don't believe the critics this movie is awesome

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2006)

I had been eagerly awaiting this movie ever since I saw Darren Aronofsky's film, Requiem For A Dream. Suffice to say I was not disappointed. Before I saw The Fountain, I listened to what people were saying about the movie and a few friends of mine said it was excellent, but after reading and seeing how many of the critics said that the movie was awful, I felt very disheartened.In fact,a lot of my previous anticipation had worn off by the time I got to see it. As I sat in the theater, I wasn't drawn too much into the story at the very beginning (which is also how I felt while watching Requiem), but as the movie progressed I got more and more into it By the end of the film, I was completely in love with it. The visuals are simply amazing, even with the budget cuts that they had. The movie is simply beautiful to watch. The story is complex and inter-woven between three stories each staring Hugh Jackman, who is trying to save the woman he loves, Rachel Weisz. Many critics have said that the movie was confusing and made no sense. I couldn't agree less. While admittedly the story is complex, I didn't find it at all confusing, in fact the story at its core is very simple and the complexity only arises as the three stories begin to connect together. I also felt that both of the performances were very convincing, despite the fact that many other critics have tried to denounce their performances. The fighting sequences in the film were edited down both because of budget and to give the film a Pg-13 rating, but the film hardly lacks because of it, so as the strength of the film holds up because of the main character's relationship.
To understand this movie you have to see it from different angles, but it all adds up to the same point,of life and death, that is what this movie is about, dealing with death and the question of immortality. If you had a dearly loved one who was about to die, how would you react? how would you react in the face of your own death? The film lets you ponder these questions as you watch the on screen.
The first part of this story involves a conquistador searching for the fountain of youth, because he wants immortality for his queen. The second story deals with a doctor who is trying to find a cure to his wife's disease, but he spends so much time away from her to try to save her that he can't really appreciate the little time he has with her. He loses sight of what he has doing, so he must learn accept the eventual death of his wife. The third part is the most confusing, but it's really not that complex. Essentially Hugh is living in a bubble that is ascending into a star that is about to be reborn. When they reach the star they will be reborn as well, but for now Hugh depends on the tree for survival as a means of nourishment. The tree is an obvious representation of his wife Izzy, and the significance of this isn't revealed until the end.
The film interestingly pulls together different answers to death, different responses to it, and philosophies after life it combines scientific beliefs, Christian beliefs, Buddhist beliefs, and other philosophies. And it does it so beautifully. Both Rachel and Jack should have received more attention for picking up these roles that had been dropped by other big actors, because they were willing to play difficult roles (3 roles in fact..well two for Rachel) in a script that is completely different from anything else and a very risky move. The music in the film hooks you in and is an incredible strength in the film. it all fits perfectly. Even with a large cut in budget Darren still pulled through to make the film and the visuals are amazing. Watching this movie is like watching a piece of art. It's simply stunning! If you enjoy philosophy, and like involving movies than there is really no reason why you shouldn't enjoy this film. IT'S EXCELLENT.