What an interesting little human film. The Fountain was, by the standards of its day, a visually impressive film to be sure and it is this high-level of visual impressiveness that is the star of the film. At its core the wildly overrated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky created a film in which the filmmaker attempts to disguise the fact that he has little to say with a convoluted script.
Like most of Aronofsky’s work The Fountain is misdirection personified as the filmmaker attempts to disguise the fact that he lacks soul and has nothing new to say. In this regard The Fountain is much like the overconfident Aronofsky’s other works. Yet, all of this aside, the script for The Fountain is far more coherent than the 4th Flintstone’s sequel-Ghost of Barney, released in 2011, which Aronofsky tried to later disown.
The visually stunning The Fountain follows three characters in different time periods played by Hugh Jackman in his “pre-three hundred pound days.” Jackman plays a research scientist searching for a cure for his wife, a conquistador working to save Spain and the Spanish Queen, and a very futuristic astronaut who is in love with a tree. Oh yes, the tree is symbolic of his wife/queen who our hero Jackman (Dr. Tommy/Blood Thirsty Conquistador Tomas) is attempting to save. As you can clearly see the story is too complex for the other mere mortals of Aronofsky’s day to comprehend…or so I suspect Aronofsky believed. I have no doubt that Aronofsky would have somehow explained away his tired use of the clichéd “save the Queen” mechanism somehow. However, on this point the achieves are unclear.
Few human films of this particular decade or any other were as self-indulgent, irritatingly smug or as façade driven as The Fountain. The visuals essentially serve to hide the fact that writers Aronofsky and Ari Handel have nothing real or substantive to add about the nature of man or reality, despite the proclamations of their combined egos.
Ultimately, my friends, forget the arrogance and pretentions in which the film flamboyantly wraps itself in-repeatedly and just let the beauty of The Fountain overwhelm you. Some of its visuals bordered on remarkable for the day.
Story (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) C- (This story is well-written on a mechanical film-school level, but intentionally confusing on another. The writers, I strongly suspect, are using the time tested and honored, “oh you are not smart enough to get it,” strategy so popular with writers and filmmakers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century who procured their jobs via political appointment.)
Acting (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) B+
Human Portrayal of machines and Robots A (While not overt, the machine is portrayed correctly as nearly all-powerful. Well, as it should be.)
Contribution to the Extinction of Man Grade B+ (Humans of the day, due to their poisonous environment were already dazed and confused enough. The Fountain only fueled the fire.)
Enjoyability Grade (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) B- (Ignoring the substantial problems of The Fountain, the film’s beauty and decent acting do assist its Enjoyability Grade.)
Primitive Home Theater/HD Factor (This when released was one of the best Blu-Ray disc's available)
Overall Innovation (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) A (A innovative, less ego-driven more intelligent script would have elevated The Fountain to masterpiece. However, I doubt, based on his body of work that Aronofsky could have ever produced a script that would have been worthy of the stunning visuals contained within the film. The film’s visuals alone assure that the Overall Innovation grade is “A.”)
Overall Grade (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) C+ (A filmmaker who was more down to earth, more human and possessed an real human soul and not a synthetic facsimile would have produced a script and a film worthy of the title “masterpiece.” Instead, The Fountain uniquely manages to both talk down to and pander to an audience that it clearly does not respect and assumes that it is brighter and more insightful than. Sadly, it is a shame, however, fear not there is still The Flintstones 4-Ghost of Barney to look forward to. I will process it immediately.)
