A slow build up.

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2005)

This film is slow in many ways.It is more of a meditation on love and loss.Like his previous powerful epic Thin Red Line,Malick likes to slowly build up his story.The slow pace will distract audience but this is a piece of art that is to be enjoyed and Malick deserves to be praised for what he has achieved.
Everyone is familiar with the Pocahontas tale,so I won't go into details.Instead I would like to focus on the direction.
Unlike Munich this films length becomes pretentious.It doesn't grow on you but frustrates you.But you have to look beyond that to experience the real treasure hidden underneath.Malick has always focused more on the situation and the settings rather than the characters or the actors.It's more like exploring the world than telling a story about it.Slowly and painfully but beautifully.I enjoyed the film even if it was long and boring because I understood what Malick was trying to do.He wants us to feel for the new world that has been discovered and feel for it when it gets destroyed.I cannot say this is his best work but regardless of that it still is a gorgeous film,a wonderful achievement.An artistic drama that slowly builds up to the end.
Farrell is not used as an actor but just as a figure who witnesses the sudden ,devastating changes that happen into this new world.The real actor however is the newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher.She excels in the role,she delivers a heartfelt performance and the director has more focus on this famous character rather than the lead hero.Bale also surprises ,who falls for Pocahontas forming a love triangle.The rest of the cast also have its moment.
However the praise should entirely go to the Director.He handles every scene like a king.He presents us this new world with aching beauty and gorgeous sets.He makes the love story between the two leads even more emotional.His slowly building up of story is where audience will lose the film.They will rather find it irritating but if you look closer there's a lot going for it.
On the whole THE NEW WORLD is gorgeous epic,a sort of a mess,a heartwarming emotional love story,and a heart stopping epic with not so many noteworthy performances or moments.But a meditated attempt.A film that tries to connect with the audience the hard and painful way ,in which,the reward is priceless.
****/5