A vast disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (27 February 2006)

The New World, scripted and directed by Terrence Malick basically stretches what would be about 40mins worth of screen time into 2.5 hrs. The plot revolves about John Smith and his love for a Native American girl (basically Pocahontas) This could be a premise for a promising historical epic were it not for some severe problems:
The plot is incredibly thin for too long a movie, you get long, long scenes of them falling in love. I think Malick must have fallen in love with Q'Orianka Kilcher so many low angle, adoring shots he's done of her. That in itself is okay but the film's biggest flaw is the editing. Four editors were unable to weave a cohesive, organized plot line. The film jumps from one scene to another, villages are burned without due explanation, ships come and go and the reasons as to what happens and why are never explored in detail. On top of that the editing style takes some getting used to to put it mildly. Some whimsical cuts would normally be regarded flat out as editing mistakes in the professional world. Unnecessary jump cuts, black "drop outs" etc are some of the tidbits that are not exactly conducive to the film's clarity. Even James Horner's score was lackluster, with a few self rip offs from Braveheart.