Continuing his streak of emotionally intelligent globe-trotting documentaries, Werner Herzog’s “Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds,” which he co-directed with University of Cambridge volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer and premiered on Apple TV+, is a rich speculative examination of the role of meteorites on religion, art, and society. While the film is somewhat casual in how it jumps between ideas, Herzog and Oppenheimer show a profound curiosity about the role of otherworldly meteors in creating our planet, and its possible destruction.
READ MORE: The Best Documentaries Of The Decade [the 2010s]
Beginning in Mérida, Mexico, during a celebration of the Day of the Dead, as costumed men reenact a “fireball ritual,” “Fireball” jumps around often, moving from the Mexican celebration to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, when The Black Stone, a meteorite that the Muslim religion believes dates back to Adam and Eve, is visited by millions. From there, Oppenheimer and Herzog travel across the globe, from France to America to Antarctica, touring where meteors have landed and interviewed the people who study them.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Documentaries Of 2018
Acting as an unseen narrator, Herzog performs as our interpreter, while the real protagonist is Oppenheimer, who serves as an on-camera interviewer. As Oppenheimer travels the world, meeting with various scientists, both self-proclaimed and credentialed, Herzog dryly contextualizes, riffing on Oppenheimer’s lines of questioning, creating a fascinating back and forth. In one scene, as a mathematician explains a particularly complex idea, Herzog interrupts, telling the audience he won’t “torture” us with the details. This push and pull between Oppenheimer’s wonkishness and Herzog’s more ephemeral approach suit the material well, as the film oscillates between interrogating the science of the meteors and their cultural relevance.
READ MORE: 2020 Fall Film Preview: 40 Most Anticipated Films To Watch
When Oppenheimer and Herzog travel to the Vatican’s observatory, to interview Brother Guy, the Vatican’s planetary scholar, he aptly sums up the fascination with these otherworldly objects, noting that his faith doesn’t preclude his belief in other living worlds. Still, he sees science, faith, and humanity as intertwined. In most ways, Herzog and Oppenheimer mimic this synthesis, deftly moving from interviews with scientists, artists, and even including film footage from “Deep Impact,” of all things, to show how meteors both express hope in humanity’s evolution, but also have the ability to end life as we know it.
“Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds” is more humane in its treatment of meteors than the blockbuster films it liberally references, but it is still somewhat scattered in its approach. As he often does, Herzog films whatever interests him, jumping from locales to interview subjects without transitions. While the film doesn’t exactly convey a lot of new information about the science behind meteors, Oppenheimer, and Herzog’s profound interest in the subject holds the piece together.
Towards the end of the film, the two go to Antarctica, tagging along on a research trip to find a meteor’s remnants. Once the team finally finds the fragments, they explode with joy, unable to find the words to convey what the discovery means to them. Why is this space-rock so important to the researchers? Herzog never gets around to answering that question, instead of capturing the scientists’ exuberance. For those looking for an expository look at meteors, look elsewhere. But, for those willing to spend ninety-plus minutes with Herzog as he riffs on the wonders of space, “Fireball” is a heartfelt tribute to scientific exploration. [A-]
“Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds” is available on AppleTV+ starting on November 13.