Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Tug-3 Knowing well that sequels have the potential to mar their predecessors, either through overkill or omission, I stayed away from "Faraway, So Close!" for a long time, letting the DVD linger on the far side of my Netflix queue."Wings of Desire" is a unique creation; every moment of that movie seems abuzz with life, activity, invention, compassion, intense joy and sorrow. It seemed like everyone involved felt the urgent need to tell that story at that particular historical moment.The sequel starts with that same feeling, and for the first 45 minutes or so, I was happy to immerse myself back in that world. However, once the various subplots intervened, and the angelic protagonist began dealing with a standard-issue mafioso in a situation that seems lifted from a wacky 1980s comedy, "Faraway, So Close!" loses its way.Still, I don't regret seeing the sequel. Some moments are wonderful, especially Cassiel's elegiac bedtime-story biography, spoken to an old man who is losing his memory and who knows that Cassiel has been along for the ride. The acting is also terrific, except, oddly, for Willem Dafoe's bizarre, inexplicable character -- the movie grinds to a halt (literally, at one point) whenever he appears.I have to admit that the last twenty minutes made no sense to me. (Spoilers follow.) Wasn't Cassiel's entire mission to stop the mobster from seeing his sister and niece (and if so, why? Bad influence)? And how, exactly, did that acrobatic stunt save the day? The badguys just gave up after that, apparently, for undisclosed reasons -- maybe they felt bad. Also: after a presumed eternity of watching humanity and reading our minds, Cassiel's plot is to use a poorly-concocted stunt? He should've spent some more time watching heist movies.Anyway, all that aside, this movie is still worth seeing; it's just not in the same class as "Wings of Desire." That's not much of a complaint -- very, very few movies are that good.

kryan-1 I recommend this film to all the jaded and cynical people of the world. It will touch the core of your heart and give you a spiritual yearning for that which we cannot see. When Cassiel falls to earth he can finally touch, feel, hear and experience the feelings of loneliness and joy. He finds his existence on earth in Berlin difficult and finds it hard to comprehend the swift passing of time and the limited outlook of the individual who can only see their own reality in how it affects them. Natassja Kinski who plays Angel Raphaela is on hand to offer comfort and solace to Cassiel when he begins to despair. The sweeping contrasts between black & white and colour add profound depth to this movie, as do the real people who play themselves : Gorbachev, Lou Reed and Peter Falk. Wim Wenders who directed this movie is a foresighted genius of compassion and ethereal visions.

aaronp-5 This film opened my eye to a new time of filmmaking. Growing up in the shadow of Hollywood, as we all have, I had no idea film could be as creative as this. I highly recommend this movie for a great combination of writing, acting, and imagery.

jtijerino This is a truly unique film. It was shot beautifully. The actors, music, location et.al. was superbly well chosen. This film is pure poetry in motion, language, acting, script, etc. It has the uniqueness of providing an incredibly positive view/side of the fact of being a human being. I have made all the people I know, watch it and everybody seems to agree with me. Thank you, Mr. Wenders for giving us a beautiful and meaningful film, that outshines most by the mere insinuation that life is beautiful. It is a job well done. Thank you, again. Joanne Tijerino