The New Frontier: A whole lot of nothing happens

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you are deeply into the history of early cinema or you just want to zone out to something that moves at the speed of a dying snail. If you want a plot that goes somewhere, skip it. If you like feeling like you’re watching someone’s old vacation footage from a century ago, you’ll be fine. 🎥

The New Frontier is one of those movies that makes you wonder what the heck they were doing on set all day. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s aggressively quiet. Morse Salisbury is just… there. He’s walking. He’s looking at things. He’s probably thinking about lunch.

It lacks the sharp, slapstick energy you’d find in something like Keystone Comedies. There’s no big payoff. It just sort of stops.

The little things

• The background extras look like they forgot why they were standing there.
• The lighting is either way too bright or just flat out dull.
• I’m fairly sure a dog wanders into the frame at one point and nobody acknowledges it.

It’s not as chaotic or fun as A Movie Mad Maid. It’s almost like the movie is afraid to do anything too bold. You can feel the hesitation in every cut.

Sometimes, the camera lingers on a tree or a fence for so long that I started wondering if the projectionist fell asleep. It’s weirdly hypnotic, though. Maybe that’s the point? Or maybe they just ran out of film and had to fill the time.

I found myself comparing it to the pacing of The Grocery Clerk, but where that had a bit of charm, this one is just dusty. It’s a strange, dry experience. Don't go in expecting a thrill ride. It’s barely a stroll. 🏜️

I don't know. Maybe I’m being too harsh. It’s just very… empty. It feels like a rough draft that never got finished.