Rating: 
Summary: THIS FILM DESERVES RESPECT - ASPECT RATIO FIX
Review: MASTERWORKS LIKE THIS DON'T ARRIVE EVERYDAY, YEAR, OR DECADE!!! Amazing Soundtrack + Hypnotic/Dazzling Imagery + Philosophical Criticism of Human Behavior/Society = HIGH ART (not for the mediocre-minded). If you're an artist, or great lover of art/philosophy, I believe this movie IS for YOU!!! However, there's only ONE way to know for certain -- GET IT AND WATCH IT (with an open mind). NOTE: To view this film in its proper aspect ratio with an ordinary 4:3 TV or monitor, setup your DVD player so that the TV type = 16:9
Rating: 
Summary: Quite a good end to the trilogy
Review: Well, I don't think that "Naqoyqatsi" is so bad stuff. The same way I don't think that is the masterpiece of the "Qatsi" trilogy. There are a very good visual moments, nice ideas about how the technology rules our lives, about the power of digital world in our society. Philip Glass with yo Yo Ma are great, as usual. "Naqoyqatsi" is a real nice third chapter to this fabulous trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Greatly Disappointed
Review: I am so disappointed in this movie. I am a HUGE fan of Powaqqatsi and expected the same quality. The music is awesome, but the visuals in this movie leave much to be desired. The overuse of cheap filters on the visuals is so distracting, and the creators use these to provide "interest" because the visuals are in many places boring and in general do not work for me in a movie with the concept of "life is war". Some of the imagery is obvious, too obvious, and other imagery just doesn't work for this movie.The only part of the movie that really worked for me (other than the music, which as I said is really awesome), is the first 5 minutes of the film. The rest was a waste of time. Get Powaqqatsi and Koyaanisqatsi instead. MUCH better.
Rating: 
Summary: Resolved: Aspect Ratio is Correct, but Poorly Decided
Review: At qatsi.org, the film's co-producer resolved our dispute about Naqoyqatsi's actual aspect ratio. Therefore, we can be confident that there was indeed a creative decision to stretch out 4:3 images into 16:9 distortions. This admission, however, subjects the film to a justifiably severe criticism: Such consistent distortion of the film, from precisely 4:3 to precisely 16:9, is fundamentally un-creative. It invokes a cliche that is not even based on creativity, but rather technical failure -- such a stretched image evokes, to even the most casual viewer, a familiar technical error. For example, sometimes projectionists in movie theaters flip the wrong lens, meant for a 'scope presentation (2.35:1), in front of a classic 1.35:1 or 1.40:1 source. This lends any given popcorn movie (say, "Scary Movie 3") the same stretched appearance. I watched the panel discussion at NYU on the DVD, and noted that a key element of the creative process was video research. Indeed, the working process of Naqoyqatsi, as compared to the previous two films, was of compiling found footage. In sum, the so-called "creative decision" to stretch all images, start-to-finish, was really an expedient way to solve a technical discrepancy between your found footage (video sources, all 4:3) and widescreen theatrical presentation. It would have consumed very little time for Jon Kane and his collaborators to crop their 4:3 sources into an aspect ratio that does not insult the intelligence. Selecting the most compelling 16:9 frame within a 4:3 source is the same sort of creative decision that a cinematographer constantly makes.
Rating:
Summary: best movie ever!
Review: if you're into powerful music and amazing images designed to deliver a message to humankind, you would LOVE this movie!
Rating:
Summary: THE DVD IS INDEED MASTERED CORRECTLY.
Review: In an attempt to clear up the issue - the DVD for Naqoyqatsi is masterd correctly. Mr. Reggio intended the image to be "squeezed" into a 16X9 format regardless of the venue (TV, movie theater, etc.) This was a creative decision made in the first weeks of the production. Rest assured that the manner in which the DVD presents the film is IDENTICLE to the way it appears on a movie screen projected from the film master. I hope you enjoy the film.
Rating:
Summary: Miramax says this is how the picture should look
Review: As others have noticed, this picture is not anamorphic - with many or most scenes stretched horizontally. The Miramax technician I talked to said that this was how the producer wanted the film transferred (!) and that they were not planning any changes to the release. I don't know if this is really the case but you should be aware if you buy this DVD that it will not look good on a 16X9 television. If anyone knows the producer of the film you might pass this information on to him. The technician did admit that they've received a number of calls on this issue.
Rating:
Summary: hotsie-totsie another qatsi!!
Review: My wife and I were very pleased with the third part of the qatsi triology. (We were very disappointed with Powaqqatsi.) Naqoyqatsi is as good as Koyaanisqatsi, made 25 years ago, and similar in many respects, yet totally different. Advances in computing and imaging technology have produced a series of stunning and hypnotizing new imagery. Reggio's commentary in the added features section is also excellent.
Rating:
Summary: THIS DISC IS MASTERED INCORRECTLY!
Review: There is something wrong with the 16x9 anamorphic encoding of this disc. If you view the film on a widescreen TV in 16x9 mode, the image becomes stretched about 10 minutes in and stays that way for the remainder of the film. However, if you watch it on a DVD player which has been set for 4:3, you will see a letterboxed image that is NOT stretched and contains more image on the sides. Therefore, on 16x9 TVs, this film is presented in a COMPLETELY incorrect manner! The image was not "stretched" in theaters, and it should not appear this way on home screens. There is one way those with widescreen TVs can see this film with the correct image: enter your DVD player's setup mode, and switch from 16:9 to 4:3. Then watch the film in your TV's "zoom" mode. This compromises resolution, but at least the image isn't stretched! This is a recall situation, but "Naqoyqatsi" is such an oscure film that this is unlikely to happen. Therefore, if you own a widescreen TV and have noticed this problem, PLEASE call Miramax Home Video at 1-800-477-2811 and let them know. The technician I spoke to at Miramax Home Video confirmed that this is a real problem.
Rating:
Summary: No Fricke = No Backbone
Review: In plain English: a team of self-important politically correct types decided to prove that they can do it withoit Ron Fricke, who was the artistic spirit behind the previous two films of the series. They failed. Thickly laid-out propaganda, tiresome, flickering, mostly uninventive computerized graphics, envious prejudice masquerading as its own cure. Philip Glass repeated himself one time too many: anybody musically literate can write better. True talent and acute intellect (Ron Fricke) left this group; what remains is pitifully disjointed and shallow. Watch the beautiful, stunning "Baraka" instead!
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