Encounters at the End of the World

Eccentric German director Werner Herzog and his cameraman travelled to Antarctica to film this documentary about the thousand-strong community of scientists who live there. Amongst the hauntingly desolate landscapes, Herzog speaks with a geologist, a zoologist, some volcanologists and a musician, as well as exploring a land of ice tunnels, beauty and penguins.

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: Herzog delivers neither fluffy wildlife showcase nor flat-out eco tub-thumping, but a characteristic amalgam of quirky observation and profound musing. He doesn’t bombard us with facts about global warming, but the evidence is so clear that there’s a doomsday feeling about all of this wonder, a feeling as powerful, haunting and humbling as the Bulgarian choral music the film reserves for its most eye-boggling moments. Seemingly off-hand, cumulatively imposing, utterly masterful. (Verdict: 5 stars out of 6)Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Few filmmakers make the end of days seem as hauntingly beautiful as Werner Herzog does, or as inexorable... One of the beauties of Encounters at the End of the World is that all the furry and floating animals are no more wondrous than the bipeds tramping through and around McMurdo [the scientific base]: the linguist turned philosopher, the banker turned bus driver and the female adventurer who, for drama and odd entertainment, likes to have herself zipped up in a carryall bag. (She's her own baggage.)

Philip French, the Observer: This documentary, Herzog's best film for years, takes him to the Antarctic to meet the scientists gathered at McMurdo Station, which looks, Herzog suggests, like a future space settlement. There are beautiful images, accompanied by sonorous choral music, remarkable insights into the natural world and the human condition and a good deal of humour, intentional and otherwise. Like the Ancient Mariner, Herzog hypnotises us and braces us with his uncompromising pessimism. ·