It's far from one of Werner Herzog's best movies, but given it's Herzog, it's still interesting. Even when he's not firing on all cylinders, there's still a good deal to find engaging.
Here, there's some great visuals, interesting ideas/themes (mainly in the final third, where the point of the movie becomes clearer), and some really good camerawork (also again, mostly in the final third).
I think, from what I could interpret, this was something of a critique of reversal of the dated and flawed "white saviour trope," as in this film - in the second half mainly - a white man interacts with a West African tribe and makes their lives more violent and endangered for his own selfish motives.
Klaus Kinski frequently worked with Herzog and is pretty good here, but his character doesn't change or progress as much as he usually does in Herzog's films, making him a bit less interesting. It also giving Kinski a bit less to do than normal.
Also pacing-wise, it's a bit of a mess. It's sort of like three short movies in one, and while on paper there's some reasons for transitioning between them, it doesn't feel seamless while watching.
Here, there's some great visuals, interesting ideas/themes (mainly in the final third, where the point of the movie becomes clearer), and some really good camerawork (also again, mostly in the final third).
I think, from what I could interpret, this was something of a critique of reversal of the dated and flawed "white saviour trope," as in this film - in the second half mainly - a white man interacts with a West African tribe and makes their lives more violent and endangered for his own selfish motives.
Klaus Kinski frequently worked with Herzog and is pretty good here, but his character doesn't change or progress as much as he usually does in Herzog's films, making him a bit less interesting. It also giving Kinski a bit less to do than normal.
Also pacing-wise, it's a bit of a mess. It's sort of like three short movies in one, and while on paper there's some reasons for transitioning between them, it doesn't feel seamless while watching.