Writer/director Terrence Malick is Terrence Malick and either you relate to his films or avoid them. They are art pieces: not all art appeals to everyone. His films are an expression of a philosophy that the mind constructs all the input the eyes see and the body feels and while it may not make a story that is easy to follow (is there really anything to follow in any of his films?) it provides a unique experience that requires the viewer to relinquish expectations of storytelling and simply sail through the visual magnificence of the images Malick places on the screen and populates with enough characters to offer a hand during the journey he has shared.

Try to piece together a definition of the story and it comes in two levels: 1) 'A 30 year old writer (Rick – Christian Bale) indulging in all that Los Angeles and Las Vegas has to offer undertakes a search for love and self via a series of adventures with six different women.' And 2) A fable – 'Once there was a young prince whose father, the king of the East, sent him down into Egypt to find a pearl. But when the prince arrived, the people poured him a cup. Drinking it, he forgot he was the son of a king, forgot about the pearl and fell into a deep sleep.' The sections of the film are named according to Tarot Cards.

The dialogue is mostly off camera (with notable exceptions) and offers some sensitive philosophical notes that accompany the photography and the essentially classical music score that illuminates the film. The dialogue counts: Joseph (Brian Dennehy) is the main character Rick's father and states 'You think when you reach a certain age things will start making sense, and you find out that you are just as lost as you were before. I suppose that's what damnation is. The pieces of your life never to come together, just splashed out there.' And there are many memorable lines – 'You live in a little fantasy world, don't you?' 'Treat this world as it deserves, there are no principles, just circumstances. Nobody's home.' All those years, living the life of someone I didn't even know.' 'No one cares about reality anymore.'

The cast, even if through very brief appearances, is uniformly excellent – Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Brian Dennehy, Natalie Portman, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Wes Bentley, Imogen Poots, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Cherry Jones, Jason Clarke, and too many others to credit. The magnificent cinematography is by Emmanuel Lubecki and the musical score montage is credited to Hanan Townshend.

Perhaps not a film for everyone, but for those who wish to expand their visual and philosophical horizons, set sail with Knight of Cups.

Terrence Malick is one of those directors appreciated very highly by me. Of his previous films, 'To the Wonder' was the only one that left me indifferent, though it was more a mixed feelings film than dislike or hate.

Rest of his films range from very good ('The New World'),great('Badlands') to outstanding ('The Thin Red Line', 'Days of Heaven' and 'The Tree of Life'). Certainly don't anything at all against anybody who doesn't like those films or Malick in general, as Malick has a very unique style that also isn't widely accessible. His latest film 'Knight of Cups' replaces 'To the Wonder' as my least favourite of his films. Not a bad film, certainly not a 1/10 film, just that despite the gorgeous images it was the film that connected with me least.

As said with 'To the Wonder', s always with Malick, 'Knight of Cups' does look absolutely stunning, the cinematography (not surprising considering one of the best cinematographers around Emmanuel Lubezki was responsible) has a very dream-like quality to it, the colours positively leap out at you in an eye-popping way and the scenery has a sweeping beauty. Every single one of Malick's films are among the most beautiful films visually I've seen, with every frame having a breathtakingly naturalistic quality without feeling too orchestrated. The music gives an audibly rich, overwhelmingly emotional and quite haunting quality to 'Knight of Cups', fitting perfectly with every image on screen.

Despite characters that don't do much for their talents, excluding Antonio Banderas who is embarrassing and unnecessary, the acting is fine. Christian Bale is very convincing, essential for somebody with such a prominent presence throughout, and even with lesser screen time enigmatic and dignified Cate Blanchett is even better. Malick's style is unmistakable and is all over the film, and it is clear that he has put a lot of thought into his directing. As was said by me for 'To the Wonder', he is not entirely successful though. His directing has a thoughtful and philosophical touch, but did get the sense that he was trying too hard and that he was focusing too much on some aspects and not enough on others.

Voice-overs are a mixed bag, poetic in some places, stilted and preachy in others. It was the story, or lack of, and the pace that most underwhelmed. Do not have a problem with slow pacing, Malick's films are deliberately meditative and some of my favourite films are the same. But when the story came across as emotionally empty and disjointed (especially the misplaced armed robbery scene that just doesn't fit at all) and the very personal themes not developed enough narratively 'Knight of Cups' does feel very tedious and at times self-indulgent.

It also marks the first time in a Malick film where it was sometimes difficult to make out what was going on, and structurally it's thin on the ground to the point of near-non-existence and over-stretched and has a lack of emotional connection.

To summarise, visual beauty and poetry as always with Malick but narratively tedious, thin and disjointed. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Rick (Christian Bale) is a successful movie screenwriter in Hollywood. He goes out with free-spirited Della (Imogen Poots). He goes to a tarot card reading. Barry (Wes Bentley) is his brother and Joseph (Brian Dennehy) is his father. Nancy (Cate Blanchett) is his ex-wife. Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) is another woman from his past. Tonio (Antonio Banderas) is a womanizer. Helen (Freida Pinto) is a model. Karen (Teresa Palmer) is a stripper. Fr. Zeitlinger (Armin Mueller-Stahl) is a priest. Rick moves through L.A., Vegas, and other places as he searches for meaning with various loves and hookers.

The acting is improvisational. The movie moves through L.A. and this world in a dreamlike fashion. Rick doesn't say much. The camera moves through his world like a spirit observing his life. In a way, it's a very fitting vision of LaLaLand. It reminds me of an IMAX movie I saw back in the 80's with disconnected action vignettes in Canada. It was disembodying but fascinating... for about thirty minutes. Luckily, that's how long that IMAX movie was. In this case, this movie lasts for two hours. One does check out sooner or later. I try to stay with it but it does get away from me a couple of times.