Captain McJudgy strikes again

The New World, the new film by Terrence Malick depicting the colonization of Jamestown and romance between John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (15 year old newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher), starts off brilliantly. As the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery sail majestically up the James River, James Horner’s soundtrack builds to an impressive crescendo, leaving no doubt as to the sense of mystery and discovery sure to be felt by English and Algonquian alike.

But that, unfortunately, is the high point. Three minutes into the movie and the emotional climax is past. Sure, as the story moves beyond the early colonization plot and becomes more about Pocahontas the person there are other climaxes, but the sense of wonder – the reason for making a movie about Jamestown in the first place – is gone. It’s replaced by a perfectly tolerable but not particularly moving love story in which Kilcher, Farrell and third-wheel Christian Bale as John Rolfe all perform adequately, but with more narration than actual substance it’s hard to get very attached. The direction is occasionally great – there are a few terrifying visual sequences, but more often it misses opportunities. For example, where is the wide-angle shot of London to instill in us the sense of marvel that Pocahontas must have felt upon arriving there? Instead we’re treated to an alleyway and fish market. Very exciting.

Ultimately I must view The New World as a failure. There’s an absolute masterpiece somewhere here, but it’s concealed by pedestrian, narrator driven characterization and missed sensory opportunity after missed sensory opportunity. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of writer-director Malick.

Thumbs down.

Tags: entertainment