just another Pocahontas

Rating: Null/10 (11 June 2006)

If it was sufficient to show lovely scenery than the movie would be a masterpiece, but I think a movie should be more than pretty pictures.
The story itself was a bit boring and an excessively romanticize version of events. Do we really need yet another Pocahontas! (and to make matters worth no funny old willow tree).
The movies main failing is it terrible continuity. Based on the reviews by the people who loved this film, I guess that discontinuity is what passes for "artistic". The continuity was so bad I kept thinking perhaps the scenes were dream sequences or an imagination of what might happen.
As a particularly extreme example, the fort which apparently has 37 people (including children). They do a sortie out of the fort to disperse the naturals. Why would they do that, as defenders of a fort armed with fire arms and artillery they have a HUGE advantage as long as they stay in the fort -- but are vulnerable at close range to the naturals' clubs and arrows. They form a pike square, fire a volley, and then charge. Why would pikemen run into battle, it defeats the whole POINT of the pike as a close order infantry weapon. They have cannons! Why not use canister shot, chains, bars, stones, or grape shot from their cannons to disperse the naturals instead of a pike push? Anyway, they charge, and are overwhelmed and appear to be dying left right and center and the next thing is they are all standing around apparently negotiating with natives until one hothead goes and shoots someone. More close combat ensures, but in the next scene they miraculous escape into the fort, but have to fight natives climbing over the wall. It sure looked like they were dying, but perhaps they were only injured and were miraculously cured (in an age before antibiotics where a scratch could be fatal)? Perhaps a new ship load of setters arrived in the meantime full of reinforcements? OR It may be just be a case of really bad editing -- perhaps the standing around was supposed to occur first, then the pike push, then the retreat into the fort? Most likely the director had shot so many pretty pictures that he just couldn't part with any of them. Like Peter Jackson (King Kong) or James Cameron (Titanic), Terrence Malick really really needs a editor to work with him to CUT CUT CUT the crap, organize it, and focus on film making. Some directors really need to be put on a short leash.
The excessive stuff and the poor continuity really takes away from what might have been a decent film. Dear Terrence Malick, please edit this mess and re-release it!!!
Incidentally did natives bow to their leaders?
Worth watching I guess, but just barely.