Visual Poetry in Motion

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2006)

I'm not sure what the professional critics seem to have against this film. To me it seemed to be what David Lynch, The Wachoski's, and Tim Burton have all aspired to, and never quite reached. I'm fairly jaded and film weary, myself, but when something like THE FOUNTAIN comes along, it reminds me of why I keep going to the movies. This is the perfect sort of film to enter into without expectations...meet it on the filmmakers terms, and you won't be disappointed. In the films by the previously mentioned folks, I'd often leave with the sense that they were poking fun at the audience, or aware of the concept of deeper meaning, but simply unable to express it. They seem pretentious. Aronofsky, on the other hand, knows how to tell a story, and knows how to tell one that resonates with those who are prepared to listen.
This truly is a poem in film form. The use of interweaved layers of story and repetition of symbolism maintains a steady pace, which slowly builds to a truly climactic (when you look up "climax" in the dictionary, this film's could be the definition of the word) crescendo.