StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Executscan Expected more

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

CinemaClown Beautiful, poetic & serene, Terrence Malick's fourth feature film is an elegantly crafted, lyrically narrated, exquisitely photographed & sincerely performed historical drama that brings a forgotten world to life with soothing grace & meticulous attention to detail, and tells the story of Pocahontas & England's colonization of the Americas in a meditative manner.The story of New World unfolds in the early 17th century and follows an explorer who attempts to negotiate a trade between the natives & settlers and has his life spared by Pocahontas, the tribe's chieftain's daughter. The two end up falling in love but when tension arises between the two clans and war breaks out, each side brands their own lover a traitor.Written & directed by Terrence Malick (known for Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line & The Tree of Life), the first hour of The New World finds the auteur painting a world without greed or corruption on the canvas and even in the most discomforting moments when things go awry & violent, Malick somehow manages to keep its calm & tranquilizing tone alive.At its core, The New World is an innocent love story between two people from opposite cultures, and the tenderness with which it is portrayed is the film's true strength. There are times when it wanders & meanders, as is the case with most of the director's works, but the romance shared between its key characters is what prevents it from losing its sense of direction.The lush locations expertly recreate the lost world the film's events take place in. Cinematography magnifies the richness of its surroundings with its controlled camera-work, fitting colour tones and accurate lighting. Editing is brilliantly carried out in the first hour but its 172 minutes runtime is felt afterwards. Sound is handled with precision while the background score is intermittently but finely utilized.Coming to the performances, the cast consists of Q'orianka Kilcher, Colin Farrell, Christian Bale & Christopher Plummer, with Kilcher impressing the most. Perfectly cast as Pocahontas, she is the very embodiment of her character and despite her inexperience, manages to carry the entire film on her shoulders. Farrell is just as compelling, Plummer does well with what he's given while Bale chips in with a restrained input.On an overall scale, The New World isn't a film that will strike the same chord with everyone. While some will appreciate the meditative approach & aesthetic eye with which this tale is brought to life, others will feel challenged & frustrated by its glacial pace & endless musings. The New World had my attention during the first hour, and Kilcher's nuanced performance is thoroughly engrossing but while I do admire the romanticism behind the project, I sure don't plan to return to it anytime soon.

TonyMontana96 (Originally reviews: 18/02/2017) Terence Malick's historical epic 'The New World' looks beautiful but it never really tells a strong enough story. The picture begins with some stunning cinematography, but as the film progresses I could feel a lack of clear storytelling; and this goes on for at least half an hour until the romantic story between Farrell's character and Pocahontas is better established. I will admit the background score is perfectly adequate and fits and the direction by Malick is always well shot and carefully done. The performances are solid; Colin Farrell (Smith) gives a truly engaging performance, as does Q'orianka Klicher who plays his desired lover 'Pocahontas'. Christian Bale (John), Christopher Plummer (Captain), and Wes Study (a native) are among a supporting cast who all give solid performances. The middle of the film is a lot more interesting, with a well filmed battle sequence, some signs of better storytelling and a couple of good scenes between Farrell and Klicher. However the film just goes on way too long, and the last half an hour or so goes back to the roots of the first half an hour, dull storytelling trying to hide behind its good looking sets and cinematography. Some of the character's lack actual depth as well; the script doesn't allow them to do very much at times, they just either walk around doing little or stand there and think, which mostly the problem is during the third act which Malick must take the blame for as he also wrote the script. The third act is also an overlong one which grows tedious after 20 minutes or so of barely any talking and plenty of atmosphere; which could make some feel as if there waiting for paint to dry, but thankfully the middle of the picture showed some promise and I found the dialogue surprisingly decent. The costume designs of the savages, the set's, the cinematography and the all-round impressive performances keep the film from being a dull experience in the end; The New World overall suffers from bland storytelling, an abrupt pace and a plot that just grows tiresome during the last half an hour; it's just okay.

James Hitchcock During the 1970s Terrence Malick directed one excellent film, "Badlands", and one masterpiece, "Days of Heaven". After that he seemed to exile himself from the cinema for a long period, and it was twenty years before his third film, "The Thin Red Line", appeared. There then followed another period of silence, this time for seven years, before "The New World" came out in 2005.The film recounts one of the foundation myths of American history, the story of Captain John Smith and the Native American princess Pocahontas. Now although both Smith and Pocahontas were undoubtedly both historical figures, the traditional version of the story, telling how she saved his life and how the two then fell in love, may only be legend. The latter part of the story, however, dealing with her marriage to another English settler, John Rolfe, is based upon historical fact.Even though the romance of the two main figures may only be fiction, albeit a fiction hallowed by long tradition, Malick took great pains over historical details with regard to such matters as costume, weapons, tools and architecture, and shooting took place as close as possible to the site of the original Jamestown settlement in Virginia. He even went so far as to employ a linguist to reconstruct, as far as possible, the now-extinct Powhatan language which would have been spoken by the tribe to which Pocahontas belonged. In other respects, however, the film's accuracy has been faulted, in particular its advocacy of the now- fashionable idea that Native Americans were unselfish, peace-loving noble savages, quite innocent of the vices of the corrupt Old World. (In reality, Pocahontas' father owed his power and exalted position, a position which led the English settlers to regard him as a king rather than a mere chief, to his Powhatan tribe's superiority in warfare over their neighbours).Some changes to the historical record seem to have been made to make the characters more sympathetic. In reality Smith was not commanded by King James I to mount an expedition in search of the North-West Passage, but the scriptwriters must have needed an explanation for his decision to abandon Pocahontas and return to England, leaving word for her that he was dead; in the 17th century a royal command was something you disobeyed at your peril.The film is well acted, with notable performances from Colin Farrell as Smith, Q'orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas and (in a smaller but key role) Christian Bale as Rolfe. (Remarkably, Kilcher was only 14 at the time). The relationship between these three can be described as a sort of love- triangle because, although Pocahontas does not meet Rolfe until after she has been wrongly informed that Smith is dead, she still harbours feelings for her former lover. Both the main characters are torn by inner conflicts, Smith between his love for Pocahontas and his duty towards his king and country, and Pocahontas between her love for Smith and her inability to love her husband, whom she knows to be a good and kind man. Her inner conflict becomes all the greater when she realises that Smith is still alive.As in his first two films, Malick makes effective use of music, with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 taking on the role that was played by Orff's "Gassenhauer" in "Badlands" and Saint-Saëns' "Aquarium" in "Days of Heaven". Although there are some attractive shots, I did not, however, find the film as visually attractive as its predecessors, especially "Days of Heaven" which is notable for its strikingly beautiful photography throughout. In my view, however, the film's main fault is that it is overlong and, in places, too slow-moving. Malick's original 150-minute version was later cut to 135 minutes, but even this seemed too long for a story which could have been told in two hours or less. (I understand that there is also a third, 172-minute version, which has never been shown in cinemas).The film did not do well at the Academy Awards, only receiving one nomination, but several critics hailed it as a masterpiece. Some of these praised the film in quite extravagant terms. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said that it "contains some of the best film- making imaginable – some of it beyond imagining" and John Patterson of the Guardian confessed to literally weeping "tears of exultation". I know how these critics felt. I felt like that on watching "Days of Heaven", but "The New World" was never able to move me in the same way. 7/10

lois-lane33 Collin Farrell plays a guy in the 17th century that used the F word when he gets angry. Didn't everybody? I kinda doubt it. Anyhoo-this film also casts a woman from Germany as Pocahontas which I found kinda surprising given that there definitely are more than one good looking First Nations actresses. Had a few good moments-when Collin Farrell's character is "rewarded" for his good behaviour & tasked with finding the northwest passage-which in those days was basically a death sentence. Things go badly and things go worse in the New World. Made me think of the story about 100 members of the Rowanoke settlement that vanished except for the word Croaton carved into a tree-which pointed a finger at the Croaton First Nations which dwelled in that area also. No mention of that in the script. Lots of 'naturals' leaping about and vowing to drive the white men into the sea. Where they like that? Nobody knows for sure. Plenty of virgin scenery in this film and the relationship that developed between Pocahontas & Captain Smith is all this really seems to be about. It's not really billed as a love story though. Maybe it depends where you are in terms of how you interpret the movie. I can see Europeans liking it-as in probably the 'difference of it' (or because Collin Farrell was in it) For me -since I live in North America & have spent a fair amount of time in northern areas where First Nations people are often the dominant social group, I found the film lacking. And it made me feel a bit uncomfortable.