Line #5 YMMV/Koyaanisqatsi


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: TheMovie. Godfrey Reggio said that the entire experience was up to the viewer. For instance, after "The Grid", there's a lone patient (whose arm is the only visible part of her) whose blood IV has come out, and is waving desperately for someone to help. Is it a stark look at isolation, or a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment\|s}} because a nurse comes to help her? Another shot is of a disheveled vagrant who seems to be a little mentally disturbed grinning at the few coins in his hand - is he happy at having some money to eat with, or is he pathetically deluded at the pittance in his hand?
2	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The whole thing. One of Philip Glass's best-known works, and with good reason. The Anthem from ''Powaqqatsi'' is another Ear Worm.
3	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: As Kyle Kallgren of WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh pointed out, the movie supposes to show the dehumanizing aspect of the neoliberal way of life but seems like a celebration of it. He called it "one of the greatest texts in neoliberalism in the last half of the century." However, this indicates MisaimedFandom.
4	* FirstInstallmentWins: ''Koyaanisqatsi'' was and is far more famous and acclaimed than its two sequels (which many viewers have never seen and may not know exist). [[ContestedSequel Some]] who have seen ''Powaqqatsi'' [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel state it's better than the first film, however]].
5	* JustHereForGodzilla: A lot of people watch the film patiently waiting for the penultimate 15 minute long "The Grid" sequence.
6	* MemeticMutation:
7	** The haunting and ominous title track is sometimes used to convey TranquilFury. Fits even more if you have a shot of someone [[DeathGlare glaring]], such as [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Fluttershy]].
8	** "The Grid", full stop.
9	* NewerThanTheyThink: Superspeed time-lapse photography was new. Only ''Film/{{TRON}}'' and ''[[Music/TheWall Pink Floyd: The Wall]]'' had employed it - and only briefly.
10	* OlderThanTheyThink: Many viewers think [[spoiler: the exploding rocket]] was the space shuttle ''Challenger'', which [[spoiler: was destroyed]] three years after this movie came out. [[spoiler: The explosion filmed was with an unmanned Navy Atlas rocket, about 20 years earlier.]] HarsherInHindsight too, especially considering the ominous song title; "Prophecies".
11	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: The [[{{Undercrank}} time-lapsed sequences]] of cloudscapes, scenery, traffic, and walking crowds have been ''very'' widely imitated, but you saw it here first.
12	* OneSceneWonder: The boy walking on the side of the road and getting eclipsed by a dust cloud by a passing truck is so memorable it became the poster for ''Powaqqatsi''.
13	* {{Sequelitis}}: ''Naqoyqatsi'' is often considered inferior, [[DownplayedTrope though not always considered a bad]] ''[[DownplayedTrope film]]'', [[DownplayedTrope just not as good as the first two]]. Some have blamed it on the SequelGap of 14 years, while Glass' score was radically different from the first two films.
14	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Released in 1983, but largely filmed in The '70s. It starts becoming a period piece when they begin showing people in dated clothing, and really dates itself when it shows the inside of an arcade (bridging those years in which the 1970s transitioned into the '80s culturally -- one man is playing ''VideoGame/QBert'', which was released in late 1982, and we see ''[[VideoGame/{{Defender}} Stargate]]'' and ''VideoGame/Robotron2084'', which were released in 1981 and 1982).

Context YMMV / Koyaanisqatsi