Fireball: Mitos, cometas e meteoros

When you watch a documentary by Werner Herzog, what you get isn't just your traditional well narrated documentary. It's a journey. A journey through the world and through different cultures with a specific theme. This time, this specific theme are Meteors and it's origins. Werner Herzog behind the camera and also serving as the narrator, he again comes with support, and like with "Into the Inferno " (2016) this support is the charismatic Volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer.

Calling "Fireball" a traditional documentary isn't the right term. It's a mesmerizing mixture containing the power of science, spectacular pitctures and music. Combined with Herzogs relaxing voice, this documentary works more like a lucid dream than a simple documentary about Meteors. If you watched Into the Inferno on Netflix, you kinda know what to expect. Into the Inferno is also brillant and I cannot recommend it enough. If you have watched Fireball on Apple TV before and now wanna dig deeper into this Arthouse-Documentary style, go for it.

If you plan to watch Inferno, relax, enjoy it with a good Whisky or Whine and let it absorb you. In my opinion, only Werner Herzog is capable of grabbing the viewer in such a way.

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Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds

It's always a joy to listen to Werner Herzog as he goes through his subjects and narrates them and you can see his passion, his excitement for finding unique, hard to find little stories about science, about people around the world and to retell them through his filmmaking skills, to try to share that beautiful things he found in his journey.

However, this film is a bit formless and weak on structure and layout. Herzog and his co-director Clive Oppenheimer just go interview some knowledgeable people and scientists about asteroids and meteorites. There's no arc and momentum about this film, it's just a collection of interviews, locations and some information about meteorites. If you already have an interest about them, this is a must see for you, and if not, well, it's a watchable film but not a very deep or memorable one.

As a long-time admirer of Herzog, I wouldn't describe myself as free from bias. I approached this documentary with caution, given my recent experiences with some of his latest work (Family Romance Inc, et al). Without ruining your experience, there is one thing I could say about this documentary: it transmits the passion and drive of Herzog's golden days. Many of the clichés are still there (the soundtrack, for instance), but in a good way. Herzog meets an old friend and together they explore a fascinating topic: meteorites. In the long, silent shots of human faces, the Herzog magic of old re-emerges. As in the old days, Fireball is ultimately a human look no other director could provide. It doesn't have the slow pace of ol'; Herzog's interaction with Hollywood probably has a lot to do with that. But in the end, Fireball deserves to be seen. It is an intimate and colourful exploration of us and the rocks and dust that makes us.

This film just puts science and fiction into the realms of extraordinary possibilities beyond our own human existence. It is at once real and incredible, probing into the messages from light years away that showcases a magical, if sometimes frightening, expanse that's beyond our wildest imagination. And the real treat, and stunning truth, is that science is showing us how space and the cosmos is so much so connected to us at the core.

Definitely not as juicy as some of Werner Herzog's other documentaries. Maybe it was the effect Oppenheimer had on the interviewees; maybe he couldn't get as much out of them as Herzog might have. The subject matter is infinitely intriguing but Fireball just didn't get out of 3rd gear.