Rating: 
Summary: For Open- Minded Viewers With Patience
Review: My interest in KOYA (Koyaanisqatsi) and the Qatsi trilogy was sparked after watching a video called "Baraka" (1993) filmed by Ron Fricke, who is also the DP for KOYA. Fricke, however is not the DP for POWA ("Powaqqatsi [1988]) or NAQO (Naqoyqatsi [2002]). I relate to this form of filmmaking (aka "eye candy") since I too am a visual person working in film media. KOYA isn't for the movie- goer who uses movies to forget about the world and sit through 87 minutes of fantasy. Nor is it for the lover of explosions, chases and climactic scenes that most filmmakers and studio execs thrive on these days. There are implosions and explosions here. But what sets these apart is that it isn't make- believe. It is happening all the time, in our world right now, even though this movie was created in 1983. While mankind slowly takes control over the world, we see through Fricke's filming that we are actually out of control. And some people can feel rather uncomfortable having such images thrust in their faces. Watch this DVD only when you've had sufficient rest. If you are at all sleepy (or restless, even), put the disc aside and find something else to do until your mind is clear and you're ready to commit your full attention to KOYA. Otherwise you won't be able to appreciate the film. Also, you may want to hold off watching KOYA if you are living with depression since this film does nothing to lift up one's spirit or offer a sense of hope at the end. I think of KOYA (and the other films that Fricke embarked on) as a moving painting. So many people will gaze upon it and each one will have a different reaction to it. Look at the many different reviews that have been posted so far. And you'll see that in over 100 reviews posted for KOYA alone, each one is quite interesting and even unique. Some are rather passionate, even about what they feel is the correct film aspect ratio. Art has this same kind of effect. It can be either exquisite or trash. But no one is unmoved by KOYA (or the Qatsi trilogy or Baraka, for that matter). I can't predict if you'll like, hate, envy, despise, or even be born again. I can only tell you that you'll feel something. And you will look at things a little (or much more) differently that you do now. The music by Philip Glass at times sounds outdated now (especially with KOYA being 20 years old). The strange thing, however, is that Philip's composition can sound more outdated than other electronic music has been composed years before his. I give POWA 4 stars because it simply isn't a total success with its moments of weakness. I do suggest that you watch the "qatsi" trilogy in order; start with KOYA, then view Powaqqatsi (1988), and then complete your journey with Naqoyqatsi (2002). But no matter what, I urge you to consider "Baraka," currently my favorite film of this type and what I consider an essential DVD. Fricke expanded his filming to capture an intimate vision of humanity (good and bad), adding this with nature and technology and capturing it all in 70mm true letterbox (2.35:1). The DVD I have (I purchased the 2-DVD POWA/KOYA set) has not even a pamphlet in either DVD. There was a video with interviews of the director and composer, but I wished that the DVD had included an interview with Fricke.
Rating:
Summary: Great visuals, lousy soundtrack
Review: Visually, I love this movie. Ron Fricke pioneered a very poetic cinematographic technique, and went on to perfect his art in "Baraka". What really wrecks it for me, however, is the god-awful soundtrack. I admit that I'm not much of a Philip Glass fan, but this example is positively unbearable. If you really want to enjoy this movie, I advise you to create your own musical program. Here is one I came up with, which works amazingly well: Loreena McKennitt: The Book of Secrets
Tracks 1-4 Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
All 5 tracks Miles Davis: In a Silent Way
Track 1 Start the movie (on mute) and music at the same time, and prepare to be blown away...
Rating: 
Summary: Awful Release!
Review: I have rated this dvd 1 star, not the film itself. The film is a masterpeice, and an important piece of art. This dvd version of it is a piece of horse poop! If you have never seen this film, I suppose the way it is framed in this version might not really bother you, but if you actually CARE to see the film as was originally presented, THIS ISN'T IT! I am not sure exactly HOW they managed to frame this transfer so poorly, but if ineptitude is a virtue, these folks go to the head of the class. I won't get into the techical terms of aspect ratio, framing, and the like, but suffice it to say, this release LACKS a good amount of the original image. The image on the screen might be presented in the original apsect, but the framing of that aspect was done in such a way as to "zoom" too far in, thus erradicating, in my estimation, approx. 15-20% of the original image. In a film like Koyaanisqatsi, where the artist's framing of the image is so critical, changing the original image by framing it this way is unforgivable...well...maybe merely a waste of time and money. The frustrating thing for me was that the "full screen" vhs release actually gives the viewer a closer approximation of the original! I won't go on and on about it, but like I said before; If you want the original, you're going to have to wait. I suppose there is a laser disc version out there that is framed properly, but that's not really much help! Save your dough!
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Movie Ever Made
Review: OK, my title is a real strong statement, but I stand by it. I can remember the first time I saw it, on a 13 inch TV, on PBS, as I was channel surfing. I was at first, intrigued, then engrossed, finally, overwhelmed by this unbelievable look at the planet upon which we all live. How did director Godfrey Reggio come up with this fantastic marriage of unbelievable photography and minimalist music by composer Philip Glass? I don't know, but what a result! This movie was ground-breaking in its design and execution. Breathtaking, pioneering, and ultimately, very moving. The words 'tour de force' were invented for this film. Do you get the idea I liked this film? I've been waiting, waiting and waiting for this film to be released on DVD, and my copy is coming to me as a birthday present! BTW, I met a woman who worked on the film score of Reggio's latest film, and it was a real treat to get some insights into his character. Highly highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Prophetic
Review: One of the greatest peices of cinematic art of alltime. No other film will stick with you quite like Koyaanisqatsi. You will be enthralled by the organism that is industrial society. This film reveals many chilling revelations which up untill its release were never challenged or touched upon. Realization of this beast we have created. Many pounder the meaning and motives of this film. The answer is simply the title. Not the evils of man or hope for another way merely life out of balance. Reggio is truly one of the most influencial directors of our time. The soundtrack on the other hand is a disapointment. I must give Phillip Glass credit but his work in many ways cheapens the film. Mute your TV and put on radiohead's OK computer. It goes perfectly with the mood of the film. Boards of Canada's Geogaddi and Any Godspeed you black emperor record will go very well also.definately still as powerful today as when it was released 20 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Life out of Balance
Review: Life out of Balance As Western Civilisation tears a path across Earth, it leaves the debris of its construction scattered over the surface of the planet. America's `purple mountained majesty' and `spacious skies' have fallen to strip mines and heavily patrolled air space. Biological evolution has become irrelevant, replaced by the manipulation of our environment and genetic modification. We are rapidly constructing a civilisation of destruction. We have raped the earth of her beauty and replaced it with towers of corporate power and industrial wastelands. We have dehumanised ourselves, disconnected of earth itself we lose all identity as human creatures and are now but the interchangeable parts of a global machine. It is the horror of what we have become that forms the core of Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi. By juxtaposing the cool tranquillity of nature against the frantic rat race of man, Reggio demonstrates to us just how far we are removed from our origins. Unlike the desert calm or rolling clouds, we are the violent actions of Earth. Volcanoes, we erupt upon the surface, creating havoc and destroying all that lie in our path. Reggio prompts us to ask ourselves why we are what we have become. Koyaanisqatsi, despite dating to 1983, is still highly relevant. It's timeless. It transcends the barriers of language, relying only upon images and music to transmit its message. The message is sometimes confused, hidden behind a façade of beauty, but it is in this façade that the message is found. The juxtaposition of nature's beauty against man's hideous creations is intended to reveal our true nature. Our awesome construction projects, the very indicator of our power, are ugly. The fabric of our society, the web we weave, is weak. Every inch we raise ourselves above what is considered base, is merely another inch for us to fall. Reggio's film is a cinematic masterpiece. Each shot is beautifully composed, offering us new perception into the world we spend our every waking moment in. However, it is in the manipulation of the images that the message is created. By under and over cranking the camera, Reggio changes not only our visual perception but also our relationship with time. He is able to isolate people on the crowded streets of New York and Los Angeles, slowing the rush of a nine to five existence. The sense of worthlessness is overwhelming, these individuals are lost amongst the masses, one of millions who crowd the streets. Yet for a few brief seconds this individual is bought to a near halt, immortalised on celluloid. It demonstrates the very banality of modern human existence. Humanity strives for immortality is some form or another, but in our very quest we have wrought our own destruction. Humanity's zenith has passed. In the final shot of the film, one which lasts several minutes, we watch a shuttle launch into space. Space exploration, man's greatest achievement, becomes a metaphor for its creator. As the craft rises above the earth it carries the hopes of a species. It is majestic, the pinnacle of technology, the culmination of 100 000 years of modern human existence. However, like man, the craft is doomed for failure. As the explosion tears the craft apart, so are the dreams of man strewn across the empty sky. The camera follows a piece of flaming debris as it falls to earth. This is our fate. As Lucifer fell from heaven, so must man fall from grace. The film attempts to illustrate the flaws of man. In our success lies our failure. It does not advocate any cause or lifestyle, it merely informs us of who we are and what we will become of our future should we continue as we are.
Rating: 
Summary: Crackling on the hotline to the heavens
Review: Hi, I've known this film for 10 years now (being 30) and it's probably my top all-time favourite. But it's rather difficult to secure a copy (let alone enjoying any theater presentation or TV broadcasting!) so I was soooo glad it came out on dvd! I bought it even before I had a player! I'm glad I did, even though my present player is Zone 2 only!
However I agree that this dvd is not very good quality. The image is unprecise, the flow is jerky, and the sound (Philip Glass's score, ever so demanding on sound quality!!) is poor. Were these drawbacks already present on the vhs version? Or in the original film itself? I wonder. As for aspect ratio, I fully trust frankenberry and join in calling for a truthfull rendering of Ron Fricke's art work.
When will we get a remastered, affordable (and Zone 1 + Zone 2 releases!) dvd??
Yet all in all, it's still the only one available: so buy it anyway. No matter how (rather) disappointing the quality may be to the original film, if you like it you just have to have your own copy so you can watch it every week, or every night, or every hour-and-a-half in your life!!
G. Reggio's and Ph. Glass's interviews are interesting too: they shed additional light on the work, without demythifying the work of art in any way. It *is* a spiritual and esthetical experience.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless and Limitless
Review: This film has no dialogue, no recognizable characters, no plotline, but it is FABULOUS. Somehow the lack of structure doesn't bother me. This video might represent the perfect melding of images and sound - the cinematography enhances the music, which in turn enhances the sights on the screen, in a wonderful reciprocal sort of way. This film is a must-have for anyone who likes minimalism, loud music, bold new cinematic ideas, clever juxtaposition of images (the airplane on the freeway is my favorite), or just plain old good art. That's really all this is - art as beautiful as any Beethoven symphony or Rembrandt painting. And you don't have to buy into Reggio's culture-condemning worldview to appreciate the movie, either; as one critic said, the speed shots of hectic city life are almost exultant, celebratory. So go out and buy this film. I've heard there are issues with the DVD version, so it might be wise to stick with VHS for now.
Rating:
Summary: An audiovisual glimpse into the early 1980s US economy
Review: Koyaanisqatsi is an audiovisual time capsule. It shows America at a time of great transition--with microcomputers, global outsourcing, and technology on the brink of relegating the American worker to obsolescence. Filmed between 1977 and 1982, Koyaanisqatsi takes place on the doorstep of automation. Throughout the film, and especially during "The Grid" sequence, we observe several examples of the outmoded 1970s economy: 1) Pontiac TransAms being assembled by factory workers. Car assembly has been mostly automated. 2) TVs being assembled by American workers. I can't name a single company that still manufactures TV's in the US. 3) Thousands of workers streaming from a Lockheed plant--a vestige of Cold War military build-up. 4) Letters being visually inspected by US postal workers. Text recognition technolgy has since automated this process. Koyaanisqatsi contains many shots of corporations/businesses that are defunct or on the verge of bankruptcy. Examples from the film include: 1) K-Mart: the film contains two tracking shots of K-Mart cash registers. K-Mart filed for bankruptcy in 2001. 2) United Airlines: During "Vessels," we view two UA 747-200s taxiing at LAX (accompanied by Philip Glass's sublime score). Today, UA is undergoing a massive corporate restructuring. 3) Chemical Bank: The Grand Central Station sequence contains a shot of Chemical Bank "Express". What ever happened to Chemical Bank? I agree with the reviewer who claims that Koyaanisqatsi is an ode to-not indictment of-modern technology. However, most of what we see in the film, especially during "The Grid" sequence, is no longer modern by today's standards. During "The Grid," we experience a spellbinding time-lapse ride along the Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, which was subsequently demolished in the name of new urbanism. For any fan of modernity (in the late 1970s and early 1980s sense), Koyaanisqatsi is essential viewing.
Rating:
Summary: From Background to Foreground
Review: After I unwrapped this DVD, I re-played it constantly throughout the day. This is the most addictive DVD I've ever owned. The whole point of this film is to take things that form the background of modern life (landscapes, industry, technology, transportation, etc.) and bring them squarely into the foreground. The musical score contributes heavily to this process. The opening sequence, which switches from Anasazi pictographs to an ultra-slow-motion closeup view of a Saturn-V liftoff, has an almost religious feel to it. Koyaanisqatsi was made over a period of about 6 years and was released in 1983. Many aspects of this film have been imitated in movies, television, and advertising since then. However, few people have actually seen this masterpiece, and it was nearly impossible to get ahold of prior to this recent DVD release.
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