The New World (2005) 1 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Colin Farrell, Q丹rianka Kilcher, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, David Thewlis and Raoul Trujillo. Written by Terrence Malick. Directed by Malick and Jack Fisk.

       
Terrence Malick paints beautiful movies. He frames lovely landscapes and picturesque vistas.

        But sometimes he forgets that what he is filming is a motion picture, and his obsession with composing his scenes can be detrimental to his overall creation.

        In other words, he sometimes fails to see the forest through the trees.

        Nowhere is this more evident than in The New World, only his fourth film in 32 years.

        The New World is breathtakingly splendid. Most frames could be enlarged and displayed in museums.

        And that, unfortunately, is the movie's pace. It痴 as if Malick was filming the entire enterprise in slow motion.

        Since its press screening, the movie痴 running time has been slashed from about two hours and 45 minutes to two hours and 15 minutes.

Whether or not that is an improvement depends on what was eliminated.

        The movie centers on the founding of the Jamestown colony, the clashes between the European settlers and the Native American cultures and the legendary love story of Capt. John Smith (Colin Farrell) and the Indian princess Pocahontas (Q丹rianka Kilcher).

        Yet the story is told in such an understated fashion that it fails to involved you.

        Malick does splendid job of conveying the wonder and amazement of the settlers when they first land in the new world. And the initial meeting between the English and the Indians captures the tension, surprise, mystery and other emotions that such a first contact produces.

        Just think how you'd feel meeting a being from another planet. It痴 that sense of astonishment that Malick captures so well.

        The breech-clothed Indians, upon first seeing the Europeans in their armor, begin touching and sniffing, believing they are meeting another breed of human being.

        Such moments, however, are few and far between.

        For the most part, Malick uses his actors as props to fill in the scenery. And with the exception of young Kilcher, making her film debut, they fail to breathe any life into their characters.

        Farrell痴 Smith mumbles and stumbles around the settlement and countryside. He lacks any charisma, making it difficult to believe in him as someone who would be entrusted with leading any expedition of the new lands.

        Christian Bale as John Rolfe, the future husband of Pocahontas, also is held in check. He is reserved and a bit distant, making you wonder why Pocahontas would choose to marry him.

        Kilcher offers the only fully rounded performance, going from curious teen-ager to a woman who reluctantly embraces a new life when forced to choose between her people and the European interlopers.

        The movie is frustrating, mainly because of Malick's penchant for emphasizing style over substance. His self-indulgence detracts from what could have been an epic drama, if told concisely and passionately.

       Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com.