Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Get out of all the everyday's confusion, run away from the troubles you have and for one moment just think about what life's is all about, why we are here on this planet with this life. Make some reflections of why we end up destroying our world while trying to make better things for ourselves. And most important: realize that this parasitic way of life (consumations, explorations, degradations, etc.) that reaches a life's transition from some point to another distant point is the same thing that make us live and evolve and it can also make us die. Stop everything and watch Godfrey Reggio's second installment of his Qatsi trilogy "Powaqqatsi". This is art and philosophy at its best, together!I'm a little suspect to talk about these powerful and beautiful documentaries since I'm a big fan of all of them and my perception on each film is a mix of things that in the end leaves me speechless. Reggio's take on this film goes almost the same way the other two "Koyaanisqatsi" (1983) and "Naqoyqatsi" (2001): countless images taken from around the world (10 countries including Brazil, Egypt, Hong Kong, Peru and others), images that take us back to the wild, forests, deserts, reminding us of how the world was at one day, later making a contrast with our modern world of cities, computers, technologies, cars, the polluted and almost destroyed world; the endless and inadequate balance between war and peace, joy and sadness, power and weakness; beautiful and fantastic panoramic shots of places followed by the great music by Philip Glass. "Powaqqatsi" (which means "Parasitic way of life" or "life in transformation" in the Hopi language) reflects about how the third world countries were affected by the evolution of better developed countries in terms of production, exportation, technology, the impact on culture and other things. The first image of the film is powerful and very memorable: an enormous line of suffering miners in Serra Pelada, one of the biggest gold mines to appear in Brazil in the 1980's, and you see the miners long walking in it, you see them by the thousands. From this point, just follow the images, the sounds, the way people look at the camera, reflecting on something we don't know and think about how small we are in this vast world that seems so far away but at the same time it might be so close to us all.I enjoyed it a lot this film although a little bit less than the others since the way the theme was explored until finally reach its conclusion, explaining what the title means, was distractive at parts, sometimes the images just went way too far for a purpose in which I couldn't find any. The music was good but Glass placed his more common materials in soundtracks like the violins and keyboards on the side, turning his preference to horns, trumpets, percussions and more noisy instruments and in the end it wasn't a much memorable soundtrack. But these are minor complaints of a outstanding work and must not be taken so seriously.If you like meditation through films, stunning images that can make you smile, cry, think, feel, make your heart beat, things that can hypnotize you in a great way, a stir of the senses in just one media "Powaqqatsi" is perfect for you. Don't even blink for a second! 10/10

The use of Philip Glass's music, which incorporates various world music genres (so it's not typical minimalist Glass), along with the pictures of various "Global South" locations, provides a window into a world that not many of us in the "Global North" encounter. The first time I saw this movie was when it was accompanied live by Philip Glass and his ensemble, and I have to say that's the best way to see it.Whereas Koyaanisqatsi (the first film in the trilogy) focused primarily on the ramifications of industrialization and on the priority of speed in modern life, Powaqqatsi moves at a leisurely, stately pace, indicative of the pace of life in non-industrialized and non-urbanized (or partially industrialized or urbanized) societies. This film will not be to everybody's taste, as there is no dialogue, no plot, and no resolution at the end in a "happily ever after". But for what it is (Ebert called it a sort of music video), it's excellent.

This film sweeps along in what sometimes looks almost like a travel documentary. The viewer is taken to Brazilian mines, across plains, native fishing fleets, Egypt (?) and New York. The film seems to be drawing a contrast between the Third World and "Civilization" ways of lifeThe images presented are breath-taking and beautifully shot, if at times a little disquieting (the close-up, "in the face" shots of people make you feel that you are invading their privacy!). But what makes the film for me is the music, I honestly thought at one time that it was the reason for the film.The Score is by Phillip Glass, and just soars along linking everything together. It's very well done and you find yourself disappointed when a theme ends, only to be replaced by another, just as good as the last. Some of the music also cropped up in "The Truman Show" (Jim Carey as Truman, 1998), causing me to dig out my aging VCR recording of Powaqqatsi and wear it out a little more. Looking forward to the DVD.

I saw Koyaanisqatsi several times in the late eighties and was truly mesmerized. After that Powaqqatsi was a true disappointment. I didn't understand it, to be honest.Many years later I bought the DVDs and saw them both recently. I still like Koyaanisqatsi, even if it couldn't meet my great expectations. But now Powaqqatsi emerged as a true beauty!I find the photography and music far superior to that of Koyaanisqatsi. Real people, instead of land- and cityscapes (even if wonderful). Some of the Powaqqatsi scenes are simply breathtaking. African women in clear red cloth against the desert sand, the introductory (horrible) scene from the Brazilian mine, etc, etc.I strongly recommend all those that were utterly disappointed 10 years ago to see Powaqqatsi again!