TimeScapes (2012) User Reviews

Amazing spectacle; no story required

[LynchpinHags · 9/10 · 6 July 2012]

I'm a bit of a fan of good photography, and I enjoyed films like Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi. Whilst these two examples have a theme, however loosely you might interpret it, Timescapes is all about the spectacle. Don't be thrown off by negative comments because it doesn't have a story - it doesn't need one. Half the films in Hollywood are all visuals and sound effects with little story, and at least Timescapes has these qualities without pretending to be anything else.

It is expertly shot, beautifully scored, and I found it to be a rousing film that can be enjoyed just for the craft alone. Whether you are a fan of photography, astronomy, or just like something cutting edge, this film will not disappoint.

Soothing art!

[hanson-thegamer · 9/10 · 29 August 2019]

This compilation that lasts for approx. 40 minutes is something beyond just an ordinary movie! Filled with vivid graphics and grandiose background music which really soothed me like a boose! I'd be honest that this movie works like a melatonin boost before you sleep.

However, it would be perfect if there were less repetitive scenes which literally re-appeared for uncountable times! If the repetitiveness only happened in the beginning, then if should be fine, but it occurred through the whole part of this short movie.

And, yes, just like what somebody mentioned there in the review section as well, this story lacks the touch of a story. If just a nice story is included, then it might have been better. BUT, I shall be honest that if a "bad" story is added to this already masterpiece of work, some seemingly nagging critics out there might as well rate the movie bad just because the story looks like something they've seen before.

A masterpiece!

[mil_cage · 8/10 · 3 June 2012]

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Tom lowe is a big Director who has created the first 4k-resolution movie to ever be sold to the public.

This movie has taken things to the next level and has introduced new issues into the movie market. I am very grateful for having the opportunity to watch this documentary and would like to thank Tom Lowe for his kindness and willingness to share his knowledge with people all over the world.

The camera work and imagery are truly breathtaking. Even without the big screen, you can feel the essence of nature,its beauty, and its spiritual connections. What a fantastic masterpiece!

a visual masterpiece - must see

[humodda · 10/10 · 14 July 2012]

There are movies and there is cinematography. First of both are made to entertain while the second is pure art. "Timescapes" surely belongs to the latter.

Until now there were two motion pictures of such a breathtaking visual power - Baraka and Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. While Baraka has the most complex story and Home delivers an ecological message, Timescapes now completes this trilogy being the artistic one of that bunch.

It's right, there is no clear story behind and the scenes seem to be some kind randomly cut but this does not really matter as each of them is a masterpiece of its own. It can be compared to an exhibition of pictures, all of them show the workmanship of a great master while each is independent and not an element of a series.

Time lapse photography is an artistic expression and it is pure joy to watch it put on a screen in brilliant perfection. However do not get lost in wrong expectations, TimeScapes has not been filmed to be an entertaining blockbuster, instead it wants to show you the beauty of motion pictures - either in slow-mo or time compressed views.

So if you liked Baraka or Home you will most likely also enjoy this work. From the technical point of view there is nothing to complain about, the BluRay version is of high quality, detail sharpness is outstanding and the soundtrack fits very well to the pictures.

It is my humble opinion that motion pictures like these are important, to set a contrast to all those movies made for commerce in order to entertain the crowd. It is a fascinating expression of art and for anyone interested in cinematographic art a must see - possibly one of the best works of 2012.

Astonishing and Brilliant.

[ChrisMichael81 · 10/10 · 11 June 2012]

What can I say about "Timescapes" other than it is pure brilliance. The photography of this film will blow your mind. Every single second, every single shot is brilliantly crafted to leave you in a state of amazement.

This is said to be the first film shot in 4k resolution to be sold to the public. I had the pleasure of viewing it in 1440p and can say I have seen no finer quality. I can only imagine the experience of viewing this film in its 4k resolution but plan on it very soon.

As you watch the stars pass over in brilliant time-lapse you are left with the notion of how small and insignificant we are to the vastness of the cosmos.

The score meshes with the imagery with perfection and creates a viewing experience not to be forgotten. It seems that no detail was considered insignificant to the filmmaker. This is my first experience with this director and I can only understate how impressed I am.

From what I understand the director lived out of a truck for 2 years to craft this film. To anyone who is considering this, it is not a something you view once, it is something you will be glad to own and share with people. This is the first true 10 I have rated. Bravo to the creator!

I simply cannot recommend this film enough.

A Sublime piece of ART and sheer hardwork!!!

[babarasghar · 10/10 · 28 August 2012]

okay this is not for every joe!!! if u imagine that it took more than 12-15 minutes to just capture one second in this movie ... it took hours n hours waiting on the road side staring into NOTHINGNESS for something ... the right moment ... it took hundreds of man hour work to create those smooth transitions it took over 8 hours to cover 1000m on a vehicle which would otherwise took less than 36 secs on average it took days n days to compile all those shots ... spend hours on each frame ... developing it ... i mean this movie dnt need any story live ... script or any thing if some one realizes how much effort has gone into every second he views thats the whole story behind it ... i read few comments saying it has no story line :) what story u wana listen when u r seeing breathtakingly beautiful milky-way rising from east??? ... n someone even questioned the soundtrack :) well half of the world might not like a chinesse block buster just for the reason they couldn't understand a word ... it doesn't mean the movie was bad ... actually the viewers were ignorant ... they didn't understand it ... it was beyond their mental perception n understanding in short ... u can only appreciate something when u can see it with ur own eyes n soul ... this piece of art may be just a random compilation of various scenes with no link to it ... but for ages ... man used to worship fire and sun just because he didn't understand them properly ... one of the best video done by any time lapse videographer ...

A stunning work of art

[jesseswll · 10/10 · 30 November 2013]

Tom Lowe's Timescapes is nothing less than amazing. Every piece of this film is aesthetically pleasing and will keep you entertained the whole way through. The people complaining in these other reviews are just being overcritical. I guess they can't respect a beautiful piece of cinematography. There really is not story, but Tom didn't need one at all, the sequences speak for themselves. The time that was put in to making this is a story of its own. Watching this on a Google TV looked absolutely stunning, it was super crisp and the picture was just super pleasing all together. If you enjoyed Baraka/Samsara you will definitely enjoy this. In my book it's a must watch.

Extremely short, some repetitive scenes

[cutare · 6/10 · 7 June 2012]

The Good:

Some amazing scenes, especially in the first half.

The Bad:

Music seemed a little bit dull, so I muted the movie after 10 minutes and played some music from my own library to go with it, it was much better. HUVA Network and Carbon Based Lifeforms fit like a glove.

My main gripe with this movie is its length. Its effective duration is only 39 minutes, the rest is title screens + credits. Even so, 39 minutes is more than enough to get bored by seeing more or less the same tree projected against the night sky every third shot or so.

Chances are you don't have a 4K system in your living room, so do yourself a favor and buy 1992's Baraka on Blu-ray instead.

Visually stunning

[philfeeley · 9/10 · 9 September 2019]

I'm not sure what all the rock concert dancing had to do with this, but the nighttime visuals of the Milky Way and the time lapses of the sky were brilliant. Well done.

Nicely done, poor on the story

[boromir76 · 6/10 · 8 June 2012]

Very well made in visual and technical terms, the photography is great, but there is a big lack of some basic story which would guide viewer through the whole movie. It surprised me that someone who would spent so much effort, time and also money on taking time lapse and video shots, would not think thoroughly about the plot and what kind of message will he deliver throughout the movie. There are some nice, sparky moments in the movie, but just when I thought it will start to become really interesting it continued with some unrelated footage. It would be really, really good movie, just if there would be followup on some story, any story.

Visual art

[rudy_2000 · 9/10 · 7 November 2019]

Amazing to watch, only those hippies dancing at the party ruined this amazing film

Nice technical demo, but not more

[imdb-4788 · 3/10 · 6 July 2012]

When the "movie" begins, the scenes take your breath away. This huge resolution, these beautiful landscapes and pictures of our night sky.

But after 5 minutes I realized: that's it. There comes nothing more. Just a technical demo of what is possible with high resolution cams. Even the soundtrack is completely uninspired.

I love nature documentations and I love movies like "Home" or "Baraka". Even when nothing is said and no story is told (like in "Baraka") it can be a great movie if the director has a vision of what he wants to show you. But TimeScapes has no vision or just is not able to give you a glimpse of it. It's just one scene after another and even worse - it just repeats the same motives over and over: flying pelicans, some valley, Joshua trees, night sky, same rocks over and over again. And then all over again from a slightly different angle. Mostly it shows dead things and rarely living things, animals or humans.

I am really looking forward to what this technology can be used by a visionary film maker. TimeScapes is a documentation, not on the scenes it presents, but rather on how the best equipment can not make a good movie.

Good technical skills, no filmmaking skills

[obonin · 3/10 · 25 September 2013]

So it's obvious Lowes masters time-lapses, and motorized tripods, and sliders, but it's also obvious he has no idea about filmmaking. Basically there's no considerations put into the audience here. The film was made by Lowes for himself.

I would say 50% of the movie is comprised of shots filmed in front of trees looking at the night sky, and then plenty, just too many shots of windmills... then some random shots based on where he was at the moment he was filming.

There's ZERO story, no line, no message. Lowes mentions his inspiration in Ron Fricke, the cameraman behind Baraka, but we're very farm from Baraka. Very.

I think you can easily bring that film down to 5-8 minutes movie to make it actually enjoyable, and without repeating scenes like he did.

It's too bad. Directing and cinematography are not the same, I'm sure he knows that by now, and of course it never hurts to try something new!