The Fountain
by: Average Joe 1 year, 10 months, 1 week, 1 day, 22 hours, 12 minutes ago
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Warner Bros.
It’s been said that every great director will be remembered for one film that defines their career. A masterpiece. Well if that is so then in my opinion Darren Aronofsky has just made that very film.
I have been reading about the progress on The Fountain for over a year, and with all the delays the film has faced I began to wonder if it would ever really see the light of day. To be honest with you, I had no idea it was being released this month. A friend of mine brought it to my attention, and once he mentioned it to me I started seeing advertisements for it that were at the very least extremely pleasing to the eye. The film itself is very symbolic in nature, and actually leaves it up to the audience to draw their own conclusions about the film and it’s message.
For those of you that read my reviews I’m sure you’ve noticed that most of the time (ok all of the time) they tend to be a bit on the lengthy side. With this review my intention isn’t to write some long drawn out review where I disect the film. Actually I’d like to keep this fairly short since I really can’t even begin to explain what the film is really about.
While I can’t really explain the story to you, I can tell you that the film takes place over three different time periods, and we get to see Hugh Jackman deliver what I consider to be his best performance yet (sorry Wolverine fans) as a Spanish Conquistador, a modern day surgeon, and as an enlightened being on the journey to immortality. I can also tell you that throughout the film you will see some of the most fantastic special FX you’ve seen in any movie. Ever.
The crew behind the visual aspect of the film is to be commended in every way possible. Watching this film was like watching a moving work of art. Everything from the lighting, to the amber hues used throughout the film, to the transition from practical shots to CGI shots was absolutely seamless. On top of the amazing visual FX, another aspect of the film that had me totally in awe was the music. I don’t know who scored the film, but I would love to hear more of their work because this was one of those rare instances in which I don’t think the music could have been any better as it really helped build upon the emotional aspect of the film.
Overall this film was in my opinion, a total masterpiece from start to finish. I went in to this film knowing very little about it, and walked out not really knowing what to say or how to convey my thoughts about what I had just seen. I found this film to be extremely moving, and very thought provoking. If the numerous delays with this film are an indication of Aronofsky waiting until the film was perfected before releasing it, then I would say he made the right decision.
What can I say, The Fountain is a lesson in exceptional film making, and to be honest with you it actually touched me.
I enjoyed this movie very much. I think that it was strikeing in its presentation and non-traditional story telling. At times I like it when I have to think a bit within a movie. Not always, but The Fountain gave me a chance to expand my thoughts on non-linear presentational style. I said it once and I will say it again, Hugh Jackman will be known as one of our times greatest actors.
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Looks like a lot of folks didn’t bother seeing this film. In two weeks it has grossed less then 10 million of it’s 35 million budget. Of course it hasn’t opened in many foreign markets yet so things could change for it.
I would watch Hugh Jackman in almost any movie he made because I too think he is an amazing actor.