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The Fountain
This was a film that I had been interested in seeing and I finally got around to seeing. Let me first say that this film is one of those films that the trailer greatly misrepresents the film (which probably hurt the film a lot). Also, if no one has done a film like was represented in the trailer, then I claim it.
I found this film to be interesting. Not the greatest one that I have seen, but not one of the worst either. I feel like the idea (the cyclical feel to it) had been done prior in other films, most notably 2001: Space Odyssey. The idea of life from death and a cyclical nature is interesting to delve into, but I felt like this film didn't add tons more to the story/idea then was already there. It was a solid rehash of the idea and probably effective in that it is more up-dated and therefore would be more interesting and better understood by a contemporary audience, but to most critics or people who understand 2001 and films with that idea, it wouldn't be anything new.
Another thing that dragged it down for me was Rachel Wiesz. I found her acting to be very poor in this film. And while Hugh Jackman gave a solid performance, her poor performance really helped balance out the acting to nothing more then average at best. And while the acting in this film isn't the most important thing, without some sort of solid acting, it tends to drag the movie out. I was interested in the film the whole time, but I couldn't help but keep on checking on how long the film had been going for simply because while it was mentally engaging, the entertainment level left something to be desired (which isn't a bad thing, but the trailer made it out to have more of an entertainment/solid story throughout the whole).
Another interesting thing that I found about this film is the difference in the religious feel throughout the various parts. The oldest part was set in a very Christian setting. The middle part was atheistic as well as it had some Mayan relgious explenations mixed in. And the newest (linearly speaking in time) was extremely Buddhist. So that was itneresting to see how they used the various religious themes and played it througout. It seems clear that the Buddhist themes win out in the film, since the story leads to there and actually all three of the story lines end up in a seemingly Buddhist mind set, but the fact that it did touch on those various different areas was interesting.
Another thing that I didn't know how I felt about it was the scoring of it. The score was solid, but it seemed to be a little bit strong at times, where something quieter would have allowed for a simple reflection and thought better then being pounded at by the music. It was a good score, but nothing so great that it could have been pulled back and then allowed the viewer to create the setting more on their own through their thoughts then being so directed by the music.
Overall this is a film that I am glad that I saw. I don't think it is one that I strongly want to see again. I wouldn't avoid it by any means, but it isn't a film that I feel the need to watch multiple times, or anything like that.
Overall Grade: B-
Story: B+
Acting: C+
Audio/Visual: B
This was a film that I had been interested in seeing and I finally got around to seeing. Let me first say that this film is one of those films that the trailer greatly misrepresents the film (which probably hurt the film a lot). Also, if no one has done a film like was represented in the trailer, then I claim it.
I found this film to be interesting. Not the greatest one that I have seen, but not one of the worst either. I feel like the idea (the cyclical feel to it) had been done prior in other films, most notably 2001: Space Odyssey. The idea of life from death and a cyclical nature is interesting to delve into, but I felt like this film didn't add tons more to the story/idea then was already there. It was a solid rehash of the idea and probably effective in that it is more up-dated and therefore would be more interesting and better understood by a contemporary audience, but to most critics or people who understand 2001 and films with that idea, it wouldn't be anything new.
Another thing that dragged it down for me was Rachel Wiesz. I found her acting to be very poor in this film. And while Hugh Jackman gave a solid performance, her poor performance really helped balance out the acting to nothing more then average at best. And while the acting in this film isn't the most important thing, without some sort of solid acting, it tends to drag the movie out. I was interested in the film the whole time, but I couldn't help but keep on checking on how long the film had been going for simply because while it was mentally engaging, the entertainment level left something to be desired (which isn't a bad thing, but the trailer made it out to have more of an entertainment/solid story throughout the whole).
Another interesting thing that I found about this film is the difference in the religious feel throughout the various parts. The oldest part was set in a very Christian setting. The middle part was atheistic as well as it had some Mayan relgious explenations mixed in. And the newest (linearly speaking in time) was extremely Buddhist. So that was itneresting to see how they used the various religious themes and played it througout. It seems clear that the Buddhist themes win out in the film, since the story leads to there and actually all three of the story lines end up in a seemingly Buddhist mind set, but the fact that it did touch on those various different areas was interesting.
Another thing that I didn't know how I felt about it was the scoring of it. The score was solid, but it seemed to be a little bit strong at times, where something quieter would have allowed for a simple reflection and thought better then being pounded at by the music. It was a good score, but nothing so great that it could have been pulled back and then allowed the viewer to create the setting more on their own through their thoughts then being so directed by the music.
Overall this is a film that I am glad that I saw. I don't think it is one that I strongly want to see again. I wouldn't avoid it by any means, but it isn't a film that I feel the need to watch multiple times, or anything like that.
Overall Grade: B-
Story: B+
Acting: C+
Audio/Visual: B