The Fountain delivers

Rating: 10/10 (5 December 2006)

Director Darren Aronofsky has done it once again. After the amazing masterpiece that was Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky has made another treasure that is sure to quickly develop a huge fan base. The Fountain features Hugh Jackman (a busy man with X-Men 3, The Prestige, Happy Feet, Flushed Away, and Scoop all being released this year) and Rachel Weisz (who appears this year in the upcoming epic Eragon and is famous for her role in The Mummy films) and is directed, written, and produced by Darren Aronofsky.
The Fountain mainly focuses upon a love story between Izzie (Weisz) and Thomas (Jackman) throughout three different time periods. In the first period, 16th Century Spain, Thomas is a conquistador sent by a Queen to find the Tree of Life (Fountain of Youth) in a Mayan temple. In present day, Thomas is a scientist working to find the cure for a brain tumor that is slowly killing his wife Izzie. The third and final section details Thomas in the 26th Century, traveling in a bubble with the Tree of Life through the stars on a voyage to the fabled Sebulba, his journey's end. The first hour or so of the film is thoroughly confusing, and nothing even becomes comprehensible until the last half an hour or so of the movie. Due to the film's bizarre nature, a second viewing is almost demanded by the viewer.
The Fountain is full of spectacular images and stunning photography, lush worlds and faultless special effects. The three stories link together perfectly in the end, and even fun little phrases or links are thrown around here and there: In present day, Izzie tells Thomas, "You are my conquistador, always conquering." Hugh Jackman shines in with some of his best acting, and Rachel Weisz gets the job done, although her part was nowhere near as large as Jackman's. The plot is compelling, but the storytelling sometimes sucks away from the film  rather than being three separate stories, these periods are intertwined in a jumble of flashy scenes. The 16th century story is actually just a book Izzie is writing, and she wants Thomas to help her write the ending. The 26th century story features Thomas having flashbacks to the present-day occurrences. Somehow, everything connects in the end in a most jigsaw-like manner, and it all makes sense. The Fountain is sure to become a sci-fi classic in the years to come, as well as a gripping tale of romance and fantasy.