The Wild Blue Yonder (2005)

Directed by Werner Herzog

Starring Brad Dourif

This is a strange amalgam of styles, the majority of the footage is from Nasa, inside the Space Shuttle and from an Antarctic diving expedition along with plenty of stock footage. There is very little filmed specifically for the film and what there is is pretty basic. 

The soundtrack is pretty remarkable though, similar in style to another of his documentaries, The White Diamond featuring cellist Ernst Reijseger with Senegalese singer Mola Sylla also a Sardinian choir, a very eclectic mix which adds a genuine mystique to the proceedings.

The one constant is Brad Dourif, who although seen rarely, narrates throughout the film and is the nameless alien from the Andromeda system. Basically the whole story As told from an alien perspective concerns humanities over population and abuse of Earth forcing us to look to the stars for a new home. The aliens originally landed here from Andromeda, they looked to the Earth with envious eyes as their planet became a frozen wasteland and built a city with shopping malls (now a crumbling ruin) for their people, it failed miserably. The paradox is, the crew sent into space to find a new world have found one, a world encased in ice but suitable for human habitation, the planet Andromeda.

Done with a touch of humour, this is a warning against the mass consumerism that is decimating the resources of Earth, Brad Dourif makes a good alien and his narration holds all the collective images together. As already said, the soundtrack is something else, very diverse and strange. Overall the project just about hangs together and works but has a very low budget rushed feel to it.

This was shown recently on BBC4, (the film was partly funded by the BBC) but to be honest, I would think it would be a totally different (far more inspirational and immersive) experience on the big screen.

My recommendation, if this has piqued your interest, try and catch it in the cinema where the images and sound will be far more potent.

Cheers Trev.