Rating: 
Summary: Herzog at his best
Review: I am a huge fan of Werner Herzog and this film is Herzog at his best. It seems to be a theme running through Herzog films, the lead character often goes insane. This time in a partucularly rich cinematic setting. Klaus Kinski is awesome once again in this tale of loss. Losing his mind and losing his way.This film will make a great start to the films of Werner Herzog.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: Historical? Perhaps. More to the point, Aguirre is sparse, intense, surreal, timeless, and highly allegorical. I cannot help but view it as a criticism of western civilization by Herzog.
Rating: 
Summary: Good entertainment value as well as educational
Review: This movie gives the viewer a really accurate depiction of the times during the conquest of Peru. In fact, the first time I saw this movie was in a college Spanish Lit class. The movie's overall feel makes the viewer feel like they are right there alongside the actors. This is definately a good movie for those interested in Latin American history/colonization. There is not too much dialogue and I feel that those who are not aware of the history that the movie is based on may be a little lost. Other than that, I recommend this movie as a interesting alternative to the mainstream big budget epic movies.
Rating:
Summary: Herzog and Kinski's Vision of Manifested Madness
Review: On the eastern slopes of the Andes during the Spanish expedition , Gonzalo Pizarro urges his men to continue through the thick Amazon forests despite the dangers within the dark and humid jungle. The tale of Pizarro's venture begins with an ominous warning as it is revealed to the audience that the only surviving evidence of the expedition is a journal kept by Brother Gaspar de Carvajal, a monk who travels to spread the gospel of Christianity. This bleak foreshadowing induces an inching uneasiness into the mind of the audience. This is enhanced by further looming incidents such as native slaves dying like flies from simple colds and food shortage. The low supply of food leads to a decision to split the group where one group should return for provisions and the other should continue searching for a gold shimmering city. This tale then follows the ill-fated who continue the journey for the legendary city as they are drawn deeper into the cruel world of the Amazon. Deaths of several men forebode the grim future of the expedition, which the leadership wants to call off and return to the safety of civilization. However, Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a high ranking soldier, commands a rise against the leadership based on a proud vision of greatness and worldly riches beyond imagination that drives him to thrust deeper into the unexplored rainforest. Aguirre's vision draws the expedition into a personal realm of madness and destruction, which leads to only one certain fate.
Aguirre: The Wrath of God has a lingering effect on the audience as the eerie atmosphere created by Herzog persists from the initial shot to the final scene. There are several components that generate this bizarre ambiance of the story such as cinematography, idiosyncrasies, mise-en-scene, and performances by the cast. The cinematography is simple and sometimes documentary-like, which produces a real feeling. This real feeling together with the uncanny knowledge of the unavoidable doom enhances the extraordinary atmosphere of the venture. The complete portrait of the character Aguirre by Klaus Kinski is nothing but spectacular. Herzog's choice of mise-en-scene is delicately chosen as all the items had to be transported by the expedition. Each item within each frame displays a significant symbolism such as the horse and raft, which adds new layers to the unnatural atmosphere. Lastly, the performances by the cast are outstanding as it is not the dialogue that drives the story forward, but the visual manifestation of their being that elevates the outlandish impression of each scene. When Herzog combined all the aspects of film-making in Aguirre: The Wrath of God he left the world a brilliantly eerie cinematic experience that will leave several notions in reflecting minds.
Rating:
Summary: The doomed quest for El Dorado
Review: I am new to Warner Herzog, and "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" is the 2nd of his films that I have seen. Like many directors with strong artistic visions, I have found his style a bit hard to adapt to but I am appreciating it more and more. The grotesque colors he uses are particularly noteworthy, lending a feeling of unreality that contrasts with the naked realism of his films. The visual images are haunting, and linger after the film is over. The Wrath of God and 400 little monkeys... "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" is by no means an easy film to get into. The characters are brutal and uninviting, and it is impossible to sympathize with their plight, the conquest of the native peoples. Like the river they travel on, the armored conquistadors move slowly but relentlessly forward, pieces of their humanity and sanity falling off along the way. At one scene in particular, the soldiers dispassionately watch their fellows trapped in a river eddy, discussion whether or not they should attempt a rescue with no more urgency or care than wondering if they should have coffee or tea. The peruvian natives are equally unsympathetic, picking off the soldiers slowly from the jungle, invisible and dangerous. One can see the influence it must have had on"Apocalypse Now." People call this film dreamlike, and that maybe, but it is also brutally realistic, dirty and harsh. There is a sense that this is exactly what it would be like. There is a definite sense that animals were harmed during the filming, and that people were harmed as well. No camera trickery or artistic license is taken. All deaths are ignoble. Klaus Kinski, as Aguirre, is an uncharismatic Richard III,. slightly hunchbacked and ugly, leading his followers down a mad path that can have only one destination.
Rating:
Summary: Herzog's visionary film is one of the greats!!
Review: Werner Herzog's Aguirre, The Wrath of God is one of the great achievements of the incredible New German Cinema movement of the 1970's. The film's "story" has been discussed elsewhere on this page so I won't bother to repeat it. But really, this is no plot to speak of. This is a mood piece, a dream of a film. It is a study of power and delusions and if that sounds boring, believe me its NOT. The visuals are extraordinary (typical of a Herzog film). From the films incredible opening shot of a long line of men as they snake thier way down a mountain to the final shot, which is one of the most memorable in cinema, of a mad Aguirre on a raft surrounded by corpses and small monkeys floating down the river. Adding to the dreamlike effect is the eerie music of Popol Vuh. Aguirre is a memorable film experience that you should'nt miss. I commend Anchor Bay for releasing Herzog's entire output on DVD, this a definitely one for your personal library at home. Very highly recommeded!
Rating:
Summary: You must be joking........
Review: An absolutely magnificent movie, utterly enthralling. Get nice and stoned, turn off all the lights, and let this baby roll. Just wait until a scene about 5 to 10 minutes into the movie when the camera just stares at the river rushing for about a minute. That is my favorite scene in the movie. Try to figure out why.
Over and out
(The Professor recommends: "Withnail & I", perhaps my favorite movie of all time)
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing & appalling masterpiece
Review: Watching this movie is like watching a group of people voluntarily step off a cliff together. One is appalled, yet fascinated, by the descent into madness & self-destruction, not by one madman but by the entire expedition --- clearly Herzog's commentary on Germany's embrace of Naziism, but unfortunately an all too relevant reflection on many current events.
Really, who cares if the film is grainy & the editing a little choppy? If you want slick production values, go watch a Jerry Bruckheimer film. The obvious shoestring budget has little impact on Herzog's ability to mesmerize the viewer, right from the opening scene down to a monkey-infested raft floating into oblivion.
One wonders what Herzog might have done with a bigger budget. The historical Lope de Aguirre was even more appalling than Herzog's version, cutting a swath of destruction & mass slaughter of Indians in South America before he was captured and shot for treason. Herzog could have been more gruesome than he was, but there is no real need. Watching a group of men (who should have known better) head down a path towards obvious destruction because of greed and a hunger for power is pretty compelling stuff on its own. The obversations on the human condition never fail to find their mark.
Rating: 
Summary: What is this?
Review: Expecting some grand period epic and find instead a shallow portrayal of loose historical events. The opening sequence photography is great, the rest looks like a low budget handheld with little attention paid as to the value of setting. Aguirre appears little more than a swaggering drunk with no purpose or motivation. The touted 'descent to madness' is little more than a few idle comments in the last 5 minutes of the movie as the story line never finds closure. If you want to see some good Herzog get 'Fitzcarraldo', looks like he just slap dashed this one together to get out of a loser project.
Rating:
Summary: The doomed quest for El Dorado
Review: I am new to Warner Herzog, and "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" is the 2nd of his films that I have seen. Like many directors with strong artistic visions, I have found his style a bit hard to adapt to but I am appreciating it more and more. The grotesque colors he uses are particularly noteworthy, lending a feeling of unreality that contrasts with the naked realism of his films. The visual images are haunting, and linger after the film is over. The Wrath of God and 400 little monkeys... "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" is by no means an easy film to get into. The characters are brutal and uninviting, and it is impossible to sympathize with their plight, the conquest of the native peoples. Like the river they travel on, the armored conquistadors move slowly but relentlessly forward, pieces of their humanity and sanity falling off along the way. At one scene in particular, the soldiers dispassionately watch their fellows trapped in a river eddy, discussion whether or not they should attempt a rescue with no more urgency or care than wondering if they should have coffee or tea. The peruvian natives are equally unsympathetic, picking off the soldiers slowly from the jungle, invisible and dangerous. One can see the influence it must have had on"Apocalypse Now." People call this film dreamlike, and that maybe, but it is also brutally realistic, dirty and harsh. There is a sense that this is exactly what it would be like. There is a definite sense that animals were harmed during the filming, and that people were harmed as well. No camera trickery or artistic license is taken. All deaths are ignoble. Klaus Kinski, as Aguirre, is an uncharismatic Richard III,. slightly hunchbacked and ugly, leading his followers down a mad path that can have only one destination.
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