The Fountain is not your typical sci-fi fare. It's one of those films that will probably be recognized as a great work of art in 15 years, but right now is totally not getting the recognition it deserves due to bad box office revenue and a fairly stupid movie-going public.
To be fair, there were a few weak points. While Hugh Jackman did a pretty good job, I think he lacks the talent to carry such an epic role appropriately. He had to play a 16th century Spanish warrior, a modern scientist and a futuristic Buddhist hippie traveling in a soap bubble... all the while mulling over his own death and living with his terminally ill wife. This is an extremely difficult role, and Jackman wasn't the right man for the job. He does a good job, but not a great one.
Secondly, I know the word has already been slung around a few times, but the film definitely struck me as being self-indulgent. It seems to linger a little too long in some parts just for the hell of it, and the constant fading to black and fading to white was irritating. I would also have preferred the narrative spend more time in the past and the future; they spent a lot of time in the present. This was probably due to budget constraints. And as long as we're harping on flaws the writing was, I thought, less than stellar. There aren't any lines in this movie that will stick with you.
But what will stick you is the imagery. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous film. Darren Aronofsky's eye for visual composition, as well as the technical crew he's assembled, are his absolute ace in the hole. Take that scene with Tommy when he leaves the hospital and is walking on the street. All ambient noise is eliminated and the only thing you hear are the sound of his footsteps in the snow; meanwhile, a shower of sparks cascade in the darkness behind him. Just gorgeous. Plus, aside from the constant fading to black and white, this film is chock full of extremely graceful and beautiful transitions that make excellent use of shapes and light.
But the real payoff is the ending. For the first hour and fifteen minutes I wasn't that sold on the film; it was decent, but not remarkable. Then the closing sequence kicks in; the three separate narratives meld into one and the visual imagery kicks it up into a gear you didn't even know existed. The last fifteen minutes are absolutely amazing. I had to watch it twice. It was that good. And the score, which has been building you up subtly for this last fifteen minutes, also kicks it into high gear. You have to see it for yourself. Words cannot describe.
In case you don't want to read all that stuff I just wrote, here is a brief recap: the film is a complex metaphysical reflection on the nature of life and death that conveys its message via very clever visual composition. While it seems like the film meanders for the first 75 minutes, the last 15 minutes are so good you will completely forget how you even got from the beginning of this movie to the end.
