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Amazon.co.uk Review
The legend of Pocahontas and John Smith receives a luminous and essential retelling by maverick filmmaker Terrence Malick. The facts of Virginia's first white settlers, circa 1607, have been told for eons and fortified by Disney's animated films: explorer Smith (Colin Farrell) and the Native American princess (newcomer Q'orianka Kilcher) bond when the two cultures meet, a flashpoint of curiosity and war lapping interchangeably at the shores of the new continent. Malick, who took a twenty year break between his second and third films (Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line), is a master of film poetry; the film washes over you, with minimal dialogue (you see characters speak on camera for less than a quarter of the film).
The rest of the words are a stream-of-consciousness narration--a technique Malick has used before but never to such degree, creating a movie you feel more than watch. The film's beauty (shot in Virginia by Emmanuel Lubezki) and production design (by Jack Fisk) seems very organic, and in fact, organic is a great label for the movie as a whole, from the dreadful conditions of early Jamestown (it makes you wonder why Englishman would want to live there) to the luminescent love story. Malick is blessed with a cast that includes Wes Studi, August Schellenberg, Christopher Plummer, and Christian Bale (who, curiously, was also in the Disney production). Fourteen-year-old Kilcher, the soul of the film, is an amazing find, and Farrell, so often tagged as the next big thing, delivers his first exceptional performance since his stunning debut in Tigerland. James Horner provides a fine score, but is overshadowed by a Mozart concerto and a recurring prelude from Wagner's Das Rheingold, a scrumptious weaving of horns fit to fuel the gentle intoxication of this film. Note: the film was initially 150 minutes, and then trimmed to 135 by Malick before the regular theatrical run. It was also the first film shot in 65mm since Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. --Doug Thomas
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The New World is the least of Terrence Malick's limited filmography to date, and could be best described as a monotone poem. It's not exactly bad, just mundane and rather forgettable even while you're watching it, more of a self-indulgence than a genuine attempt to communicate with an audience. Visually it often seems surprisingly flat and uninspired, while the script comprises of far too many trite voice over questions s-p-o-k-e-n...v-e-r-y...s-l-o-w-l-y...i-n...h-u-s-h-e-d...t-o-n-e-s against selections from his classical music collection, which doesn't magically render them profound but simply makes the film evenly paced to the point where nothing can stand out: even the battle sequence takes time out for more musings. Another big problem is the miscasting of the inexplicably prolific Colin Farrell, a nice enough lad offscreen I'm sure but an extraordinarily limited actor who just cannot carry a picture no matter how many chances he's given. True to form he trots out his two `important picture' expressions - the Bambi-caught-in-the-headlights-of-an-oncoming-car one and the one he thinks looks serious but simply makes him look like he's not been getting enough roughage in his diet. The fact that he's outshone by Q'orianka Kilcher in her first speaking part speaks volumes of his inadequacy, although to be fair he has been worse. Indeed, among the male leads Christian Bale does much, much more with much, much less in the last third of the film, as does a typically underused Christopher Plummer in the first third.
Malick is very good at the madness and mutiny that infects the deluded settlers of Jamestown, but because it happens to people we've barely been introduced to it carries no emotional or dramatic weight. If anything, it just made me think of how much more Herzog could have made of it all. Moments work, most notably the expulsion of the `Naturals' from their land, but on the evidence of the 135-minute version I very much doubt Malick's promised longer cut will solve the problems. I know it's meant to be a work of art, but I just came away with the feeling that I'd watched an old and very average Universal International 50s Western redubbed by first-year philosophy students. The only surprise was that Jeff Chandler and his bouncing Basques didn't crop up.
Malick is very good at the madness and mutiny that infects the deluded settlers of Jamestown, but because it happens to people we've barely been introduced to it carries no emotional or dramatic weight. If anything, it just made me think of how much more Herzog could have made of it all. Moments work, most notably the expulsion of the `Naturals' from their land, but on the evidence of the 135-minute version I very much doubt Malick's promised longer cut will solve the problems. I know it's meant to be a work of art, but I just came away with the feeling that I'd watched an old and very average Universal International 50s Western redubbed by first-year philosophy students. The only surprise was that Jeff Chandler and his bouncing Basques didn't crop up.
18 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
'The New World' looks and sounds fantastic on blu Ray. This painfully slow movie by the genius Terrence Malick is a strange beast. I found it to be meandering and boring, yet I still watch scenes from it on a frequent basis; I cant seem to leave it alone.
The movie begins with some beautiful images shot under water with beautiful Wagner music (Das Rhinegold). There is a very effective use of music made throughout this film (James Horner). This movie tries hard to be like Malick's previous masterpiece movie `The Thin Red Line'. Deep, meaningful with a voice over. There is a big difference between Thin Red line and New World. Thin Red Line is a masterpiece. The New World is not a masterpiece.
New World is a richly textured, slowly paced, visually stunning epic of the American past that hypnotises the viewer with its tapestry of sights, sounds (great soundtrack) and colours. This movie is a tone poem that may throw some viewers through its use of interior monologues and lack of action.
Another problem i had with The New World is Oirish actor Colin Farrell. He does not really shine in this movie. He is a real metamorpher (is that a word?) when it comes to his acting; he can really mould and press himself into a lot of different roles, however I feel that he would be better off with starring in blockbuster movies eg SWAT and The Recruit. He does not have a great acting range required to fill 'deep' movies like this, unlike the great Christian Bale.
Malick was 66 when he directed this film. Can we use stem cell research to knock 40 years off his age? Could we give him a billion dollars to make 20 fifty million dollar films to last through the ages......no?
The movie begins with some beautiful images shot under water with beautiful Wagner music (Das Rhinegold). There is a very effective use of music made throughout this film (James Horner). This movie tries hard to be like Malick's previous masterpiece movie `The Thin Red Line'. Deep, meaningful with a voice over. There is a big difference between Thin Red line and New World. Thin Red Line is a masterpiece. The New World is not a masterpiece.
New World is a richly textured, slowly paced, visually stunning epic of the American past that hypnotises the viewer with its tapestry of sights, sounds (great soundtrack) and colours. This movie is a tone poem that may throw some viewers through its use of interior monologues and lack of action.
Another problem i had with The New World is Oirish actor Colin Farrell. He does not really shine in this movie. He is a real metamorpher (is that a word?) when it comes to his acting; he can really mould and press himself into a lot of different roles, however I feel that he would be better off with starring in blockbuster movies eg SWAT and The Recruit. He does not have a great acting range required to fill 'deep' movies like this, unlike the great Christian Bale.
Malick was 66 when he directed this film. Can we use stem cell research to knock 40 years off his age? Could we give him a billion dollars to make 20 fifty million dollar films to last through the ages......no?
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When I watched this film I was expecting something of an action adventure film but instead this film is quite a tender lover story, and is probably a better film because of it. Based around the true story of the first European colonists of America and there interactions with the native peoples the film concentrates on the love that develops between Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. Colin Farrell and Christopher Plummer are great in their respective parts but I do feel that Christian Bale, despite giving a great performance, is wasted in the part that he had. The star of the film though is most defiantly Q'orianka Kilcher playing the Native American princess Pocahontas. The film has been beautifully shot and although I cannot comment on its historical accuracy The New World is definitely worth watching.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Film
THe production and shots in this film are very ethereal. A more realistic picture of what things were like then
Published 1 day ago by Deborah
Long Version only...
I love all of this director's films... and The New World" is no exception. So much of the story is told visually with little dialogue. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ross P. Hyland
What an unmitigated load of old tosh
Havin read the reviews of this movie from the imdb site I ended up watching it. What a silly mistake! Read more
Published 7 months ago by Harry
Excellent Terence Malick Movie
WARNING: If you follow the advertising trailer and Bluray cover you will expect an all-out action movie - it is not this. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. Richard Golen
Peaceful and well acted
The reason I love this film so much, and the extended version (which was quite cheap), is the way it works on so many levels. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Tom France
What the DV contains
This is a review of 'The Extended Cut' DVD entitled 'The New World', dated 2009; it details what you actually get on the DVD rather than reviewing the movie. Read more
Published 11 months ago by D. R. Price
I challenge you not to be moved by this...
What a devastatingly beautiful piece of cinema. Malick has engineered a spiritual high of gargantuan porportions. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. N. R. Birkhead
very slow yet artistic
I found the film to be painfully slow for the firt 3/4. Yet the artistic beauty of plot in the setting is truly amazing. For most i found the film dreary and boring. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. A. Sypestyn
Stunning
Put your feet up,open a good bottle of wine relax and be prepared to be transferred to another world. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Graham P. Davies
Indescribably dull
From the start, accompanied by the opening music from The Rhinegold, to the end, accompanied by the same tune from The Twilight of The Gods, you should be warned: this will feel... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dr John N Sutherland
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