Neues aus der Welt

I didn't really love this film. I think it is competently made and you can tell the director knew what he was doing, i just think it was pretty average.

The story is very slow, it is almost a road movie. You can see the ending coming from a mile off. I just don't know if this was a story that needed to be told.

The script was pretty beige to me too. It wasn't gripping. It wasn't really passionate either. It just felt like a movie script from a western from 2006 that we have all forgot and you may have rented from blockbuster once but you don't really remember it. It just wasn't fresh.

I do think the set pieces were pretty good. They looked really nice and in turn provided some lovely shots. I didn't love the colour of this film. It was very muted. I get that it was a western but it just looked really grey and washed out. Maybe this was a choice i just didn't love it.

The acting was pretty good especially from the two leads. Some of the other acting was a bit over the top and out of place. Some of the antagonists seemed like pantomime villains and i also think when they were on screen the script also sagged. It turned into Saturday mourning cartoons a little bit.

I do think some of the action scenes were engaging however. I think they were pretty tense and enjoyable to watch.

I think you could watch this, just keep in mind it is slow. Do i think it should win any awards. No. But you could definitely check it out.

The plot to "News of the World" is pretty simple and it's a leisurely paced film...somewhat like Clint Eastwood's "Cry Macho". It is set in 1870 in the Reconstruction Era in Texas. Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks) is a Civil War veteran who happens upon a head man and a wild blonde girl in the wilderness. There are papers with the dead man's possessions indicating that the girl, Johanna, was abducted and raised by Kiowa Indians after her parents were killed. She was discovered with the Kiowa and the US Army sent her with an agent to return her to her extended family. But he's dead...and no one seems willing to help...so Kidd finally agrees to take her the 400 miles to Castroville, Texas (near San Antonio).

As you'd suspect, this won't be easy since the child really wants to be with the Kiowa and she doesn't understand English. Her family were German immigrants...so she understands some German...but Kidd only knows a few words of the language himself. The film shows them on their journey across the Plains to her family.

This is a most enjoyable film and a nice change of pace for Tom Hanks. It also talks about a seldom discussed problem which happened on rare occasions...white kids being abducted and raised by various tribes. Interesting and never dull.

I'm a big fan of Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks, so I was looking forward to this 19th-century Western. Based on the book of the same name, it tells the story of a Civil War veteran, Capt. Kidd (Hanks) who now serves as a news-teller in Texas. He must bring a young girl, Johanna, to her aunt and uncle. The film is skillfully well-made and leisurely paced, as its tone feels almost lyrical. Its western setting is depicted as harsh and realistic, but still unique and powerful. The film's cinematography of 19th-century north Texas is absolutely impeccable. After "Nomadland," it's the best cinematography of the year. From gorgeous wide shots of prairies and canyons and mountains to detailed sets of important towns at the time such as Wichita Falls, the shots look sublime throughout the film.

While the film's pacing is slow, it never feels too slow by any means. In fact, such leisurely pacing feels appropriate to the more lyrical tone of the film--almost like a more gritty version of a ballad. Even though the film is obviously very tonally different from Greengrass' other films, such as the original Bourne trilogy and "Captain Phillips," Greengrass is still able to build up lots of suspense at appropriate times over the course of the film--such as a scene when Capt. Kidd and Johanna must out-maneuver a gang of outlaws, a bumpy and dangerous stagecoach ride, and a desert storm. The emotional core between Kidd and Johanna is very well done, and the performances are very strong. Hanks does a great job showing a range of both charisma and grit in the role, and the young actress who plays Johanna is superb. My only criticism of the film was that the film could have developed Kidd and Johanna better as characters, although the limited dialogue between the two of them (as Johanna does not speak English) may be one of the reasons why character development within the scenes they are both together in can sometimes be a bit limited. Otherwise, this is a gritty yet gorgeous Western made with passion and talent. Gladly recommended. 8/10

I am not sure why some people rated this movie below 7 but I really enjoyed it. I was thoroughly entertained because I felt the connection with the characters. Tom has the ability to make the viewers connected to the characters regardless of what role he is playing in a movie as he had done very nicely here in the News of the World. If you are a fan of Hanks, it's worth checking it out...it was worth my time/money...a good recommend and a solid 7 stars.

The combination of Tom Hanks in top form, as always, and director Paul Greengrass providing a visual delight and you have one of these joyous heartfelt films that often slip through the cracks. The story may be predictable but it is told with such warmth and feeling that I truthfully didn't want the film to end. A movie to gladden the heart in these difficult and depressing times.