Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Past, present, future. Through time and space, one man embarks on a bold 1000-year odyssey to defeat humankind’s most indomitable foe: Death. Hugh Jackman plays that man, devoted to one woman (Rachel Weisz) and determined to protect her from forces that threaten her existence. His quest leads him to a Tree of Life…and to an adventure into eternity. Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) directs, continuing his string of imaginative, involving filmmaking with a tale alive with ideas and filled with astonishing vistas. “Not many films can blow your mind and break your heart at the same time, but this one will” (Drew McWeeny, Ain’t It Cool News).Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who labored for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky’s real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film’s three settings–16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveler seeking a gateway to the afterlife)-–who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death-–the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to “head movies” of the late ’60s-–but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers’ hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman’s boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film’s low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. –Paul Gaita
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April 26, 2008
#1
Summary: take a Spanish conquistador, a shaved tree-hugger and a monkey brain surgeon as embodiments of the same fellow; add to it generous quantity of corny cliched dialogues and you have the Fountain.
It is an over-”intellectualized” and over-”spiritualized” sci-fi drivel melodrama kind of a flick.
For very select audience.
April 26, 2008
#2
I’ll sum this up in layman’s terms…1.HARD TO FOLLOW. 2. HARD TO GET INTO. 3. NEVER understood it. 4. THE ENDING? HUH? . 5.Cannot believe Hugh Jackman would make a movie as horrible as this.
April 26, 2008
#3
I didn’t care that lots of people forwarned me that this film sucked. I hear that 2001: a space odyssey had lots of detractors when it was first released. so i was hoping for a misunderstood masterpiece. well, once again in life, my hopes were dashed. whereas 2001 (stanley kubrick’s masterpiece) is understated, with brilliant low-key performances by the actors, this is overly-melodramatic B-movie mediocrity. I turned it off at the 80 minute mark. i didn’t care about these people at all, because they obviously were not real people. they were actors through and through. bad actors to boot. stiff, bad actors in a silly movie that could have been made for TV back in the 70′S. nothing about this film was convincing. it was not hard to follow, it just stunk. if you like this sort of thing, more power to you. i wish you well. I just found it a waste of time.
April 26, 2008
#4
Given a purely visual sequence, Darren Aronofsky presents a stream of images and music, stunning and imaginative. His eye for design is remarkable and new, and his ear for composition is breathtaking. His narrative, however, is something quite different. Not only trite and boorish, but yet another example of careless ineptitude, with regards to key elements of story-telling. Much like Aronofsky’s “breakthrough” film, ‘Pi,’ ‘The Fountain’ appears overly-pretentious, cliché, and utterly annoying. While in the theater, I remember thinking more about what I was going to do after seeing the film, than the film itself.
I’ve often found that many people are too quick to judge an inescapably mundane film some sort of artistic achievement, purely due to its deviation from the norm. If you don’t understand it, it’s probably smart; right? In the case of ‘The Fountain’, I found myself wishing I didn’t understand the film; that way, at least I could play ignorant. At least then I could leave the theater with some sense of wonder. Instead, I left completely unchanged. Aronofsky had done the same thing again: he’d created something workaday, yet packaged it in something grand.
For all its mesmerizing visuality and hypnotic harmony, ‘The Fountain’ merely toys with the Big Questions, and never really gives any incite. Aronofsky really cuts off his nose to spite his face with all of his hack-editing and repetitive sequences. Issues like ‘love conquering science,’ ‘man questioning God,’ and the ‘acceptance of death’ are strewn together and mixed widely without any forethought or strategy. The great tragedy of this film rests solely in those who have faith in it: as noted throughout, the soundtrack is phenomenal and the cinematography is right-on; the acting is superb; and the passion is without question, dignified. Unfortunately, these virtues seem wasted given the shallowness of the film as a whole.
April 26, 2008
#5
This is one of the worst film ever. Unfortunately, I did not read the reviews first before renting it. You probably have to be a Zen Buddhist to appreciate this one…total waste of time!!!