Terence Malick Fails Once Again.

Rating: 6/10 (14 May 2006)

Although NEW WORLD is a refreshing change from the low grade trash Hollywood has dished-out the past two years, other people's failures don't make this a good picture. There's is, nonetheless, a lot of good things in this movie; which at least tries to give an accurate picture of early American history. We also have an Academy Award level portrayal by the girl playing Pocahontas. Absurdly sparse dialog is sometimes sharply effective. For example, Pocahontas' last few words with Captain John Smith. But there's no way of getting around the sheer lack of realistic emotion by most players: When food arrives at a time when the colony is starving, nobody raises their voice or shows any other excitement. Same in the battle scenes. Nobody shouts, let alone talks. Nobody says, Here come the Indians, or Watch Out, or anything.