Since people on the Internet have a frustrating tendency to be wrong, allow me to properly rank Terrence Malick's films.
1. Days of Heaven
I first saw this movie on a VHS in a library basement during college, so I can't say I truly appreciated its beauty until re-watching it this week while preparing to write my Knight of Cups review. But it's really quite stunning; the Criterion Collection's Blu-ray is one of the most gorgeous home movie experiences I've ever had. I've occasionally joked about Malick's fondness for wind and its ripples, but this is the one flick where it works perfectly: America's vast openness has never seemed wider or more wondrous than it does here. And the plague of locusts and the sea of fire and Sam Shepard and Richard Gere and Brooke Adams. It made my eyes water.
Shorter: I feel the same thing for this movie that Wes Bentley feels for that dumb plastic bag in American Beauty.
2. The Thin Red Line
Overlong but lusciously brought to life, Malick's Pacific theater counterpart to Spielberg's European theater classic is a meditative examination of life and death in a land both disconcertingly foreign and strangely familiar. I'll put the middle act's battle up against any other in cinematic history. It's always kind of funny to watch this flick and see the ridiculous lineup of famous faces appearing for a few moments: Jared Leto, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Nick Stahl, John Travolta ... I could go on.
3. Badlands
Another beautiful release from the Criterion Collection, Badlands is probably Malick's most narrative-oriented feature. Martin Sheen is so good as the trigger-happy killer trying to run away with Sissy Spacek.
4. Knight of Cups
Probably Malick's least narrative-oriented feature, Knight of Cups spends two hours trying to make us feel bad for a handsome writer surrounded by beautiful women and fantastic job opportunities experiencing a profound anomie—and succeeds! At least, he does with me. But I've always had a soft spot for rich, successful white guys filled with ennui.
5. Tree of Life
I don't like calling movies overrated because all that really means is "more people liked this movie than I did." But I have a hard time coming up with another adjective. It is, like all of Malick's work, admirably attractive. And the portrait of the family at its center is lovely. But it feels much less weighty to me than his other works—and far less weighty than Malick seems to think it is. I think I get what he was going for with that ancient history interlude and "we all meet again in heaven" outro, but it didn't work for me.
6. The New World
Like The Thin Red Line, but duller.
7. To the Wonder
I think someone on Amazon described To the Wonder as a two hour perfume ad, which feels about right.