5. The New World (2005)
Perhaps it was because people were growing weary of Colin Farrel at the time, perhaps it was because Terrence Malicks take on the Pocahontas love-story legend was too Malick-y for people who were looking for a live action version of the Disney movie; whatever the reason, The New World didnt get the credit or viewership upon its release that it deserved. Even among Malick fans, the film is treated as something of an anomaly, typically ranked below his other pictures. Thats a shame, because The New World may be Malicks most complete vision, a perfect union of his style with the story that hes telling. Focusing on the arrival of the English in North America, we get to see just how an alien influence can impact and change an already established natural order, both the nature of the land and the nature of the people who inhabit it. Who better to show us that then Malick, the man who so often reveals the emotions or changes in his characters through images of nature. Malick is a man who sees the relationship between man and nature as a constant tug of war, and in this film, hes able to explore that to an extent that is more fully formed and beautifully structured than in any of his other films. If you only saw the film once and dismissed it, its certainly worth your while to rewatch it.