Imaginative sci-fi from Hollywood

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2016)

Unwieldy and strange, this romantic science fiction film had plenty of production troubles that resulted in delays. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were originally fixed to star, but in the end they dropped out and Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz came on board. I think it was a good call. I'm no big fan of Jackman and Weisz and, let's face it, the films for which they are best known offer little to test their acting mettle (I'm thinking of the MUMMY and X-MEN franchises). However, both actors are actually very good here; Weisz is convincing as the woman diagnosed with a brain tumour who's come to peacefully accept her fate, and Jackman wrenches at the heart strings as the husband who just can't come to terms with his wife's illness.
The film starts off obtuse, as if director Darren Aronofsky is determined to get viewers switching off in droves. We're cutting between three periods of time – the past, present, and future – and none of the stories seem to make sense. I would have preferred a more linear style to get me into the story more comfortably, but it all makes sense around the halfway mark so from that point I was able to sit back and enjoy the story. What we get is a completely atypical exploration of some big themes – life, death, love, and loss – while other concepts such as the battle between science and religion are also explored. The 'past' storyline, of Spanish conquistadors invading the Mayan empire, is well-handled and the 'present' story is packed with emotion and sadness. The future storyline is a little weird, with a bald-headed Jackman surrounded by some shall we say 'different' special effects, but it all ends on a high with a clever ending that ties together all three of the story lines in an intelligent way. It's a shame Hollywood doesn't have the guts to make more films like this, instead of appealing to the lowest common denominator with stuff like TRANSFORMERS.