Review of The Fountain (2006) by Will G — 24 Dec 2012

'The Fountain' falls somewhere between Tarsem Singh's 'The Fall' and Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life' in the spectrum of visually gorgeous movies that tend to divide critical opinion. It shares the former's passion for storytelling, interweaving three separate but complimentary storylines that relate to each other in ways that are not immediately obvious, and the latter's ambition to convey a metaphysical message about humanity and its place in the grand scheme of things. What it has in common with both is its dazzling beauty and its belief that great cinema can be both beautiful and meaningful.

I don't think the film is perfect: the storytelling falters occasionally (the soldiers' mutiny in particular is somewhat unnecessary) and some of the supporting players are rather weak, which I would guess can be attributed to a greater directorial focus on the main characters. However, such concerns mostly become superfluous when compared to the film as a whole.

Some mention should be given to Clint Mansell's insistent score which drives the film forwards, and of course to the amazing art direction and visual design. Jackman also shines in his triple role, grounding the film in a greatly human and emotionally involving performance.

As an afternote, I feel that I should say that it is a shame that the majority of critics seem content to bash the film as pretentious without giving it a fair chance. I find this especially baffling given that '2001: A Space Odyssey' is one of the most revered films ever made, and all the supposed faults of 'The Fountain' could, I think, reasonably be applied to '2001'. In short, 'The Fountain' is a film ripe for critical re-evaluation.