Cinema review
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Brad Dourif, Capt. Donald Williams, Dr. Ellen Baker
Release date 15 June 2007

An alien relates the story of how he ended up on Earth, and a group of astronauts are stranded in space, unable to return home…

Werner Herzog might like to describe The Wild Blue Yonder as a “science fiction fantasy”, but this is more Koyaanisqatsi than Star Wars. The film consists of dialogue-free scenes of real astronauts floating around a space station and divers swimming in strange, beautiful waters, with scenes broken up by Brad Dourif telling us how he “sucks” at being an alien as he kicks sand about a bit. Oh, and several astrophysicists occasionally pop up to sneeze or scribble complex equations on a white board (probably unfathomable if you’re not trained in astrophysics yourself).

The idea of crafting a science fiction story around documentary footage of space and the sea is an intriguing one, and there’s a certain hypnotic beauty to The Wild Blue Yonder - though really that’s just nice way of saying it’s a bit dull. But even if it’s unlikely that Werner’s latest will repeat the success of his beguiling Grizzly Man, there is something admirable about the way in which the director is free to make unique, personal pictures in whatever genre he pleases. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 5/10
A fairly soporific journey to space and beyond.