The Fountain Reviews

Didn't knoiw whethe rthis was a five or a zero.

Certain aspects of this film are truly remarkable. The premise is remarkable and the acting compelling. Then there are times when stronger direction is needed and the viewer is left feeling a little left out. It is a self absorbing film, the director is clearly following his desires. One you will either love or hate.

Stunning

What can I say Mr Aronofsky delivers again. Have an open mind when seeign this filma dn be warned its taken me the best part of a couple of days to actually digest the film itself and draw my own conclusions from the screenplay. To personify it can only be classed as poetry on screen so very artistic and the score is superb. If you havn't seen either Pi or Requiem for a dream check those both out as they are stunning in their own right.

Speechless

This is a thought-provoking, clever piece of art.

I was left speechless.

Exploring the concepts of life, death and creation, this film cleverly follows the lives of a terminally ill patient and her husband. With scenes 'set' in 1500AD, 2006AD and 2500AD.

Once everything in the film becomes clear towards the end you will find yourself saying wow.

Excellent soundtrack by British composer Clint Mansell too.

Masterclass

Cements Darren Aronofsky's reputation as one of the hottest directors working in America today. If you are a fan of such redefining Sci-Fi flicks as '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Solaris' (both versions) then I honestly can't see why you would feel anything but love for this movie. Technically flawless and undoubtedly a movie that will pay dividends with subsequent viewings.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Cosmic romance

I really wanted to like Aranofsky's The Fountain; a film about eternal love, loss and grief and the quest for the tree of Life across time, as this is one of those films that isn't afraid to be visionary in ambition. However, this is a braver film than it is a good one and its striving for importance and profundity cannot disguise the fact that, at times, it is boring and flabby.

The film's aspirations to being a cosmic love story will surely win it some fans and it wouldn't surprise me if this goes on to be cult film in years to come, but I found this to be something of a misfire; a film whose best ideas crumble under the weight of its self-importance. Individual moments stick in mind and certain scenes have an undeniable power but as a whole the film flounders and feels badly paced

I wish I liked The Fountain, with its cosmic romanticism and mysticism, but, instead I found myself vaguely irritated and thinking of some of the films that perhaps influenced it;( '2001' 'Solaris', and even 'Made in Heaven' and Wenders' 'Until the End of the World' spring to mind) A major disappointment but one which I think will have ardent followers

Unbelievably AWFUL!!

What a load of rubbish. Incredibly slow moving, incredibly pretentious and dull.

Stunning

I rented this because somebody recommended it to me and I'd promised them I'd watch it. I knew very little about it, and so had no expectations, with no real idea what it was about. I watched it late at night expecting to only get through half of it....but this film takes you on a journey, and I stayed up and watched the whole thing, hypnotised.

I'm not the sort of person who usually enjoys films that leave it all open ended , and this film definitely did, but I still loved it. I watched it again a secoind time the next day to try and make better sense of it, and have watched it twice more since, seeing different things in it each time. Ive realised that the beauty of this film is that it has been pieced together and written in such a way that audiences can read the messages given in many different ways, none being wrong or right and might be seen again differently on a second/third viewing.

The main essense of the film is the story of Tommy, who is a man dealing with the pain of letting go of his dying wife, and the ways in which he tried to deal with that.

This is an impossible film to explain simply to anybody, but it needs to be seen!

It is a visually stunning masterpiece with wonderful, deeply moving central performanes from both Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and the score is absolutely beautiful.

If you let it wash over you, and accept that it doesnt have to all fit together neatly, that each little piece means whatever you think it means, then you will love this as much as I did. I shall definately be adding this one to my dvd collection, as its one I will go back to again and again. Never seen a film like it!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Confusing romance

Although Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are two of my favourite actors, I found this movie to be rather confusing. Flashbacks to the middle ages and the Spanish Inquisition (not a sign of Michael Palin might I add), and then forwards to time in another place (I think). Jackman plays the part well of the obsessed husband trying to find a cure for his wife who is dying of cancer. But the forwards and backwards scenes made it difficult to follow. Perhaps it just needs watching more often than once. But it was a bit surreal for me.

It's a shame

One of those films that as a concept has great potential but fails to deliver.

I'm a fan of Requiem for a dream and I like both of the leads. However despite Hugh and Rachel layering on the emotions I couldn't engage with the characters and frankly didn't give a sh*t what happened to them.

The first section of the film was the what the hell is going on part and I was desperate for a clue. Then all was revealed and I just thought so what. I liked the Spanish story best but even then I felt disappointed because it was so fragmented.

It is nicely shot but I think reviewers' comparisons to Stanleys 2001 are a bit exagerated. I know the director will hit the mark soon but next time it would be nice to have a more rounded film with strong engaging character study to strengthen the art and philosophy. OK work but must try harder.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Total Pants

This film is total pants. For a lesson in how Hollywood ruins any concept that couldn't be explained in 5 seconds to a three year old, it's a masterclass. You can watch a film by someone like Beat Takeshi were the characters barely exchange two words in the whole movie and it's still emotionally engaging. This film contains some atrocious gurning and if it takes you longer than 15 minutes to work out the plot, you're probably in need of immediate medical attention. Enjoy.