I can gaurantee this is unlike any film you've ever seen before. Baraka is not a movie with a plot or words, but it is one massive work of art, a composition with the scenery as the main "characters". This movie will open your eyes to the fact that there is a whole world of different cultures, religions, and rituals out there. It will give you chills, make you smile, make you gasp, and make you appriciate diversity. Baraka is not a film for everyone. If you are ethnocentric, you might not see the point. If you have a passion to learn and become enlightened, you will love it.

Baraka is a visual feast like no other, a film that begs to be seen on the largest screen possible so the viewer can absorb the grandiose feel of the images. This is the type of film that IMAX was made for. Filmed on a 70mm camera in a total of 24 countries, it is a dialogue-free film that takes the viewer around the globe into uncharted lands. The first half of the film shows us the natural beauty of earth as we are shown striking images of mountain ranges, deserts, tropical rain forests, volcanoes, solar temples, exotic animals. The whole thing is done to the tune of a spellbinding soundtrack of ambient music, Gregorian chants, flutes and other exotic sounds by world music artists such as Harmonic Choir and Dead Can Dance.

But Baraka is much more than just National Geographic for the visually inclined. Its purpose is to give us a view of the world good and bad. And as the second half of the film unwinds, the tone of Baraka becomes increasingly dark and pessimistic as we are exposed to some of the harsh realities of the world like homelessness, poverty, slave labour, hunger. Horrifying images of tree-chopping, sweatshops, subway-cramming in Tokyo and scenes in a chicken factory will make many cringe and think twice about eating chicken for a while. But sometimes even within these backdrops of despair can be found things that are beautiful such as the joy and happiness on children's faces despite growing up in poverty-stricken 2nd world countries. These kids grow up with practically no material possessions yet they seem so HAPPY, much happier than kids of first-world countries who grow up with any material object their heart desires.

Baraka is certainly not the kind of film we are used to seeing. I struggled with it for the first 10 minutes or so but then immediately fell under its spell and forgot that I was watching a film with no dialogue. Sometimes it's nice to be able to flick off the brain, not worry about following a story and just let oneself be absorbed by what's on screen, and that's what this film does. The only minor squabbles I had were the absence of writing on the screen to let us know where in the world we are and that the film did peter out a little towards the end. Baraka is a film worth purchasing that will stand well to multiple viewings and might even make some think twice about where their real priorities ought to be.

If your interested in seeing what the film claims to be, " a transcendently poetic, world-wide tour of the globe blah blah blah ..speaks directly to the soul" - dont bother, it dosent happen. Instead you will find about 10 minutes of lovely scenery followed by lengthy film of poverty, cruelty and torture, including images of baby chicks having their beaks burnt off, graphic pictures of death camps and over-worked donkeys collapsing and dying (?!). Anyone who finds this "visually stimulating" needs psychiatric help.
Fair enough if the film would actually indicate that your in for a visual experience depicting the apparent desperate state of the world, but there is no indication whatsoever of this pathetic morbidness in filmmaking, in fact it is offensive that the cover would suggest what lies within is even remotely "beautiful". Anyone who insists on watching it plse think twice before scaring your children with it - and if the film does have one worth-while message it is nothing to do with cinematography, its simply this : Think twice where your next KFC wing came from! And is it worth it ?

I saw this film in its original 70mm glory before I had any idea what it was. Not knowing anything about made it all the more spectacular. All I was told is 'you gotta see it'.

It is a symbiosis of sound and sight in a truly unique synthesis. One without the other leaves one with a sense of absence. Yet the two together are perfect. Michael Stearns provides a soundscape that buoys music from around the world. Add to this stunning scenery and fascinating people both at play and at work from around the world and you've got a delight for the senses. You really do just have to see it.

Personally I have to watch it when I'm alone as most people I know simply think the movie to be a bit odd as it is not your traditional 'movie'. Yet it is so much more than a documentary or some kind of advertisement for the Sierra Club or something. It is truly something to be experienced.

Now for the bad news. The picture quality on the DVD is spectacular, so too the songs. However, there are some moments of rather loud static in between the songs. It sounded to me at first like the wind or part of the film but then I realized it's not. It sounds like tape hiss (and I know for certain that it isn't my sound system). Perhaps bad transfer or a bad original, I don't know, but it is almost, though not quite, distracting enough to put a damper on it.

So five stars for the film and the music, four (even three) on the DVD.

We picked up the original DVD of Baraka a few months ago, and were knocked out by the film. Upon hearing of the new release, I ordered it to see how much better the transfer is from the original (and this version cost less, too--go figure). We ran each DVD through two different players on two different TVs. Honestly, there isn't an appreciable difference in picture quality. In fact, we had to boost the color when playing the new release---otherwise, colors were a little washed out. The image clarity on each print looked to be the same, although I'd love to see a 70mm print in a big theater. As far as the score goes, it did sound as if the remaster had a bit more presence, although that should not discredit the fidelity of the original.

In any case, Baraka is a captivating work of art that takes the medium to creative levels that dramatic film, or even documentary film, cannot. Every time I watch it, I stare at the screen with childlike fascination at the images. It takes me out of my petty little world and shows me the bigger picture, and that is why I love this film.

It's too bad that Koyannisqatsi is wrapped up on so much red tape, I'd like to see that on DVD at a reasonable price, too.