The Fountain [Blu-ray] Reviews

3 Comments

1. Erica J. Dymond

   October 18, 2010 at 11:38 pm

   Review by Erica J. Dymond for The Fountain [Blu-ray]
   Rating:
   This film is a artistic masterpiece. Its graceful beauty is does not permit debate. It will be an exquisite experience for any lover of art. The sheer visual originality will transfix the viewer. It is without pretense . . . its message is universal.

   Here is the caveat: you need not be “educated” in film to understand this work . . . you need not be a Ph.D. holder to enjoy its majesty . . . you need not have any background in Early Colonialism to follow Aronofsky’s thoughts . . . but you do need to be patient. You need to prepare yourself for a visual experience that rivals Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. You need to surrender yourself to Aronofsky’s vision. His non-linear approach may initially confuse the viewer . . . his metaphors may initially frustrate . . . . his repetition may initially annoy . . . but try to understand these aspects as essential to the film’s glory. Trust Aronofsky to guide you through the film . . . the more you resist his approach, the less you will be inclined to enjoy it.

   Some label this film a “tear-jerker” . . . this is a terrible misnomer. Aronofsky’s work did not steal one tear from my companion or me. This is not as much a work about two people, but is allegorical. So, if you are concerned that this film is a “romance,” you can dismiss those fears entirely.

   This film is similar to neither Requiem nor Pi . . . that is Aronofsky’s genius. He is gifted with uncommon range. Moreover, this is not the Hugh Jackman with which many are acquainted . . . his acting is sensitive to detail and strikingly stark. Rachel Weisz enthusiasts may be equally surprised . . . but hopefully in positive manner.

   Here is the bottom line: this is neither X-Men nor The Mummy, it is neither Pi nor Requiem . . . this film is as innovative as it is spectacular. Nonetheless, if you need a linear plot, if you must have explanations, if you have limited patience, you will find yourself frustrated. But, if you find yourself bored with contemporary film, tired of its predictability, exhausted with its pedestrian qualities . . . if you simply yearn to view a challenging work of art, allow The Fountain to work its uncanny “magic” on you.

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2. SKOLVK

   October 18, 2010 at 11:07 pm

   Review by SKOLVK for The Fountain [Blu-ray]
   Rating:
   I first heard about “The Fountain” a few years back at San Diego Comic Con. Aronofsky seemed really hyped about it and showed us a few clips. After seeing them I was amazed but confused, and thats how I felt when I viewed the entire film years later, but after thinking about the film and discussing it with some friends I figured it out and I was blown away by its beautiful complexity. “The Fountain” follows three story lines. The first is about a scientist whose wife is dieing of brain steam cancer. He spends all of his time devoted to finding a cure but to no avail. The second follows his wife when she takes up a hobbie and writes a book about a conquistador who is sent on a quest to find the fountian of youth for his queen. Her book is played out in live action as she’s writing it and provides a really cool tie in to the film. The third story is the strangest. It basiclly watches the scientist as he floats up through space in a big bubble(Stay with me here)while he meditates by a big tree. These three parts intertwine to make one of the most inovative and visually stunning films I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to explain how beautiful the film is and it’s honestly one of those “You have to see it to believe it” cases. Alot of people who say they didn’t like “The Fountian” say it’s because they didn’t understand it. Just because YOU didn’t understand dosen’t make it bad. “The Fountain” needs consentration and dedication but it’s a film that will definitely reward you for them. enjoy.

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3. Dave Cordes

   October 18, 2010 at 11:06 pm

   Review by Dave Cordes for The Fountain [Blu-ray]
   Rating:
   I was utterly moved to tears by this film. The Fountain is a breathtaking sentimental masterpiece in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray] as it boldly seeks to answer the great mysteries of life, love, death and re-birth transgressing the metaphysical boundaries of the universe. It’s epic non-linear narrative spans the centuries with Hugh Jackman delivering an absolutely unforgettable performance as Tomas, a Spanish Conquistador in the 16th century who pledges his loyalty to Queen Isabella (Rachel Weisz) to find the mythical Tree of Life so that Spain will hold the key to the Fourth Paradise, Immortality, denounced as heresy by the Grand Inquisitor. Tomas’ quest is interleaved between three converging narratives across time and space. As a modern-day neurosurgeon, Tomas struggles to find a cure for a tumorous disease that threatens the mortality of his beloved wife Izzi who is writing a fable called “The Fountain” chronicling the odyssey of their 16th century quest which can be interpreted as either a fictitious or biographical account of Tomas and Izzi’s lives who have endured the centuries together or simply as mythical characterizations of Izzi’s unfinished allegorical manuscript symbolizing her husband’s obsessive quest to find a cure for her terminal ailment that she has left for him to finish (the past representing Izzi’s tale and the future representing Tomas’ as he struggles to “finish it”) both of which could be argued with equal measure. One of the beauties of The Fountain is its open-ended narrative construct left to speculation and interpretation and can be viewed from entirely different perspectives with each consecutive viewing. Tomas’ quest ultimately takes him to the distant 26th century where he has projected himself and the dying Tree of Life across the great void of space in a transcendental bubble to reach Xibalba, the name of the Mayan underworld given to a dying nebula that brings the creation of new life from the wake of its destruction like the yin and yang of the cosmos beyond the confines of this mortal coil. “Our bodies are prisons for our souls. All flesh decays… death turns all to ash. And thus, death frees every soul… ”

   Darren Aronofsky’s poetic film blossoms with rich cultural, biblical, mythical and spiritual imagery that speak the common language spoken by all religions and cultures that have asked the boldest philosophical questions about our place in the universe since time immemorial. For anyone who has ever looked to the heavens and stared in the face of mortality and beyond, The Fountain holds all of the answers to life like a profound epiphany radiating from the heavens. Drink from The Fountain and achieve the knowledge of truth and spiritual enlightenment on the road to Awe. One of the truly great cinematic masterpieces of this century and last, The Fountain will transcend the test of time and eternity.

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