The Fountain (HD DVD)

Plot: What’s it about?

I have to admit that the only film I’ve seen (until now) by Darren Aronofsky is “Requiem for a Dream” and it blew me away. Particularly the last fifteen minutes where my jaw was nearly on the ground. For those of you that have seen the film, I’m quite sure you can identify with what I’m referring to. Aronofsky made his presence known to the world with his film “Pi” back in 1998. And from what I’ve heard and read, it involved a mathematician who unlocked the key to the stock market or something to that effect. All that aside, Aronofsky’s films are more known for their visual presence rather than the actual storylines, though they make the films work as well. From what I’ve seen of “Pi” it was a very grainy, black and white film that really brought the viewer into the movie. “Requiem for a Dream” was a bit more polished, but still the scenes had their own visual element and allure. This brings us to “The Fountain” perhaps one of the most beautifully shot films I’ve ever had the chance of watching. All imagery aside, what’s it all about?

Don’t expect “The Fountain” to let you know what’s going on right after the opening credits roll, this is a very non-linear film and it takes a lot of concentration to really figure what’s going on. Hell, I had to re-watch a few scenes just to get my bearings. That said, the story actually takes place in three separate timelines but with the same general characters. The first segment in the year 1500 with Hugh Jackman portraying a Spanish conquistador fighting to save the queen (Rachael Weisz). Flash forward to present day (2000) and we find Jackman as Dr. Tom Creo who’s working on a cure for cancer. He’s married to Izzi (Weisz), who is coincidentally dying of cancer. The third act takes place in a large bubble floating through space. Again we see Jackman as Tommy complete with a shaved dead and standing guard over a large dead tree. You see where I’m going with this? Yeah, me neither. Certainly “The Fountain” has its attractors but ultimately I felt a bit lost.

Video: How does it look?

To say “The Fountain” is visually aggressive is truly the understatement of the year. The 1.85:1 HD transfer was something I was expecting to blow my mind, but I actually came away from it a bit disappointed. I received the standard DVD first and watched the movie but wanted to wait until I had a chance to see the HD DVD version so that I could compare the two (ironically enough, the HD DVD version has the standard DVD version on the flip side of the disc). I found the HD DVD version better, cleaner and sharper than the standard DVD counterpart. However I felt that colors were very muted on both versions. I really didn’t get a sense of 3-D like I do with some films in HD. That said, the HD DVD version is superior in every way as I found the standard DVD seemed plagued by edge enhancement. The scenes in space really do look extraordinary, but I think that I was expecting something a bit better on the whole. Nevertheless, viewers shouldn’t be too disappointed but not blown away either.

Audio: How does it sound?

The Dolby Digital Plus track found on the HD DVD version is average at best. Again, I really wasn’t expecting a lot here but the track seemed a bit flat. There are instances in which all five channels are used, such as a few battle scenes but by and large the mix sounded like a surround mix. Dialogue is very crisp and natural, so no worries there. I found the general ambiance pleasing, but nothing that really blew me away. I was expecting a lot more on the technical side of this movie, but I was a bit let down unfortunately.

Supplements: What are the extras?

This is somewhat of a departure for Warner as they usually mirror the supplements between the standard DVD and the HD DVD. The standard edition contains six featurettes that encompass the various parts of the movie and the theatrical trailer. The HD DVD version contains these as well but adds four more featurettes. They’re interesting and cover the shoot and preparation/making of the film. I found “Peter Parks Bonus – Macro Photography Loop” kind of interesting as it’s a series of photos of the nebulas used in the film and other macro photography. “The Interview” is Rachel Weisz talking to Jackman as he gets made up for his final scene. We also get a good walkthrough of the Visual Effects in the “VFX Step by Step”. There’s also a scene to storyboard comparison with Aronofsky as he tells us the method to his madness. It’s hard to recommend this movie on the technical merits alone as I felt they both fell short but the HD DVD is the version to get as it does look better, sound better and contain more supplements as the standard DVD edition.