In Case You Missed It: The Fountain 3/5 reviewed by Corey
This perfectly represents what I mean when I give a movie a 3/5. It's a flawed film that you should still catch on DVD.
The Fountain is the third directorial baby of Darren Aronofsky, the guy responsible for confusing you in Pi and making you suicidal in Requiem for a Dream. If Pi aimed for the head and Requiem aimed for the gut, then The Fountain aims for your heart. And it misses on a couple really key levels.
Aronofsky is known for his experimental directing, and this is no exception. Here, however, the experiment is in the penmanship of the story and not behind the lens. You shouldn't know what is going on for about the first thirty minutes of the film (one third of the running time of this unusually brief film), but when you find out the general plot, which focuses around a man struggling to save his wife from death, a key flaw rears its ugly head: there is simply way too much going on for this movie to be an hour and thirty minutes long! The plot focuses on three parallel stories (one of which is completely nonsensical and unnecessary), but never seems to cover much ground in any one of them. I know it seems like "too much going on" and "don't cover enough ground" are paradoxical statements, but you'll see what I mean if you sit down and watch this.
The acting is nothing to freak out about. It's not good. It's not bad. It's just there. A couple haircuts are probably the most variety you're going to get out of the two main characters here. The music is frequently moving and impactful, much like Requiem for a Dream. The visuals complement the score wonderfully, even if they frequently seem to be overly artsy and ridiculous. I will say the finale is quite aesthetically pleasing, if nothing more.
Overall, a good movie that went unnoticed in the theatre and in the Academy. The theatre (and the innumberable drones that would have called this the best movie of the year had they seen it) probably should have noticed. The Academy did well to avoid it.
SEE it if...
- You're Ryan Hildebrand.
- You don't need too much story with your eye candy.
- You liked Aronofsky's other stuff. This is just as good.
DON'T see it if...
- You're expecting an epic hunt for the tree of life. It's hardly epic.
- You thought it looked kinda sci-fi from the front cover. It's not.
- You're deciding between this and Epic Movie. You're hopeless.
The Fountain is the third directorial baby of Darren Aronofsky, the guy responsible for confusing you in Pi and making you suicidal in Requiem for a Dream. If Pi aimed for the head and Requiem aimed for the gut, then The Fountain aims for your heart. And it misses on a couple really key levels.
Aronofsky is known for his experimental directing, and this is no exception. Here, however, the experiment is in the penmanship of the story and not behind the lens. You shouldn't know what is going on for about the first thirty minutes of the film (one third of the running time of this unusually brief film), but when you find out the general plot, which focuses around a man struggling to save his wife from death, a key flaw rears its ugly head: there is simply way too much going on for this movie to be an hour and thirty minutes long! The plot focuses on three parallel stories (one of which is completely nonsensical and unnecessary), but never seems to cover much ground in any one of them. I know it seems like "too much going on" and "don't cover enough ground" are paradoxical statements, but you'll see what I mean if you sit down and watch this.
The acting is nothing to freak out about. It's not good. It's not bad. It's just there. A couple haircuts are probably the most variety you're going to get out of the two main characters here. The music is frequently moving and impactful, much like Requiem for a Dream. The visuals complement the score wonderfully, even if they frequently seem to be overly artsy and ridiculous. I will say the finale is quite aesthetically pleasing, if nothing more.
Overall, a good movie that went unnoticed in the theatre and in the Academy. The theatre (and the innumberable drones that would have called this the best movie of the year had they seen it) probably should have noticed. The Academy did well to avoid it.
SEE it if...
- You're Ryan Hildebrand.
- You don't need too much story with your eye candy.
- You liked Aronofsky's other stuff. This is just as good.
DON'T see it if...
- You're expecting an epic hunt for the tree of life. It's hardly epic.
- You thought it looked kinda sci-fi from the front cover. It's not.
- You're deciding between this and Epic Movie. You're hopeless.
posted by Anonymous at 8:22 PM
1 Comments:
kind of a shame... I remember seeing the trailers for this, thinking it was a great epic about immortality with some sci-fi, but then I skipped it when I found out that wasn't at all what it was about.
I might check this out, but seeing as how I've haven't seen it yet and it's already disappointed me, I might not get to it. I need a good, well-written story to go with my eye candy.
I get you on the "too much going on," and "don't cover enough." That perfectly sums up what I was trying to say about Day Watch.
Thanks for reviewing this, I'm glad at least one of us caught it.
Post a Comment
<< Home