This is a mesmerizing and challenging film. Terrence Malick knows how to create memorable images and there many, many startlingly beautiful ones in this movie, but the "creation myth" trappings around this film obscure it's real accomplishment, a deeply loving evocation of childhood, family and the dynamics that drive each. Brad Pitt & Sean Penn may be the names on the marquee but the true stars, and the main reason to see this film, are the young boys who play his children. Never has boyhood been so respectfully realized from the perspective of a child than it is here by Malick. No matter what you feel about the baggage this film unpacks, the performances of the boys--and their mother, Jessica Chastain--will be what stays with you.
This is quite possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Let me see if I get this right: let's annihilate New York City and a lot of immoral, undesirables to promote world peace? And who are the dead: folks who don't approve or understand the goals of an elite people with special knowledge. Look beyond the special effects; listen to what they are really saying. Be afraid.