The New World

I generally like a movie that is an historical drama. What could be better than The New World which is based on the first permanent settlement in America, Jamestown? In short, just about anything else.

The New World is quite confusing. It takes a true art form to take a story that all school age children know, namely the relationship of John Smith and Pochahontas at early Jamestown, and obscure it to the point of unrecognizable. At times, it was completely unclear what the plot was, even though we all know the tale!

Couple this with a complete lack of dialogue at many points. The New World makes the Indians seem unintelligent and savage by having with minimal communication, and fewer subtitles. The richness of the Native Americans and their culture simply never comes through. Also, the fact that they saved the Jamestown colonists from starvation is glossed over quickly. They also didn't bother getting the historical details right as they showed a stockade in the center of Jamestown which apparently it didn't have. A five minute trip through Google was infinitely more interesting than the tw0 plus hours of pain this movie involved.

The film drags like a slug across a concrete parking lot in mid day heat. We learn nothing of the new world of America, or come to any greater understanding. This topic has great potential, and the film could be renamed "A Very Fictional Account of Pochahontas." In my view, The New World deserves our lowest grade, and the first failure I have awarded to anything.

Those viewers looking for a better movie on this topic should try Disney's Pochahontas. Even with the singing racoon, it is more entertaining, and historically accurate.

Overall Grade: F