overrated & pretentious but great visuals and score.

Rating: 2/10 (9 April 2007)

Consider first the rather daunting tagline of 3 parallel stories spanning 1000 years, life/death/love/spirituality...neatly packed into a 90min film. A tall order indeed, and yes the visuals are amazing and the score is superb. If you've ever watched MirrorMask(2005), its like that, pretty amazing. I can definitely appreciate the huge amount of work it must have taken to make this film, and that said...
The story however, is where the movie falls short. The plot here is rather rushed, convoluted, and at times, incredibly repetitive. DoubleDare you to count the number of times you hear/see a line/scene recycled. Sure the characters emote & acting is fine, but since little is done to introduce or develop them, the viewer struggles to care why. If you would humor me for a sec to imagine Kung Fu (Carradine), Resident Evil(the 'science'), Stargate (sci-fi/indigenous peoples), and the Da Vinci Code (religion, overrated) mashed up together into a whiny moaning cryfest, you have a basic idea of what to expect for 'The Fountain". As for being a deep film, its about a thought-provoking metaphysical awakening as 'Kung Fu, The Legend Continues'. Definitely nowhere close to the stunningly depressing masterwork of Requiem for a Dream. alternatives I'd rec for sci-fi/fantasy fans: Pan's Labyrinth, City of Lost Children, Ghost in the Shell, Miyazaki/Amenabar films.
For a parallel to the most recycled scene in, 'The Fountain" see 1986 Eddie Murphy flick "The Golden Child".