REVIEW - "The Fountain" (2006)

I'm writing this review after seeing this movie for the second time in theaters. I saw it in November when it first came out and have had a lot of time to dwell on it; but I wanted to see it again before I wrote this. Now that I've had the time to think about it and the chance to go over the movie one more time, I can confidently say "The Fountian" is a masterpiece of unparelled beauty and soul. It goes beyond what makes a film a "film" and proves to be an experience just as much as a movie. The movie strikes at the soul and is meant to be watched with complete vulnerability. What I'm trying to say is, you should let this movie take you for the length it runs. For some it will be an overflow of emotional disposition. For others it will be something they don't want to think about and may walk out on. And few others might just see a glimpse of Heaven-- A glimpse of God.

The movie's story has gotten a lot of press which is why people were interested to see it. At first glance it looks like a story about a man, Tommy (Hugh Jackman), finding the tree of life and living for a span of 1000 years (1500 A.D. - 2500 A.D.) in order to keep Izzi (Rachel Weisz), his love, alive and well. If one is to enter the movie hearing this they'll be either astounded or outraged. The movie involves these same characters in different points of time (1500, 2006 and 2500) facing similar situations that could either be symbolic of one another in certian key ways or may infact have all happened.

To some extent the movie's storyline is up to the perception of the viewer. Part of what makes this movie so unique is that you can watch and freely accept different a different point of view each time. The basic story, however, is a love story more epic in its delivery than any other film I've seen. The basic points of the film are that of life and death. This may be part of the turn off for many people. There were many that disliked this movie because you did have to think about it and because it was confusing; but why was it confusing? Why did people not want to think about it? Probably because life is often something that many don't want to think about and death being a good thing, a "road to awe", is even harder for the basic movie viewer to accept. My significant other-- My own true love, if you will, saw this movie with me the first time. After hearing about the bad reviews the film recieved I made the comment that people were not ready to see a movie like this. She replied, "When will they ever be?" She's right. And that's why this movie goes beyond conventional filmmaking and in to a realm not explored by films, or at least not many films. This is the first I've seen.

Visually the movie is just as appealing. The beauty of the way the film is shot is, again, incomparable to anything else I've seen. And the emotion accents the situation(s) in the story perfectly. The beauty in the visuals are no more amazing than the beauty in the film. It's interesting to note that director Darren Aronofsky choose not to use any CGI in this film. The effects are done by shooting reactions under a microscope, extreme close-ups of contact lenses and very conventional effects. It was a good choice because it added to the movie's very organic feel. CGI is looking worse and worse with each passing movie, its great to see someone be innovative about special effects these days. Another powerful addition to film is the score by Clint Mansell. As if anything in this movie didn't flow together perfectly enough, the music could not have been more perfect for every scene it was heard in. The instrumentation, timing and use of theme punches the audience even harder with emotional prowess.

Hugh Jackman delivered a one in a million performance. His reaction to every tiny thing that happens in this movie is spot on. I beleived him. I would watch the screen and see a weeping Hugh Jackman and tell myself, "That isn't Hugh Jackman, not anymore. That's Tommy. I'm watching Tommy." The character took over and I've never seen a well known actor dissolve his image until he had lost his true identity in favor of a character. Weisz was amazing as well. She portrayed a character we could all genuinly love and feel for without being cliche. Their love really did feel like the love of 1000 years.

So why are people not ready for this movie? Is the concept of death being beautiful a lot for a viewer to take in? Probably, for some I doubt they think about it. Some may have just wanted a straight up chick-flick or a science fiction tale of overbloated proportions. That's ok though. This movie wasn't for them. Perhaps one day they'll think about these subjects and look closer at this film's message and powerful emotion. Is "The Fountain" the greatest movie of all time? Maybe not, but maybe it shouldn't be. I personally look at it as beyond even that. A film to be looked at in an almost spiritual light. Of course there will be people who disagree with that-- It's not for everyone. But I firmly believe it is a film to be experienced in such a way. If I were to choose a movie to end all movies, it would be this one. I don't know what Aronofsky intended to make, but what he did create is a piece of beautiful, spiritual art that can forever be held highly in atleast some people's hearts and souls. If that's what he, his cast and crew intended to do then, for this reviewer, they can confidently say, "We made it."


**** out of ****