Review of To the Wonder (2013) by Patrick L — 25 Oct 2013

"Another confusing and disappointing effort from Terrence Malick".

DVD Movie Review: To The Wonder.

Date Viewed: October 26 2013.

Written and Directed By Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life).

Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem and Rachel McAdams.

Maybe I was little harsh on Terrence Malick's previous feature "The Tree of Life" but I still stand on my review. It had a sloppy, confusing story with no narrative but it did have beautiful imagery. Malick's new film "To The Wonder" is far from wonderful, it's by far Malick's weakest film to date.

"To The Wonder" is about an American named Neil (Ben Affleck) who travels to Europe and then meets and falls in love with Marina (Olga Kurylenko). Marina is a Ukrainian divorcee who is raising her 10-year-old daughter Tatiana (Tatiana Chiline) in France. Neil and Marina decide to move to Neil's native home in Oklahoma to start a life together. The couple's romance might have cooled off but Marina finds solace with a Catholic priest named Father Quintana (Javier Bardem). Marina soon tells Neil that her visa has expired and she and her daughter go back to France.

Neil, still in Oklahoma, reconnects with an old childhood friend named Jane (Rachel McAdams). Jane has a farm but is going bankrupt due to her previous husband's gambling debt and she soon falls in love with Neil.

"To The Wonder" feels like a unremarkable Picasso painting, this work of art maybe beautiful but there's not much more to look at.

Affleck is miscast here and the story is dreadfully boring. Terrence Malick is a great writer and director but he misses the mark completely. I don't want to see people twirling around over and over again, I want to see something fresh.