‘THE FOUNTAIN’
It starts with a Spanish conquistador (Cliff Curtis) confronting a superbly feathered and armed bunch of Mayan warriors. Before we can pin it down as a teaser for Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto," we're whooshed past the violence into the mythic or mystic quest of a modern American (Hugh Jackman), a brilliant doctor named Creo experimenting with arcane Mexican tree sap on cancerous monkeys, to the frequent bewilderment of boss Ellen Burstyn.
Don't say "whoa" too soon. Wait until well after Jackman's stunning, flower-babe wife Rachel Weisz makes her appearances as the one vision worth having in whatever mind zone the story occupies. She's so sweetly gorgeous that Aronowsky is excused for lingering on her face; he probably should have released the movie as a set of stills.
As Izzi, Weisz is not just a modern madonna but also (past life) Queen Isabel of Spain (no sign of Ferdie, better known as King Ferdinand). Who cares? She's Weisz enough for any movie.
Sadly, she is not only pregnant but then dying, and the new potion sapped out of the antique Tree of Life (both Mayan and biblical roots) might save her, or only guarantee that gooey love will live forever. Aronowsky is into his own space curve, partly Zen, partly Kinkade (the kitsch painter), and the trippy vistas of Jackman hovering in a meditation bubble are perhaps a descendant of the glass ball in "Citizen Kane" and the floating star baby in "2001."
Connecting pinball dots of plot seems an act of effrontery. Like the makers of "What Dreams May Come" and the insane, inspired, idiotic "Exorcist II: The Heretic," Aronowsky and his big effects/design team are not about to be tied down to mere coherence. They are not of this earth, but indeed for all time (well, maybe one good weekend).
Supposedly drawing upon ancient reservoirs of wisdom, "The Fountain" is really a cola spigot for young cultists who want to mutter "awesome." No peyote needed - just pass the popcorn.
A Warner Bros. release. Director, writer: Darren Aronowsky. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Cliff Curtis, Ellen Burstyn. Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes. Rated PG-13. 2 stars.
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