The reviews are consistently positive, with praise centring on Herzog’s ambition, the physical demands of the location filming and Kinski’s performance as an opera enthusiast pursuing an extravagant Amazonian scheme. Critics repeatedly connect the director’s determination with his protagonist’s obsession. The scenery and the practical scale of the production draw particular admiration, while Empire places Kinski at the centre of the film’s achievement, crediting him with carrying much of the story.
The differences concern how readily critics accept the length and wandering narrative. The AV Club finds the slow progress rewarding, treating it as part of the film’s account of obsession. Eye for Film is more reserved, finding the storytelling meandering and sometimes difficult to follow, and questioning its plausibility. Even that assessment praises the authentic production and Amazonian scenery: the spread runs from qualified approval to considerable enthusiasm, rather than outright dissent.