Lav Diaz has turned Ferdinand Magellan’s brutal voyage into something mesmerizing. His latest film, “Magellan,” just dropped exclusively on the Criterion Channel, and it’s getting serious attention from critics.

Gael García Bernal plays the Portuguese navigator who led the first European expedition across the Pacific and into the Philippines. Diaz reimagines that journey as something hypnotic, caught between beauty and violence. Variety calls it “mesmerizing,” In Review Online labels it “a masterpiece,” and Slant says it’s “one of the most beautiful movies of the year.”

The film doesn’t shy away from what colonization cost. As The New York Times notes, Diaz “shows what was lost when the ostensibly old world discovered everyone else.” It’s politically rigorous, visually stunning, and García Bernal reportedly delivers one of his finest performances.

The Criterion Channel has it streaming now, with Blu-ray and DVD releases coming soon. For filmmakers tackling historical epics with a critical eye, this one matters. Diaz continues proving that slow cinema can pack a serious punch.