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Colin Farrell, Q'Orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg ... see more see more... , Wes Studi , David Thewlis , Yorick van Wageningen , Ben Mendelsohn , Raoul Trujillo , Brian F. O'Byrne , Irene Bedard , John Savage , Jamie Harris , Alex Rice , Michael Greyeyes , Kalani Queypo , Noah Taylor , Jonathan Pryce , Alexandra Malick , Aaron Hernan , Tito Junco Jr. , Juan Angel Martinez , Elpidia Carrillo

Terrence Malick, the universally acclaimed American filmmaker responsible for the key 1970s features Badlands and Days of Heaven, returns for a rare directorial outing with the sweeping period piece T... read more read more...he New World -- an epic dramatization of Pocahontas' relationships with John Smith and John Rolfe. Malick's story opens at the dawn of the 17th century, just prior to the colonization of the United States -- when the North American population consisted of an interconnected series of native tribes. In April 1607, three maritime vessels approach the unfamiliar continent, with 103 sailors on board. As members of the Virginia Company, these adventurers carry a royal charter to mount a society on the edge of the new continent. John Smith (Colin Farrell) sits chained below one of the decks. He is a 27-year-old loose cannon, who, for his persistently rebellious acts, has been sentenced to death by hanging as soon as the ships dock. Nevertheless, Captain Christopher Newport (Christopher Plummer) acknowledges Smith's ability to aid with exploration and consents to pardon him as a result. Upon landing, Smith seeks assistance from local Native American tribes with colonization, but runs into the unexpected -- he falls desperately in love with Pocahontas, or "Playful One" (Q'orianka Kilcher), the daughter of the omnipotent Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg). Needless to say, this does not sit well with Powhatan or the rest of the tribe. Moreover, the oft-bellicose Smith enters a head-to-head conflict with his fellow Britons when he finds his tempestuousness calmed by the tranquility of the new landscape, as the anger and violence of his shipmates concurrently build in the face of the Native Americans. Later, Smith temporarily returns to England; believing that Smith is dead, Pocahontas accepts the hand of plantation owner John Rolfe in marriage (with her father's blessing) and follows Rolfe back to the old country. When Smith returns to America, his intended is nowhere to be seen, and the entire community teeters on the brink of a British-Indian war. Malick shot the production on location in Virginia; it co-stars Jonathan Pryce, John Savage, and David Thewlis. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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52% liked it

144,019 ratings

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61% liked it

173 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Terrence Malick

Release Date: January 13, 2005

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DVD Release Date: May 9, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (6,362)

  • RossCollinsUK
    February 20, 2012
    RossCollinsUK
    Terrence Malick has a knack of filming the human experience as if it were a nature documentary, and a very long one at that! Still the story of Pocahontas is an enticing one and the actors are captivating.
  • stevenecarrier
    May 29, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    I guess even Terrance Malick is allowed to screw up every once and a while. Now, I have loved his three pervious pictures, "Badlands," "Days of Heaven," and "The Thin Red Line" but "The New World" felt like Malick was resting on his laurels. The story of Pocahontas is a classic, ... read moretimeless one but Malick misses the true message and heart of it. His other films work as well as they do because he is able to find the balance between his visceral, breathtaking images and his obscure philosophical storytelling. The narrative of "The New World" almost demands that it be told in a straightforward way. While the cinematography, period design, voiceover dialogue and musical score are fantastic- they alone don't make a film worthwhile. The plot moves along so quickly here that important points are completely glided over. This simply does not work. While it was fine in his much more abstract pervious efforts, the effect simply takes away any emotional connection I had with the story. "The New World" may have seemed like a good idea on paper, but the outcome is plodding, misguided and frankly quite boring. Malick forgets to add heart to a story that requires it and without it, "The New World" is just a series of meaningless, but beautiful, images.
  • ythelastman89
    March 16, 2011
    ythelastman89
    Without a doubt, this is this is the greatest representation of the Pocahontas and John Smith story. Not only is it visually beautiful beyond belief, but it also has such a great emotional feeling tagged along that is completely unique. Terrence Malick's decision to shoot the ent... read moreire movie hand held and set in deep focus is incredibly risky, but it obviously worked better than even he probably imagined. The beginning portion of the story feels a lot like Herzog's Aguirre in style and visuals, which is probably the best compliment you could pay. The obvious idea of the movie was to show America in a way that made it looked untouched and full of undiscovered beauty. However, I think above all it is about human nature and what someone or a group of people will do to survive and prosper. Colin Farrell, Christian Bale and Q'Orianka Kilcher all give great performances and make the movie as good in content as it deserves to be. The drawn out storyline really works here more than in a lot of other "epics" because it attempts to give us a complete story to the legend that we seem to only get snippets of every other time.
  • ironclad1609
    March 8, 2011
    ironclad1609
    The real story of Pocahontas is nothing for Disney fans expecting a happy ending. While the first half was pretty much what I expected, a mix of adventure and exploration film, with the usual (yet necessary) commentary on white man's stealing of the new land, the second half surp... read morerised me. Here "The new world" gets a whole new meaning, as the native Americans lay their eyes on 18th century London. The wonderful performance of the gorgeous newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher as the living, breathing soul of the film and already makes it worth it. A very calm, sad, poetic, almost hypnotic movie, extraordinarily beautifully filmed. The ending is deeply moving.
  • cosmo313
    February 4, 2011
    cosmo313
    I enjoyed this movie, but I suspect I'll probably enjoy it with a second or third viewing. Also, maybe if I plan to watch it (instead of turning it on because it happens to be on unexpectedly), and watch it when I'm not tired and can focus, then I'll enjoy it more.

    I've only s... read moreeen (as of now) one other Terrence Malick film, but even then, I did what he does. One has to be in the right mood to enjoy his stuff, but if you can get into that groove, then the experience is quite something. This take on the Pocahontas story, while taking liberties and guilty of some inaccuracies, does far better justice than the 90s raping perpetrated by Disney. For one, this is just better shot, not (really as, if at all) whitewashed, and just a better production all around. Oddly enough, Chrisitan Bale is involved with both films.

    Despite some license with history/story, and a purposeful desire to focus on the romance, this is a thoughtful, gorgeous poem about culture, nature, and life. As is common with Malick's work, the cinematogrpahy and visuals are absolutely stunning. This sucker is just wonderful to stare at. What misgivings the story has are made up with more faithful attempts to accurately epict cultures, sets, locations, and costumes. The art direction and set design, like the camera work, are dynamite.

    The real star of the show is nature. The humans do a good job too, but they are merely suppoorting players, even the characters who are supposed to be the leads. This is art, so I'm sure most people won't like this. It wouldn't be what they're expecting. Much like 2001, Solaris, and other great works of art, this film is long, slow paced, and features minimal dialogue. I appreciate the subtlety and not having everything handed to me. What's odd though is that while there's not much dialogue, there's a lot of voiceovers to fill in the gaps. Some don't like this (as I've read), but it didn't bug me too much. One thing I really appreciated is how not all of the scenes with Native Americans speaking are subtitled. I liked that. It makes the viewer pay attention and pulls them into feeling just like the colonisits in terms of having to jump a communication hurdle.

    I wanted to like this more, but I found it hard to watch. For the reasons I opened this reviw with, it's not so much to the fault of the film. I think you should give this a chance, if only to stare and gorgeous images and listen to beautiful music while cultures clash in an artistically rendered historical romance.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    November 23, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    I think that is was possibly missing some Malick-esque quality. Some shots were beautiful, but I felt as though they weren't as rich and and gorgeous as in say, The Thin Red Line... but in the end it achieved it's man versus nature theme and that is always a good thing. It was al... read moremost sad seeing Kilcher in the British dress at the end.
    And Farrell and Bale are fantastic. As always. Don't even have to question that.
    Yet, I maintain that I love Malick films. And if you were "bored" by it or thought it slow (or for any Malick film) , then you simply don't have an appreciation for arty films. No shame in that, just don't whine and complain when you don't understand it and go back to your video games.
  • fb619846742
    October 11, 2010
    fb619846742
    An admirable but overall heavily flawed and distracted film which starts out strong before losing a lot of steam. It's basically the story concerning the start of English colonization in America, and when John Smith (Colin Farrell) interacted with a young, beautiful Indian girl, ... read morePocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher). The first hour and a half is simply mesmerizing, in a very Terrence Malick-ish way, but the last forty minutes or so are an epic drag - Malick is just unable to keep his audience interested once a major shift in the story takes place. Kilcher gives the strongest performance, she's simply stunning. Farrell and Bale also turn in well-rounded ones as well, but Kilcher is the whole thing here really.
  • Redlats
    August 23, 2010
    Redlats
    I enjoyed it - but only because I never quite knew the story/legend of Pocahontas. So the details may not be true, it was an interesting story. I have seen it more than once, and each time there is more to take in.

    A problem I had with it - it draggggggged. Perhaps we needed ... read moreall those long dragged-out scenes to understand their feelings, but a shorter movie would have been better.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    July 11, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    The New World is a terrific historical drama film based on the Pocahontas. Terrence Malick directs this awesome epic. Everything about this film is breathtaking. The scope is massive, the pacing done just right. This is the type of film that slowly unfolds it's story, which is so... read moremething that won't appeal to many. But to those who want to watch a superior historical piece, then The New World is the film for you to watch. The cast that Mallick has assembled here is phenomenal. Especially an unknown actress by the name Q"orianka Kilcher whos beauty lights up the screen in every scene shes in. As a diehard history buff, I absolutely enjoyed this film. Everything about the film is almost magic in a sense. Theres a sense and feel of love on screen constantly as you are pulled into The New World. This film is purely, and simply beautiful. A flawless historical drama.
  • nelsonpickens
    May 26, 2010
    nelsonpickens
    An interesting take on the "Pocahontas" legend. It seemed extremely authentic and realistic compared to the Disney version which has absolutely no connection to the actual story.

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Critic Reviews

David Ansen
November 1, 2007
David Ansen, Newsweek

These whispered ruminations are beautifully written, but whose voice are we hearing? Full Review

Dana Stevens
January 20, 2006
Dana Stevens, Slate

The New World isn't Terrence Malick's best, but it's guiding him in the right direction. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
January 20, 2006
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

The New World is stately almost to the point of being static and thus has trouble finding a central story around which to arrange itself; it's not quite the thin dead line, but it's close. Full Review

Peter Howell
January 20, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

He [Malick] swoons for his own well-honed image as a painter of woodland idylls, a man who leaves no sway of wheat or ripple of water unmet by his fatherly gaze. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 20, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Through elliptical and seemingly oblique methods, he [Malick] forges moments of staggering emotional power. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
January 20, 2006
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Like the best music, this film elicits emotions rather than manipulates them.

Roger Moore
January 20, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Malick paints the celluloid like a canvas, filling it with rapturous images of wild America, its flowing fields of grass, rivers teeming with fish and the endless horizon of free land. Full Review

Rick Groen
January 20, 2006
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A Terence Malick film remains an event, but he appears awfully disoriented in The New World -- less a seasoned traveller than a perplexed tourist, content to mask his confusion by reaching for a camer... Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
January 20, 2006
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

Malick is so content to tell the tale through mood that he neglects its meaning. Full Review

Terry Erb
January 20, 2006
Terry Erb, Detroit Free Press

A movie that is at once prosaic and abstract, breathtakingly beautiful and excruciatingly obvious, compelling contemplative and deadly dull. Full Review

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    • Pocahontas: What else is life, but being near you?
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The New World Trivia

  • What is the movie Q'orianka Kilcher gets to play pocahontas?  Answer »
  • He made Badlands in 1973, Days of Heaven in 1978, The Thin Red Line in 1998 and this film in 2005.  Answer »
  • What movie is this quote from: "I think you still love the man. In my vanity, I thought I could make you love me and one can not do that or should not. "  Answer »
  • Who is the actor that plays john smith in 'the new world' ?  Answer »
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