS station in conjunction with their pledge drive. Of the three films in this trilogy, this is by far the best. The music is some of Phillip Glass' most accessible - even found myself humming it at work. Seeing the life within the eyes of the animals, the intelligence, the beauty of life in the wild was stunning. There were many instances when similarities in disparate species were brought into focus: the multiplying bacteria juxtaposed with schools of fish, for example. The one let-down to this film is that there is only 30 minutes of it; it could have been easily stretched to an hour and not fallen into repetition of images. If you are unfamiliar with this trilogy, "Anima Mundi" gives the best introduction. This does for photography what "Fantasia" did for animation. Truly, a 5-star movie. (Also, a real treat for kids who love to watch the nature programs)
Rating:
Summary: Amazing insight
Review: If looking into animals' eyes feels a bit on the disturbing side, perhaps the point of this incredible compilation of film footage is to invite the audience to view the complex balance of this planet from the animals' eyes.
This (albeit short) video entices you in with the grace of leaping gazelles, pulls you along with the overwhelming strength of the ocean and transports you to a new perspective of life, from the bellowing breath of an industrialized city down to the excited dance of the most basic cells under a microscope, and magically returns you back into the gaze of the animal's eye.
The beautifully powerful music combined with equally compelling images are guaranteed to stay with you for years!
Excellent investment!
Rating:
Summary: It does not worth it !!!
Review: Koyaanisqatsi is simply one of the most creative project i've ever seen. I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone. But believe me, i bought Anima Mundi in mint condition : considering it is out of print and was directed by Godfrey Reggio it cost a lot of money and does not worth it at all. Koyaanisqatsi has now been release, Anima Mundi should follow, and evidence as well. Anima is not amazing; it's interesting but not for this price.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible Video Quality
Review: Not worth owning, and probably not even worth viewing if you are used to current DVD quality. Be warned: this is a faux 16:9 video (the black bands are part of the signal) and has some digital artifacts. The net effect is to destroy the experience of what (in the theater) was stunning. Unless you are stuck using an old TV and a low-end DVD player, you should avoid this. On an HDTV-capable system this will disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware!!!
Review: Perhaps it is a blessing that this one is out of print. Why? I find it overly derivative of it's predecessor (Koyaanisqatsi). Other than being way too short, and pretty unoriginal, it does have elements of the aforementioned masterpiece. But in my opinion, this is a case of riding that pony until it's dead. If you love Koyaanisqatsi, then join and buy that DVD, or wait until the legal battles are over to get that one. I think if you are expecting something different (or new) in this one, you will be disappointed. I got this one blind on a recommendation from someone who I am sure did not see Koyaanisqatsi.
Rating:
Summary: national geographic on mtv
Review: reggio and glass weave another tapestry with this one....its 26 minutes makes it less tedious than koyaanisqatsi, its simplicity and matter of factness less commercial than powaqqatsi. nature archival mtv for when animals cannot be found in the wild anymore.
Rating:
Summary: The best combination of music and cinema ever created.
Review: The best combination of music (by Philip Glass) and cinema (Godfrey Reggio) ever created. These 26 min of show will bring a food for your mind for many weeks, delicious food! Perfect work for anyone who really loves nature in all forms. END
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