 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The New World
- Review Date: May 7, 2006
- PG-13
- Genre: Drama
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Poetic telling of John Smith and Pocahontas myth.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this film is focused on a clash of civilizations, European and Native Indian, beginning in 1607. Depicted largely in metaphorical imagery of woods, fields, rivers, and the settlement called Jamestown, the movie shows the difficulty of intercultural communication. It includes battle scenes (with guns, spears, tomahawks, explosions, and bloody bodies), as well as long, lyrical (non-narrative) passages that might be uninteresting for some younger viewers.
What's the story?
Ambitious and gorgeous, Terrence Malick's THE NEW WORLD revisits the myth of the circa-1607 romance between Captain John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), revealing its characters' yearnings in landscapes and voiceovers. The romance occurs as Smith stays for months with the tribe -- whom the Europeans deem "the naturals" -- in an ostensible effort to help his own men survive, to win favor and learn strategies of living with the land rather than pitted against it. But even though Smith extols his hosts' communal values ("They no jealousy, no sense of possession"), he can't absorb them. Instead, he is bedeviled by his ambition, enticed by a new voyage to discover the Indies, leaving behind a lie for Pocahontas, that he's died at sea, so he never need return to her. Though she mourns for her lost love, she agrees to marry the solid, loyal, unexciting John Rolfe (Christian Bale).
Is it any good?
Malick's film is of two minds. On one hand, it refutes this pretty story by making Smith overtly a problem, an arrogant adventurer. On another, it offers poetic images to suggest she continues to love this white invader even after he abandons her.
Impressionistic as his films will be, Malick brings to bear on this saga a fascinated (and at times, fascinating) patience, as his camera wafts over natural woodsy scenes or dense rainfalls. Pocahontas warns John Rolfe, "There are things you don't know, things you could not guess." Ah yes, but her ripe mystery is so captivating that he can't not want her. However Rolfe or Smith or even you comprehend her, Pocahontas' tragedy is just this desire, that has so little to do with her.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the myth of John Smith and Pocahontas: given that she was probably 10 or 11 when they first met (and she saved him from death ordered by her father, a king), why might stories persist that theirs was a romance, based in mutual love and interests?
How does this version differ from the 1995 animated Disney musical, Pocahontas?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
great historical movie
I like historical movies, so I liked this one.I showed a different picture of what the Jamestown settlement looked like than I imagined. I enjoyed the movie.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Good movie, but way too long
This movie is an excelent movie but 2 1/2 hours of walking around places is too much. It was gory durin battle scence but other than that it was okay. But kids 13 and under will get bored will all the nonsence. If you are learning it in S.S. they may enjoy it, but other than that, 14 and up.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Boring Movie
My husband and I like historial dramas however this one is so boring and hard to follow. I did like the visialization of the Jamestown settlement, it did give you an idea of the struggles the settlers had to overcome. We couldn't wait to turn this never ending story off.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
not bad for kids but not aimed at them
I saw this movie because I'm studying the English Colonies for school. If your kid is studying Jamestown, go let your kid see it. This movie is a low PG-13, there's some violence but most of the movie really has none. I say if a kid wants to see it they can, but if they don't that's OK, it's not aimed at kids anyways. Bloody bodies? maybe one with a nice blood splot but otherwise none.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Horrible!
I know it looks good but please don't watch it! When I watched this movie I was horrified! No site tells you that there are multiple scenes where sex is implied. The music in the movie is the same song played over and over again! This movie is not good to history! Don't watch this movie!
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | New Line |
| Director: | Terrence Malick |
| Cast: | Christian Bale, Colin Farrell, Q'Orianka Kilcher |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 150 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 23, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | May 9, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some intense battle sequences |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
