Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance (1982)

Impressive film/unimpressive DVD

I love this film. One of the most moving works of art ever created, however the DVD transfer is underwhelming. DVD can use up to 10 MBPS. When surround sound is used up to about 9 MBPS. I work preofessionally with video (shooting/editing) and spend a fair amount of time authoring DVDs. Why they chose to stick to 3 - 5 MBPS is appalling. For those of you who do not know MBPS = Mega Bits Per Second. MBPS is similar to Megapixels (when speaking about a digital camera). The higher the Mega Bits used per second the more information used to store thie picture and thus the higher the quality the picture will be and the better it will look. I would still recommend this DVD...only because this is as of now the best way to see the film (outside the off chance it will be shown in some art house theatre). Beware,however, it will not look great...good maybe. I can't wait until Kayaanisqatsi is remastered for Blu-ray. June 30, 2008

What have we done?

I first encountered Koyaanisqatsi in 1984,and was awed by the photography used to create the images that I saw. As time went on and I watched it several more times, I slowly began to understand the story this film was telling:We are slowly destroying the very planet we live on,our only home in this vast universe. When I've shown this movie to family and friends the first thing they do when watching it is recognize some of the locations that were used and they get a kick out of that.It's not until they see it again that they start to understand what it's about, and it's very touching to see the looks on their faces as they realize what is happening.
The music used is very mesmerizing, but there are a couple of places where it goes on and on and it makes you feel like "enough already!" Give it a chance,as it helps make the movie what it is.
June 11, 2008

This certainly is a "remarkable film event"

Fast-moving clouds, hydroelectric dams, congested highways, abandoned buildings, grand canyons, waterfalls, Wall Street, gigantic airplanes, the Twinkie Factory, the list is endless in "Koyaanisqatsi". This film shows how Mother Nature will stay the way it is, and how human society will transform into a worse shape than today's. It was made in 1983, but its message is still powerful 25 years later. A+ June 8, 2008

Unforgettable. Amazing. When's HD version?

This movie made a huge impression on me.
It started my appreciation of the others in the series, and started me off on American minimalist music.

I can't express how much I love this movie.

So....when's the HD version out? When it comes out on HD, I'll buy an HD player. May 1, 2008

Not worth the energy....

It doesn't matter what aspect ratio it's in, it is a horrendous movie either way. there are people praising this, and it does not deserve that praise.
I'm an art major. I like the so called weird, flaky stuff. Koyaanisqatsi, however, made me want to gouge my eyes out. This movie is just an example of what people do when they have too much money. Nest time, give that money to me, and save the world from a horrendous waste of time. February 11, 2008

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