Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance

Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance (1982)

  • 89% of critics liked it
    (18 reviews)

  • 91% of users liked it
    (14,300 ratings)

An art-house circuit sensation, this feature-length documentary is visually arresting and possesses a clear, pro-environmental political agenda. Without a story, dialogue, or characters, Koyaanisqatsi (1983) (the film's title is a Hopi word roughly translated into English as "life out of… More

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Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Michael Hoenig, Ron Fricke
Genres
Documentary, Special Interest
In Theaters
Feb 1, 1983 Wide
New Cinema

Critic Reviews

  • Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine

    An extensive and virtually flawless presentation of one of American cinema's most fascinatingly singular achievements.

  • Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com

    Whether or not the movie exposes a world that is manifestly out of balance, Reggio and Glass's liturgy is that rarest of art forms: an avant-garde work with purpose and substance that also succeeds as entertainment.

  • Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com

    MGM's DVD release presents Koyaanisqatsi in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the value of which can't be underestimated.... Even better served is the audio ... that gives Philip Glass's monumental score the room-filling presence it deserves.

  • James Plath, Reel.com

    Okay, I get it. Nature is calm, urban life is not, and we are not living as nature intended. Now what?

  • Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian

    Relentlessly concerned with the surface reality of human life, Koyaanisqatsi completely misses the inner beauties and dignities of man-made civilization.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • Jonathan H


    So, Koyanisqaatsi. Boring junk to some, an involving masterpiece to others, and God knows what other adjective-noun combinations are out there. Most of these descriptions are fairly subjective, but it would definitely be wrong to regard Koyanisqaatsi as anti-cinema. It is anything… More

  • Chris W


    This just might be the greatest non-narrative film of all time. It might not have a plot, and the script was probably more like an outline of the various sequences, but there's definitely a story here. Composed entirely of various footage of both natural and human environments… More

  • Sophie B


    Visually and metaphorically very good. I especially liked the comparison between the sausages and humans. Very interesting but not something to watch for entertainment. We are destroying this world. Nature vs. humans.

  • Anthony L


    koyaanisqatsi highlights our subconscious obsession with capitalism and is a propaganda film / koyaanisqatsi is a sinister yet sarcastic comment on the destructive nature of the human race and highlights their constant delusions of self-importance / koyaanisqatsi is a collection of… More

  • Jeremy S


    An amazing movie, almost life captured in all its character.

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

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