12. The New World
Terrence Malick might be the poster child for divisive directors. Throughout his near 40 year career in filmmaking, Malick has only turned out six movies, all of which are either hailed as masterpieces by his fans, or self-indulgent garbage by his detractors. His least mentioned film so far is probably 2005's The New World, which is a shame because it's one of the most unique movies of its kind. A sort of cinematic tone poem, The New World touches on familiar movie ground, although in a completely new way. The New World is a retelling of the founding of Jamestown,Virginia and the legend of John Smith and Pocahontas. Unlike the Disney version, this movie is grounded in realism, with much attention paid to making the costumes, scenery, and sets as authentic as possible. What makes this film, and all Malick's films, divisive is that they really don't care for traditional styles of storytelling. While told in a linear manner, The New World abandons narrative to a degree, focusing on isolated, almost random moments between characters and most of the important information is told through voiceover. The strengths of the film are its incredible cinematography, strong performances, and peculiar atmosphere. It received mixed reviews upon its release although it has been somewhat reevaluated in the last few years and is generally considered to be a very good film. Regardless, it has not received as much attention as it deserves, despite its considerable quality.