It’s genuinely rare that I would give a movie a rating as low as 1 out of 10, but this one earns it. Anyone who was impressed by the visuals needs to realize they were misled. The film’s aesthetic choices—the 4:3 aspect ratio, the long, murky, still wide shots lasting two to four minutes each, the sparse dialogue and acting—don't add up to a good movie, particularly when the pacing is sluggish and it runs close to th…

It's remarkable; each shot genuinely resembles a painting in its beauty. Magellan stands out as an exceptional historical biopic. The movie was filmed using only still shots, with very little music, creating a peaceful and understated atmosphere, and the photography is strikingly lovely and calming to observe. Lav Diaz also fearlessly depicts colonialism’s darker aspects and the dishonesty of European explorers fr…