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Only Terrence Malick could have made this film. Due to that, you'll either 'get' it or you won't. It's filled with Malick's directorial trademarks, such as loads of shots of nature, extensive use of narration (by multiple characters) and a rather wandering narrative. These are not necessarily negative; indeed, they were all combined together to brilliant effect in The Thin Red Line, but even that really polarised opinion (in fact, I've watched it twice - first time I hated it; second time, I absolutely loved it). I'd been looking forward to this film just due to the subject matter ever since I first heard of it well over a year ago, as the 'age of discovery' has always interested me. I found that the start was immediately enrapturing, but after that for a while it felt a bit clunky, with a lurching pace and some seemingly erratic editing. Despite that, I was engrossed by the movie the whole time, and it did settle down and flow better once it found its stride. Once it did, I thought it was an amazing film, and was completely enthralled. Only in the third act when the narrative moved to England did I slightly lose interest, just because I thought it was a less interesting setting. Still, it was well handled nonetheless. I thought the acting throughout was exceptional, including by Colin Farrell, whom I have never had anything against. I also thought the casting was spot-on, because every face seemed to fit into the setting perfectly. In particular, Q'Orianka Kilcher in the Pocahontas role was quite extraordinary.
The summary
The New World is not for everyone, but on the whole, I think the best word to describe the film would be 'captivating'.
