Movie Review: Pocahontas (1995)

It's funny when your a movie critic and you see a great movie, but all the reviews online are either trashing it or very mixed. I did this with The Amytiville Horror a while ago and now I'm back to do it. Pocahontas is a 1995 historical - romance movie directed by Mike and Eric Goldberg. This was one of Walt Disney Pictures movies that came out during the nineties, which is often referred to as their golden age. The film stars the likes of Mel Gibson, Christian Bale, and Linda Hunt. The film explores the story of a young Native American woman named Pocahontas who falls in love with John Smith, an English explorer who is looking (along with his men) to take down the Indian territory and industrialize their land. As Pocahontas meets Smith, the two fall in love and John Smith gradually begins to except her culture and understand what the Native Americans are all about. Without even speaking, Walt Disney's interpretation of Pocahontas is fascinating. This woman doesn't have to utter a word and just by seeing her and looking at how she's drawn, there is a natural poise and elegance to this character. She's very lifelike and not unlike a force of nature herself. This is a character who has a lot of power without even saying any lines and that is a huge plus. This is a great movie, and while it might not be as nostalgic or even as good as The Lion King or Aladdin, it's still a fantastically animated film. There are several scenes in this movie where my mouth literally dropped open. It's filled with great imagery and some of these scenes had shots that felt truly realistic and surpassed the typical Disney cinematic experience. As far as criticisms go, I suppose I should start out with why this movie has a very mixed critical reaction. Upon viewing this movie, a lot of people critiqued how Native American culture and even just their people were portrayed. Now I'm well aware that this movie is horridly outdated and even is quite offensive just by looking at Pocahontas. However, while I respect people's concerns about how a certain group is represented in cinematic production, this is a work of fiction. Walt Disney is a company where table spoons and tea kettles talk, where mermaids are like fire hydrants on the side of the road, and where beasts actually do reside and exist. Since it's very fictional, I think focusing on the portrayal of Native Americans and the history is one of the last things to look at. Don't get me wrong, I respect all the people, but this film doesn't need to be critiqued for that. As far as my own flaws go, there are a few. First off, I didn't like the slapstick elements of this movie. There are far too many scenes just made to make little children laugh and I did not find any of this even entertaining. It's definitely slapstick done wrong and there is WAY too much of it. Also, I wasn't really interested in the bad character of this movie. These two aspects actually led me out of the film and I felt less interested in the production. However, the story between John Smith and Pocahontas is really great and it reminds us that instead of hating, we should love. It's a great message for kids to see and I do understand that this movie is nowhere near as good as some of the other Disney flicks of the time. I also do see how it's portrayal could be viewed as bigoted, but we have to look at it for what it is: a children's movie. Overall, Pocahontas is heartfelt, has a good message, but there are a few scenes where the film does lag. Three stars= B