The New World

Rich, lush, lovely to look at--as an exercise in visual presentation this film works splendidly. But does that impressive look outweigh the languid and somewhat pretentious storytelling? Tough to say. Despite the shortcomings, the viewer's interest only fades out towards the end, after more than two hours of long sledding. And the other question is, as always with these historical dramas, how historically accurate is what we're seeing? We think we know this story--the tale of Pocahontas and Capt. John Smith--but do we really? It all makes for a muddle, and that can be difficult sell when you're choosing a movie to watch.