I can't believe anyone would want to praise Aaronofsky for this quagmire of a film.

Rating: 6/10 (27 November 2006)

Honestly, for those of you who have actually seen this film... you need to really consider how this film played out.
1. This film was extremely disjointed.- I understand that the film starts off with the last chapter of the book, "The Fountain," but in all seriousness it really disengages the audience from the film.
2. This film had way too much redundancy.- Seriously, this film was approximately 100 minutes long (1 and a half hours). When this film finished, I looked at my watch with great disappointment. I couldn't believe how many times they repeated one scene over and over and over again. It was almost as if Aaronofsky while writing and planning for this film was experimenting with the drugs that he featured in "Requiem for a Dream," which by the way is a great film. This film is a great departure from that film.
3. Aaronofsky creates this claustrophobic atmosphere in the theater.- Aaronofosky basically pulled a George Lucas number with this film, and that pisses me off because virtually every scene was shot indoors; which means that they were either studio shots or filmed on actual locations, however they went nowhere. Not to mention his lack of lighting at times, which compounds the claustrophobia in the theater. Now, going back to when I say he "pulled a George Lucas number," I mean he has to rely on the fact that he's in a studio for a number of his shots. Part of the reason George Lucas ruined the new Star Wars trilogy was that he hardly ever filmed on actual locations. In Episode IV he filmed quite a bit in Tunisia, and in Episode VI he filmed (don't quote me on this) in Northern California. It angered me that he couldn't find the fair balance between filming on actual locations and studio shots. It's almost hard to identify myself within these super-fantastical locations in the new trilogy, similarly with the locations in "The Fountain." I felt cheated in a way. Sure, the space scenes were glamorous and what not.... but that doesn't really explain for the other dark sets.
Sure, the film is somewhat dark. Tommy's wife is dying, etc.; however, there is more than one way to convey a dark tone. I felt like the film went nowhere, and nowhere fast. It was hard to understand what exactly was happening to Tommy towards the end of the film. It wasn't precisely clear within the context of what was going on. Did he die? Was he thinking suicide? If he did die, then I feel cheated because other than the fact that he was approaching Shebulba, there were no distinct signs in his real life that he was dying. I guess if you're a Buddhist you would've enjoyed this film. I suppose he was trying to reach a state of nirvana, which he eventually reaches at the end of the film (hence all the Buddhist archetypes and motifs throughout the film.)
But what about the trailer before the film came out?!?!? "1500 AD. 2500 AD. 2006 AD." I thought this was supposed to be a film about how Tommy searches for his love over a journey, or an Odyssey if you will, over a 1000 years. Suuure, that's the way it played out in his wife's book, but what the hell?!?! It had nothing to do with that.... I hope people really re-evaluate this film.