Weekly Watches: October 29, 2025

Something for everyone in this season: discovery, fear, and another 2025 gem

The New World (2005, Theatrical Version):

By

Samuel Morales

Terrence Malick is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers. His films feel like mystical visions into life, memory, and history: and The New World is no exception. There were three versions available to me when I started out with the Criterion copy, I have, and I decided to start with the theatrical cut. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it, although, like most of Malick’s films, it’s a lot to take in and one viewing and I will definitely need subsequent viewings to really shape my full opinion.

The story follows Pocahontas (yes, THAT Pocahontas, played here by Q’orianka Kilcher) and John Smith (Colin Farrell), and as the film proceeds it becomes clear that the protagonist is not Smith but Pocahontas, making for an interesting viewing experience especially with Malick’s immersive presentation. The recreation of Jamestown by Malick’s usual production designer Jack Fisk is impressive and adds to the historical realism. Christian Bale enters the film later as John Rolfe, and Christopher Plummer makes an appearance as Captain Christopher Newport. I found the second act to drag a bit and am curious to see how different the other versions are. For those unfamiliar with Malick his style is to shoot hundreds of hours of footage- often spontaneously and unscripted- and then aggressively cut them down to size, resulting in a unique product that always feels like it’s showing real, fully lived moments captured in time. I would highly recommend (perhaps for a Thanksgiving week watch?)”