Great, but no 2001

Rating: 10/10 (3 December 2006)

I have seen my fair share of weird movies. Now don't get me wrong, weird does not necessarily mean bad. 2001: A Space Odyssey is in my top ten favorite movie list, but it is weird. So are most movies done by Darren Aronofsky. Pi, for instance, talks about how mathematics is connected to religion. If that sound strange, then the Fountain is far beyond that. The plot sounds understandable, but when you see it, you realize you were totally off.
It takes place in three different time lines. The first has Rachel Weisz as Queen Isabel of Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. She appoints Tomas (played by Hugh Jackman), who is a conquistador, to find the tree of life. By drinking the sap, you will live forever. In the second time line, Tom Creo, played again by Hugh Jackman, is a doctor trying to find the cure for cancer. Ironically, Izzy Creo, also by Rachel Weisz, who is his wife, is dying from cancer. There isn't a long deadline for him to find the cure, so he pushes hard, while Izzy is getting weaker and weaker. In the last, and most obscure, storyline, Tom, bald and sporting weird tattoos, is flying around space in a big bubble with a tree, presumably the tree of life, inside. All three story lines intertwine throughout the movie.
There was one major problem with the story. With Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz being in all story lines, you would think that they would be connected somehow. But they weren't at all. They were basically six different people. That's one thing I didn't expect. Also, being a huge history buff, what was the deal with calling the movie The Fountain, when Tomas was looking for the tree of life, not the fountain of youth, which Conquistadors where actually trying to find in the 15th and 16th century? That really bugged me.
You got to give it to Hugh Jackman, though. He was what made me enjoy this movie. Besides the X-Men movies and Van Helsing, he is good in everything he does. He brings great energy to his parts (for more of Hugh Jackman, I recommend The Prestige), and this one is no different. Rachel Weisz was a little lacking in emotion, but Hugh Jackman made up for it. Another thing that wowed me where the visual effects. They were extraordinary, without feeling too cheesy. They aren't 2001, but they're still good.
So, besides the obscurity of the plot, the movie was aesthetically pleasing. It's not Darren Aronofsky's best, but it's better than most sci-fi movies. If you're not a big sci-fi or weird movie fan, than this movie is definitely not for you. If you are though, see 2001 instead. I would recommend The Fountain, though.