Review of The New World (2005) by Nathan R — 11 Apr 2009

While undeniably gorgeous to look at and listen to, this is nonetheless incredibly pretentious and fails to engage on a narrative level.

Whatâ??s it all about? If youâ??ve seen The Thin Red Line then youâ??ll have some idea of what to expect from The New World. Itâ??s barely a movie in the traditional sense at all, functioning better as a sort of tone poem rather than a historical drama.

Farrell does a good job in a difficult role â?? thereâ??s hardly any dialogue for one thing â?? and thereâ??s genuine chemistry between him and Kilcher. However, itâ??s Kilcher herself that is the real revelation here, giving an astonishing, naturalistic performance. The main problem is that the film is just too inaccessible to the casual viewer. Itâ??s also criminally long at 149 minutes and after about two hours youâ??re praying for it to end. Itâ??s also marred by a pretentious voiceover and far too much tree-stroking in general. The photography and soundtrack are both exquisite, but ultimately The New World fails to engage as a narrative feature.