Review of The Fountain (2006) by Anssi V — 07 Feb 2012
It's a damn shame that Darren Aronofsky was forced to cut his budget in half, because I would have loved to see what he could have come up with the original script. Because right now the film feels like it's halfway done. Like certain scenes are missing and that the film didn't reach its full potential.
Right now the film is very much love it or hate it. Those film goers, who love deep and thought-provoking films will appreciate the underlying themes and the quiet atmosphere that slowly builds as the story progresses. Others, myself included, will see the fact that the film is not executed correctly. The overall story is a masterpiece, retelling the story of the first man and woman, but unfortunately that said story is not told correctly. The choice to separate the story into three different time periods and locations was a good one, but those three separate stories have to tie together in some way. And the first two time periods actually do feed of each other and they feel connected. But the last time period is there mainly for the gorgeous space imagery and for the trailer shots. Or at least that's the feeling I was left with after I was done watching this movie. There are some minor scenes where the third time period ties together with the first two, but they are few and far between.
Thought I must admit that the first two stories are extremely well-done. The love story between these two archetypical characters is believable and eventually even a bit heart-breaking. Both main actors are very talented and they have a genuine chemistry. The cinematography IS damn impressive, special effects are used skillfully and this movie honestly managed to pull me in.
Thus, in the end, this movie has an amazing story, but it doesn't manage to convey that story overly well. It's a brilliant movie for those that can appreciate it from a thematic, aesthetic or atmospheric point of view, but it's definitely not for those who demand a coherent, well-told story above all else.
This review of The Fountain (2006) was written by Anssi V on 07 Feb 2012.
The Fountain has generally received positive reviews.
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