I really wish this was better

Rating: 4/10 (13 September 2006)

Okay, this movie is not very good.
I mean, I understand that it has a strong foundation in a philosophy of death and he's showcasing a theory that he wishes us to think about, but there are serious issues here in character development and plot.
The characters in "The Fountain" (Izzie and Tommy) are only interested in one another and as an audience it is hard to see why because we get no background on either character, all we know is that they love each other. We are also told their emotional position on Izzie's tumor. I really wish I could have felt for either of these characters, but I could not because I did not know enough about them to care for their loss and their pain.
Imagine a line that most developed characters go through that looks like this: A - B - C.
The character starts at A, hits a revelation at B, and winds up going with C. Something like that. In "The Fountain" the characters start in the middle of B and C.
Sure, Aronofsky is trying something new and you have to credit him with that. I am just saying it does not work. Maybe he should stay away from writing because once again you can see he has the technical aptitude to make a solid film, there were just too many problems in the foundation.