The Fountain: Film: D+ Extras: B-

Ever sit around and listen to two people discuss the meaning of life over beer and pizza? The conversation is generally disjointed and confusing, leaving significant questions unanswered and coming to no concrete conclusion. Now imagine that same conversation, only this time between two filmmakers. The result? A mess that writers Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel call The Fountain.\nThe science fiction film takes place in the past, present and future, with Tommy (Hugh Jackman) taking on a different role during each period. A conquistador in the past, a neurosurgeon in the present and a creator of the world in the future, Tommy is primarily concerned with finding the meaning of death and bent on saving his wife Izzie (Rachel Weisz) from a terminal illness. Seeking a cure, he pursues the Mayan Tree of Life − the classical fountain of youth − a journey that takes him deep into the South American jungle and on a spaceship to the center of a nebula.\nThe film, much like the description above, will leave most viewers asking, "What the hell are they talking about?" While the concept might work well in philosophy class, transposing it onto the big screen reveals it more as a whimsical idea than a concrete subject for filmmaking.\nLuckily, there are a few elements that outshine the mediocre-at-best plot. Jackman's performance gives the film meaning, and the establishment of his character through different time periods links them together − a task at which the script fails miserably. \nIn addition, the cinematography is breathtaking and innovative. Especially stunning are the shots of outer space, which one of the few interviews on the DVD features reveals were taken from images of chemical reactions in a Petri dish.\nThe movie sets out to reveal some insight into the question "What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?" Rather than The Fountain's ambiguous and eventually boring conclusion, I think I prefer the classic answer: 42.