Overly abstract and metaphorically heavy-handed.

Rating: 1/10 (20 November 2006)

Rather than bothering with creating a story around which to establish his themes, Aronofsky has instead chosen to ignore character and instead layer metaphor upon metaphor in what becomes a muddled illustration of the path to immortality through the embracing of death. Instead of leaving the film with a clear concept of the director's intent, the viewer is left confused by the film's mix of Buddhism, Mayan creation myth, Christian creation myth, its three interwoven and only vaguely defined plots, and myriad unresolved subplots. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz give solid performances considering the material they are dealing with, but the film's cartoonish depiction of the Mayans as bloodthirsty savages is, frankly, offensive. While the film is at times visually stunning, its self-importance and lack of coherence makes for an unsatisfying experience.