The New World
—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Colin Farrell)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads
The New World wasn't quite what I expected. That might have been my own distraction or maybe false advertising, but I went with the hope of saying a dramatic interpretation of the Jamestown settlement of the early 1600s. Instead, I found myself as an observer of a misguided love triangle, with Captain John Smith (Farrell), Pocahantas (Kilcher)and John Rolfe (Bale.) As an observer, I never felt obliged to get involved, and I never really understood why this particular story was worth two plus hours of my time.
Maybe this was just a bad movie-watching weekend for me, because my soon-to-be posted review of Underworld: Revolution will probably be a bit lacking for positive aspects as well. Maybe I should read other reviews before I go to a movie, or maybe I'm just too grumpy to be writing this weekend. But the fact of the true history behind this movie (for me) is that discovering a new world and new people is naturally exciting! So, what about this movie sucks the excitement out of the story? (Don't get me wrong, this movie could win for "Best Documentary Not Done by National Geographic" (if it's history worked), but it is billed as a "sweeping adventure.")
There is little adventure, little action here. Instead, we spend much of the movie watching Pocahantas through the eyes of Smith and Rolfe as they walk silently behind her. Often their voices are used over the beautiful scenes of wilderness that these three walk through, but little is actually said. As a friend said while watching the movie with me, you can grow tired of watching Farrell as 'brooding actor.' This is really the strangest stalker movie ever! Love is not always about words but having conversations certainly helps build relationships. The relationships here seem strained, and by the time we meet Rolfe, they certainly come across as faked.
The bright spot for me, was the representation of the Native American faith. The movie opens with Pocahantas addressing 'Mother Spirit' as she asks for the words to share that will express her story. Here, their story still appears attractive, prior to the invasion of European influence. Christianity certainly doesn't come across as a wondrous, growing faith, because the efforts made by those Europeans are brutish and corrupt. Watch the settlement community disintegrate (multiple times) and 'convert' villages of Indians and Pocahantas herself. You're left wondering how people could make decisions in the name of God (any 'good' really) that result in the pain that these people are made to feel.
Instead of showing me a 'new world,' the movie showed me an old one that has been corrupted by outside influences and seemed better off beforehand. The New World also showed me that history books can actually be more interesting and colorful than film, and that someday soon, high school students will be bored to tears watching it, like I was watching The Birth of a Nation. I do hope that those Christians who go to see the movie will reflect on how their faith is shared-- is it offered or forced upon?-- and that others will not experience Christianity the way that Pocahantas did.
— Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Colin Farrell)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads
The New World wasn't quite what I expected. That might have been my own distraction or maybe false advertising, but I went with the hope of saying a dramatic interpretation of the Jamestown settlement of the early 1600s. Instead, I found myself as an observer of a misguided love triangle, with Captain John Smith (Farrell), Pocahantas (Kilcher)and John Rolfe (Bale.) As an observer, I never felt obliged to get involved, and I never really understood why this particular story was worth two plus hours of my time.Maybe this was just a bad movie-watching weekend for me, because my soon-to-be posted review of Underworld: Revolution will probably be a bit lacking for positive aspects as well. Maybe I should read other reviews before I go to a movie, or maybe I'm just too grumpy to be writing this weekend. But the fact of the true history behind this movie (for me) is that discovering a new world and new people is naturally exciting! So, what about this movie sucks the excitement out of the story? (Don't get me wrong, this movie could win for "Best Documentary Not Done by National Geographic" (if it's history worked), but it is billed as a "sweeping adventure.")
There is little adventure, little action here. Instead, we spend much of the movie watching Pocahantas through the eyes of Smith and Rolfe as they walk silently behind her. Often their voices are used over the beautiful scenes of wilderness that these three walk through, but little is actually said. As a friend said while watching the movie with me, you can grow tired of watching Farrell as 'brooding actor.' This is really the strangest stalker movie ever! Love is not always about words but having conversations certainly helps build relationships. The relationships here seem strained, and by the time we meet Rolfe, they certainly come across as faked.
The bright spot for me, was the representation of the Native American faith. The movie opens with Pocahantas addressing 'Mother Spirit' as she asks for the words to share that will express her story. Here, their story still appears attractive, prior to the invasion of European influence. Christianity certainly doesn't come across as a wondrous, growing faith, because the efforts made by those Europeans are brutish and corrupt. Watch the settlement community disintegrate (multiple times) and 'convert' villages of Indians and Pocahantas herself. You're left wondering how people could make decisions in the name of God (any 'good' really) that result in the pain that these people are made to feel.Instead of showing me a 'new world,' the movie showed me an old one that has been corrupted by outside influences and seemed better off beforehand. The New World also showed me that history books can actually be more interesting and colorful than film, and that someday soon, high school students will be bored to tears watching it, like I was watching The Birth of a Nation. I do hope that those Christians who go to see the movie will reflect on how their faith is shared-- is it offered or forced upon?-- and that others will not experience Christianity the way that Pocahantas did.
— Overview
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home