mpaule-35625 Provocative. Terrifying. Quirkily informative. Engrossing. As always, Herzog poses questions that draw revealing responses from his interviewees—collectively a fascinating bunch of hackers sace and its distribution via networks; how it got started, where it is today, where it's going. He delves into the darkest aspects of the Internet looking at lives disconnected from nature and ruined by web addiction. Herzog also explores the immense benign and even, perhaps, spiritual possibilities of a connected globe while schooling us on the digital underpinnings we take for granted. The way the internet balances its data-flow load, for example is instructive. We learn, counter-intuitively, the larger such networks grow, the more efficient they become. Or consider that one good-sized solar flare—an event scientists deem a certainty every few hundred years—could fatally disrupt modern civilization. This is at once an inspiring and scary film. But there are moments of lightness too. A radio telescope specialist plays banjo in a bluegrass band. We learn the "Lo" of the title derives from the first word ever sent via modem —"Log." But it crashed the receiving computer after the first two letters. The ingenuity of humankind juxtaposed with humans' tendency to foul our nest has not been looked at with an eye as steely as that of Werner Herzog's. Like all the best docs, the ideas that enrich Lo and Behold will likely boil up in your consciousness many times in the days that follow your viewing.

Leofwine_draca LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD is the latest documentary work from Werner Herzog, one of my favourite directors of all time. This isn't quite as good as his other documentaries although fans will be well pleased by the choice of material. Herzog's production is typically reverent; the director contributes his trademark softly-spoken narration and there are some good visuals and music throughout.The theme this time around is the Internet, although the narrative structure is broken down into smaller chapters, or vignettes, exploring various aspects of the Internet that interest the director. Therefore we meet a grieving family whose life has been ruined by tragedy and subsequent cyber-bullying, and a group of woodland recluses who claim that wireless technology makes them sick. Individually, all of the stories are interesting, although I prefer the director's work that concentrates on a single subject matter at greater depth, such as GRIZZLY MAN.

jungerhanson When it's bad it's still pretty good...Lo and Behold is in my opinion not one of the best efforts by Herzog. It's entertaining, it has Herzog's trademark narration which is great but somehow this film and the way Herzog approached the subject matter feel a little bit hollow. Like Herzog phoned it in.There are really funny moments like those in the trailer but more often there are moments that feel a bit cheap. For example there is a family interviewed who where victim of being harassed on the internet. People where sending them gruesome pictures of their daughter who died in a car accident. This family is still pretty much damaged by these events. Instead of delving deeper in to why people do such awful things Herzog uses the family for laughs. Maybe this was not his intention but because their story was so minimal we got to see caricatures of who these people are really like. Which feels a bit lazy. The same goes for some of the other people interviewed. Herzog does his best to get an poetic or thoughtful response but most of the time people just look at him like they don't understand the question. Of course for each of the moments there is a brilliant scene just around the corner. So it's certainly not all bad. But a lot of times certain segments don't really add up or make sense. Like for example the segment about internet on Mars. It seemed a little bit disjointed and not the most coherent story. At these moments luckily Herzog comes in with his fantastic voice and entertaining narration and saves the movie from unraveling.All in all I found this movie entertaining but not up to the standards of other Herzog movies.

peefyn Herzog is a character, a clown, and it's hard not to love him. The moments where he peeks out (voice only) in this film are the absolute highlights. But it's important to remember with Herzog's films that they are often more than just documentaries, and I don't believe for a second that Herzog feels any obligation to present anything factual. He's interested in concept and perspectives, but not necessarily a photo realistic portrayal of the world. This is why I would argue that Herzog's films are more essays than documentaries. As long as you remember this, you will have a good time watching this movie.Herzog approaches the internet as if he is a stranger to it, leading to some very naive questions to the highly educated people he is interviewing. They are made to answer different questions than they are used to, and this leads to different answers. You can see Elon Musk being pulled out of his element by Herzog volunteering to go to mars.Herzog has a gift of finding the peculiar in people and situations. I am a bit worried that some of the people he is interviewing is not aware of how he will present them. I'm sure Herzog does it with love, but it's still obvious that he pick moments in the interviews where they are at their most goofy.When it comes to the subject itself, and it's interesting (though disjointed) exploration of the future of the internet and the connected world, but like any essay, it doesn't really answer any questions.