The Fountain

[DoobyDoo]

Well, only a few more days until it comes out. I'm finally going to see it on Wednesday after five years of waiting. It's still getting a very mixed response from critics. Only 19 reviews but it's currently at 53% with a 5.5 AVG rating on rotten tomatoes. I think that's probably around where it'll end up as well. I'll certainly post my opinion the second I get back from seeing it.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fountain/

[Pedro Cerrano]

You've been talking up this movie for a while. Why are you so excited to see it?

[DoobyDoo]

You've been talking up this movie for a while. Why are you so excited to see it?

I'm just a fan of the director's other movies.

[JourneyFan]

You've been talking up this movie for a while. Why are you so excited to see it?

Watch Requiem for Dream. Then, you might see why one would be excited.

[PeteCanes]

Well, only a few more days until it comes out. I'm finally going to see it on Wednesday after five years of waiting. It's still getting a very mixed response from critics. Only 19 reviews but it's currently at 53% with a 5.5 AVG rating on rotten tomatoes. I think that's probably around where it'll end up as well. I'll certainly post my opinion the second I get back from seeing it.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fountain/


It's now down to exactly 50%. It seems like people love it, or absolutely hate it.

[DoobyDoo]

It's getting pretty bad reviews so far. It's below 50% on rotten tomatoes now, and it has only a 43 on Metacritic although that's only out of 7 reviews. I'm going to try to go in with an open mind but I'm pretty disappointed by the reviews so far.

[Mashed Potatoes]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/bal-to.fountain22nov22,0,4397018.story?coll=bal-movies-utility

The Sun gives it a B.

[cindyluvsbrady]

Would kids like this?:confused:

[Dan-O®]

I saw this tonight. Oddly, I wasn't expecting much but was surprised, in a good way. I thought it was very well done. I'm not sure I understand the entire movie (especially the "future" sequence) but I think I'll understand more with multiple viewings. I would love to see a director's cut, if there is one. I'd imagine Aronofsky handed the studio a movie over the 2 hour mark and it got pared down to 96 minutes through editing. A director's cut might help explain some of the more confusing plot points.

Anyway, the acting was very good, the direction was great (particularly in the last half hour), and I was consistently enthralled. Many movies bore me with their predictability; this one certainly didn't. The fact that I am eager to watch it again (either in the theater again or on DVD) says it all. 3.5 stars for me.

Side note: definitely NOT for kids, Cindy, although a VERY precocious teenager might enjoy.

[DoobyDoo]

I can't say that I liked it. I was actually a little disappointed in the movie visually. I mean, it's certainly a very good looking movie, but not as great visually as I was expecting. The part near the end was amazingly looking though:

***SPOILERS***

The drinking of the sap, then the flowers. I’m not exactly sure how to describe the other part. It involves the image from my avatar. The space conclusion where he flies into the star (I guess?).

***END OF SPOILERS***

I was also surprised by how short the future segment of the movie is. It seemed like the future segment maybe added up to about five minutes of the entire movie.

I didn't really understand the movie either. I'm certainly open to an explanation or interpretation from others. I'm not even sure I could offer one myself.

The acting's fine although there were times where it felt a little off to me, mostly in the past segments. The dialog definitely wasn't great either.

I didn't hate it, though. I'm definitely going to see it again once it comes out on DVD. I imagine it'll work better on a second viewing. I don't really want to rate it until I see it again. Right now, I would say it's probably around a 2 star rating. It's definitely not under 2 stars.

Cindy, it's definitely not for kids although it’s not due to graphic content. I just can't imagine kids being interested by the plot. I don't think they'll understand it either. Hell, I didn't.

[DoobyDoo]

The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. I wouldn't say that I like it enough to recommend it yet though. I still don't understand every aspect either, to say the least:

***SPOILERS***

Is Hugh Jackman's character in the future part of the book or not? Right now, I'm leaning towards no. In the future scenes, he mainly has flashbacks of the present. He also had the pen that she gave him.

I still don't understand the ending. I'm not sure why the tree of life kills him, and I'm not sure why the Mayan sees him as the first father. I'm not sure why his future self appears in the past segment either.

***END OF SPOILERS***

In terms of the visuals, the only scenes where I felt Aronofsky missed the mark were the brief action scenes in the past segment. They reminded me of Batman Begin's action scenes in that they were too quick, and you can't really tell what's going on. I only remember two scenes that had any action though, and they were both brief.

If you see it, expect to be confused or even pissed when it ends. I knew it was only 96 minutes long, but I didn't expect it to end when it did. The ending is definitely confusing, and it certainly doesn't explain anything clearly.

I think it's the type of movie you might dislike or even hate at first, but that grows on you after you have time to think about it. If you're open minded, that is. If you're a cynical moviegoer, then you'll probably hate this movie.

I'm thinking about seeing it again in theaters. If I do, it'll be a matinee show on the weekend.

[Cowabunga Dude]

Well I really liked it and thought visually it was one of the better movies I have seen. Now, on to my theory!

SPOILER:
Lets see if I can put my thoughts into words...

First of all, all three Hugh Jackman's is the same person throughout the entire movie.
Second, the theme is accepting death which I will point out a few dozen times in this explanation.
Third, I don't think this takes place in 500 years apart like the trailers say. It's more like the years 1500, 2000, and 33500. They never say what the years are in the movie.
Fourth, the tree of life keeps you forever young, it does not cure disease. Just like the first monkey, it made him younger but did not destroy the tumor.

The past is told through Izzy's book, the present is told through future Tommy's memory/meditation.
In the present Izzy has accepted death and has been trying and failing the get Tommy too as well. She leaves the final chapter of her book on their history, in which Tommy drinks from the tree of life and brings back some sap for Izzy and they both live on, for Tommy to write. Tommy knows that she want him to accept death and that she wants him to write her "fake" ending where he fails and no one lives forever. She's asking him to put an end to their story instead, for him to accept some closure.
Instead of finishing the book, he takes the ink and tatoo's on his ring and continues his quest to bring back Izzy and live forever. He has not accepted death.

The future, Tommy has failed to bring Izzy back from the dead. He has also gone just a tad bit mad. He remember that Izzy told him that that nebula is where the Mayans believed the underworld is and he think that is where he can find Izzy. So he takes the tree of life, puts it in a bubble with himself, and travels to the nebula. He takes the tree because this trip will take him thousands of years and he needs the trees energy to make it. He passes the time by meditating and re-living aspects of his life.
He is haunted by images of Izzy still trying to get him to finish it(the book) and by finish it, she also means accept it. She wants him to meditate back to the moment where he chose to continue to try to live forever instead of accepting death and spend the last moments of Izzy's life with her.

Long story short, in the end Future Tommy finally accepts death and Izzy's invitation to finish the stories. He kills himself off (the sap turns him into flowers) in the last chapter in the book. Through meditation only, in the present he chooses to spend time with Izzy instead of continuing his find for a cure. And in the future he leaves the bubble and kills himself (and when he dies, all the energy that he drained from the tree of life returns and it spurts out in life again). After all this time he has finally accepted death and him and Izzy will be together forever in death instead of life.

END SPOILER

I'm not sure if I explained that well, but thats the basic outline of my understanding the the movie.

I liked it much.

[Gibby]

Absolutely loved this movie. Both my wife and i were amazed by it.




***SPOILERS***

Is Hugh Jackman's character in the future part of the book or not? Right now, I'm leaning towards no. In the future scenes, he mainly has flashbacks of the present. He also had the pen that she gave him.

I still don't understand the ending. I'm not sure why the tree of life kills him, and I'm not sure why the Mayan sees him as the first father. I'm not sure why his future self appears in the past segment either.

***END OF SPOILERS***

*****PLENTY O' SPOILERS****************
My interpretation is that the past and future iterations don't really exist.


Past: His wifes book, or her view of him. The past never happened and is purely fiction. She is trying to show him her perspective on death through fiction.

Present: The actual Tom, the only "Living" Tom.

Future: Visual representation of Toms mind and thoughts after the death of his wife (tormented by memories of her and attempting to complete the book). This Tom is initially bounded by time and the physical world (markings on arm).

Using that, I think the ending is much clearer. Toms mind (Future self) finally understands that enternal life comes through death. Thus, the present self can complete the novel, resulting in the visual intersection of the past and future Toms. The tree killing the past Tom is a continuation of that theme (life through death).

A bit jumbled right now, as I'm still trying to piece all of the details together, but I think the basic structure is there.

[Elbren]

Loved this movie, but I seriously doubt it does well. I had to sit w/ my girlfriend for about 30+ minutes trying to explaing everything when we got home. As good as it is, it's definitely a love it/hate it type of film.

I read where Aronofsky's cut of the film was a bit longer (2+ hours?) but the studio cut it down. Hopefully, we'll see a Director's Cut DVD.

[DuffMan]

Anybody know when it's coming out on DVD?? I'd definitely like to watch it again and maybe try to figure some more things out.

[DoobyDoo]

Anybody know when it's coming out on DVD?? I'd definitely like to watch it again and maybe try to figure some more things out.

May 15th

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005JPAR?tag=dvdtalk&creative=373489&camp=211189&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B00005JPAR

[Elbren]

May 15th

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005JPAR?tag=dvdtalk&creative=373489&camp=211189&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B00005JPAR

Wow. Did a little searching online. There will also be Blu-Ray and HD-DVD versions released on the same day.

I loved this movie, but do I really wanna drop $40 on a movie?? :eek: :(

[DoobyDoo]

I watched it again tonight. I liked it more this time, but I still think it's a flawed movie. The dialogue is ordinary at best and it's cheesy at times, especially in the past segments. The visuals are great, the acting is solid and it's an interesting (and ambitious) movie that held my interest both times despite its flaws. I still don't get every aspect, but I understood it more this time. I still don't think I could explain it in any articulate manner, though. I'd give it three stars.

[DuffMan]

I'd like to see a directors cut, b/c it seems like that some extra scenes would help clear some things up.

[MikeAD]

I'd like to see a directors cut, b/c it seems like that some extra scenes would help clear some things up.

Saddly there isn't going to be one, at least not for several years. Aronofsky, in a revent interview, expressed his interest in making a special edition DVD, but said that the studio would not even allow him to record a commentary, let alone release/produce another edition.

Our best hope is that Critereon makes a special addition in a few years, because this film has a lot more to offer.