Overview
A tale of love and conflict set against the backdrop of early American colonization.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- lyrical
- wistful
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- historical cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s arresting cinematography, strong lead performances, and visionary historical atmosphere while finding its long, unfocused, slow-moving narrative demanding.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Jamestown settlers’ assumptions about property, punishment, labor, and authority collide with Powhatan society and its relationship to the land.
The Virginia wilderness, waterways, light, and native settlement are filmed as central expressive elements surrounding Pocahontas and Smith.
Pocahontas and Captain Smith’s relationship is repeatedly reshaped by English expansion, tribal loyalties, exile, and cultural assimilation.
Terrence Malick presents the founding of Jamestown through quiet observation, poetic imagery, and emotionally elliptical transitions.
Films like The New World, and why
Days of Heaven
lyrical historical romance centered on colonial encounter, cultural displacement, and nature-conscious visual poetry
The Thin Red Line
meditative terrence malick drama combining historical conflict, spiritual introspection, and immersive natural imagery
Black Robe
period interracial romance shaped by colonial power, cultural collision, and tragic emotional separation
The Last of the Mohicans
lush, tragic historical romance about identity, social transformation, and love constrained by political forces
Movie Details
- Director
- Terrence Malick
- Release Date
- 2005-12-25
- Runtime
- 151 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (1323)
Cast
- Colin Farrell
- Q'orianka Kilcher
- Christopher Plummer
- Christian Bale
- August Schellenberg
- Wes Studi
- David Thewlis
- Yorick van Wageningen
- Raoul Max Trujillo
- Michael Greyeyes
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The New World about?
- A lyrical and tragic portrait of love, cultural collision, and colonial transformation at the founding of Jamestown.
- What is The New World like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The New World as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The New World violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The New World as mild.
- What did critics think of The New World?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s arresting cinematography, strong lead performances, and visionary historical atmosphere while finding its long, unfocused, slow-moving narrative demanding.
- Which films are like The New World?
- Films with a similar feel include Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, Black Robe, and The Last of the Mohicans.
- How long is The New World?
- The New World runs 151 minutes.
- Where can I watch The New World?
- In United States, The New World is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
