After an extremely promising first act, director Terrence Malick’s dreamlike exploration of the founding of Virginia’s Jamestown settlement in 1607 gradually falters beneath the weight of burdensome dramatic shortcomings. Malick, a mythic figure in his own right, has made just four films, including this one, in a career spanning 32 years, and there isn’t a one in which he fritters away much time on exposition. While the director’s fondness for metaphysical reflection and aversion to traditional narrative form are characteristic of his sparse oeuvre, even his most devoted disciples might concede that this latest project would have been markedly improved had Malick provided more historical context.
Still, there are worse places one could end up getting lost than in a Malick movie, and it’s hard to imagine a more splendiferous tableau than the untarnished New World rendered by director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki.
Colin Farrell is effectively rugged and remote as Capt. John Smith, the soldier of fortune who must choose between his love for the beautiful Native American princess Pocahontas (newcomer Q’Orianka Kilcher in a stunning debut) and duty to King and country. (Rated PG-13. Running time: 150 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 23, 2005. Read the original PDF.