Superb. I recommend it... but with some reservations...

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2005)

... it's very much a TERRENCE MALICK movie, and by this, I mean, not the Malick of BADLANDS, but the Malick of DAYS OF HEAVEN and THE THIN RED LINE, i.e., Malick at his most naturalist and contemplative.
THE THIN RED LINE esp., has much in common with THE NEW WORLD. We see the Natives inhabiting a sort of primeval earthly paradise, a place filled with joy and innocence but pregnant with foreboding: the inkling that somewhere, somehow soon, paradise will be lost.
And lost it is.
From the first glimpse of the sailing ships, the atmosphere of supreme beatitude that permeates the Native enclave is tarnished. Fear, curiosity, and ambivalance draw both settlers and Natives toward each other.
Perhaps, some will fault Malick for depicting a Native world seemingly free of internecine conflict. It looks much too innocent and most inhabitants are too carefree. That some will shrug it off as yet another instance of "noble savages" being by the evil white man is inevitable. I say to them, give Malick more credit. In my humble opinion, he proves to be even balanced in his depiction of both sides. There are a couple of caricature-ish soldiers among the newcomers, but on the whole, these are just a bunch of tired and hungry seafarers content to reach what they believe to be a safe haven -- no cartoonish, bloodthirsty white man.
It's a strange and new experience for everyone and the first contact between them is surprisingly gentle, a process of mutual self-discovery -- that is, until the hostilities begin...
Beauty applies to the film in many respects. The images and the colors are breathtaking. Malick more often than not uses a hand-held camera and shoots in tight compositions, close to the faces, in order to better grasp the expressions on the faces upon first contact.
As could be expected, the gorgeous images of nature succeed themselves for most of the 150min running time, and that, apparently was a problem for many, as quite a few people walked out during the screening. I for one applaud Malick's approach and could not conceive of such movie without the contemplative shots. Wide commercial appeal seems limited, however.
Anyways, I like that he uses spare dialogue with only minimal subtitles, to further emphasize the initial problems of communication.
The battle sequences are swift and superbly edited for maximum impact. However, one thing I found strange is the lack of blood. I looked hard, but couldn't spot any blood flowing -- not very realistic given the otherwise VERY naturalistic approach.
The problem with the script might be its lack of focus. There are three POVs throughout: SMITH's, POCAHONTAS's, and JOHN ROLFE's (each with V.O. narration) and though the story pretty much starts where one expects it, it does meander for stretches on end.
As far as the acting is concerned: Kilcher is quite a find. She's perfect for the role. I've read some of the reviews by some critics who complained that she may not be the most "trained" of actresses and I think it's an erroneous comment, for Pocahontas here is presented as the fleeting object of two men's desire and a elfin spirit of nature, fleeting through the tall grass, dreamy and the girl has such natural radiance that her standing there is enough. Her performance is organic, natural, perfect. She doesn't "act", she is, and that's wonderful. She has a marvelous face and holds the camera and us, the audience in rapt attention.
Colin is excellent as well. However, the role as written doesn't give him much leeway. He's basically in brooding mode and does it well, it's just that his character remains a bit of a cipher throughout. Still, he does make a solid SMITH even though I couldn't help thinking that maybe Christian BALE should have played the lead.
BALE's JOHN ROLFE appears late in the movie, and it's to his credit that he completely eclipses FARRELL. It might just be that his character is better fleshed out and is easier to empathize with. In retrospect, the casting is good as it is, because I'm not sure FARRELL could have given such a sympathetic reading of ROLFE's character.
I have been waiting for this movie since it was first announced that Malick would be at the helm and I'm not disappointed -- but then, I've been a Malick fan since BADLANDS. I recommend it to all, but many, I'm sure, won't like it.