I feel cheated.

Rating: 2/10 (25 November 2006)

All right. I can appreciate artsy, intelligent films as much as anyone, but "The Fountain" was incredibly disappointing. And the sad thing is, everywhere I look people are giving it wonderful reviews and raving about its genius. Perhaps I'm just not smart enough to comprehend said "genius," because when I came out of the theater, all I could think was, "What...?" The entire film was an incoherent mess. I was confused from the moment the movie began with only small glimmerings of comprehension throughout. I had hoped that everything would neatly tie together in the end, answering the questions that had accumulated in my mind throughout the film, but I got no answers. I could find only vague parallels between the three story lines present, if any at all. Granted, the visual effects were lovely, and the music was as well, if a little repetitive after being played continuously throughout the movie. But overall, the movie was dark (not that I mind dark films, but the lighting itself made it literally so), confusing, and just an utter waste of my time and money. Sure, if you're a teenage artist looking for a film that no one understands to make people think you're smart and to portray the "fragility of life and humanity," then this is just the film for you. But if you come to me and sing praises of this tangled yarnball of a movie, I might just have to resort to physical violence. I am that sorely disappointed.