The Fountain

The other night I saw a movie on a movie channel. The Fountain is a very different kind of movie. It was officially classified as a sci-fi movie but I considered it more of a drama. When I was looking up reviews of this movie after I saw it I got very mixed reviews. In fact almost exactly 1/2 the people who saw The Fountain hated it and the other 1/2 loved it. At first, I didn't understand the movie and didn't consider it a good movie. But, over and over I kept watching it whenever it was on TV. 

Visually The Fountain is a very beautiful movie. Every scene is intriguing to just watch and this is most likely what kept drawing me to the movie over and over. The plot involves the Hero (Hugh Jackmon) in 3 different time periods. It becomes more clear over the movie that the journey of these men are all identical. All 3 want to achieve immortality.

The difference between The Fountain and most other movies is in the plot development and the questions it creates. Most movies are meant for entertainment puposes and if they are meant to make you think, your thoughts are pushed towards a way of thinking through some direct way. However, The Fountain's plot development is more like a classic novel. Everything is very obscure and there is no obvious "eureka" moment at the end by the main character, which is evident to everyone viewing. This movie really forces you to interpret the meaning of the movie itself, and then raises some very interesting issues about life and death. 

Overall, The Fountain has grown on me. At first I thought it was a second rate movie that didn't achieve what it meant to. However, I have grown to love this movie and I enjoy watching a great amount. Allthough I can be certain I won't get any work done after watching it.