A "pretentious"/gutsy attempt at asking new questions in a new format

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2006)

I attended this film expecting to be wowed by the score and disappointed at Aronofsky's attempt to fit-in with big-name/big-budget American films and directors, but underestimated the former and greatly overestimated the latter.
Browsing these reviews, you'll find a lot of both love and hate for this film, but both the positive and negative reviews see a lot of the same things. For instance, haters lambaste the film for being "pretentious" or "weird", while its supporters compare it to the spirit of films like "2001: A Space Odyssey", but I'd say it's both. This film is pretentious in that it's gutsy enough to be structurally, stylistically, and philosophically unique and forward-determining in the same manner that "2001..." was and is. That's a pretty damned arrogant thing to do (especially on a limited budget), but I suggest we applaud the originality open-mindedly rather than reserving our support for films that fit comfortably into traditional mental molds for cinema.
Here's a breakdown of what I liked: 1. the music score was dazzling without taking away from the film 2. the visuals were startlingly beautiful. The only exceptions worth noting here were a few limits (not enoughs splendor, honestly) in the scenes of antiquity, but they were still good. stunning use of color. 3. camera placement and movement was quite good, though sadly (to my taste) not quite as experimental as I had hoped for in some of the more dramatic scenes. I suspect most viewers will think Aronofsky's approach to the lens is a bit too experimental, though. 4. The acting was superb. I did not go in expecting to be impressed by either Jackman's or Weisz's ability, but I sure left with a lot more respect for them. I recall thinking only once or twice that a performance could have been more subtle, and those were my only criticisms. 5. Also, I *very much* appreciated a few very, very minor natural human details that Aronofsky includes in some high-emotion shots; it's so rare to see some of these details included in the film that it almost felt like I was watching it live. 6. Plot breakup and syncopation, which really gave the film a special feel and forced me to reflect on past scenes while I was still watching the film.
I would be willing to bet that the willingness to thoughtfully and critically engage the philosophical and emotional content of the film WHILE watching it the first time is going to determine whether or not most people love or hate this movie.
If you refuse to think about the logical, moral, and emotional consequences of the plot, situations, technology, and characters portrayed in this film, I suspect you'll find it very boring and confusing (though, I hope, still visually and aurally stunning)!