Too many ideas flow in 'Fountain'

THE FOUNTAIN — ** — Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz; rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, drugs, brief sex, gore, torture); Broadway Center Cinemas; Carmike Ritz 15 Theaters; Cinemark 24 at Jordan Landing; Megaplex 20 at the District

"The Fountain" is full of lofty notions about life, death, love, destiny, reincarnation and, well, everything. In fact, it's practically overflowing with them.

As a result, this would-be science-fiction epic is so overcrammed with ideas that it actually feels a bit shallow, unfocused and scattered.

And it's told in such a deliberately obscure manner that the story probably won't make a lot of sense to those who haven't read Darren Aronofsky's excellent graphic novel, which was based on an earlier version of the script.

This is actually Aronofsky's second attempt to make the movie, after another was scrapped due to financial concerns (as well as a disagreement with original star Brad Pitt).

A recurring theme throughout the film is the possibility of eternal life. And there are recurring characters — or three incarnations of the same characters — played by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz.

The first finds Jackman in 16th-century Spain, as Tomas, a conquistador trying to find the mythical Tree of Life, hidden deep in the heart of the Mayan empire. He also wants to save the imperiled kingdom of his beloved queen (Weisz).

In a present-day sequence, Jackman plays Tommy Creo, a medical researcher seeking a cure for cancer — since his wife, Izzy (Weisz), is dying.

A third, futuristic, story line has Jackman in the role of a space traveler who's attempting to revive the dying Tree of Life using energy from a dying nebula.

Screenwriter/director Aronofsky ("Pi") attempts to bridge all three stories, and there are some obvious "2001" parallels in this material — though this film is nowhere near as effective as that 1968 classic.

Part of the problem is the reduced budget — the original $70 million was cut by more than half. So Aronofsky had to rely on more traditional, organic effect techniques, and some of them look a little cheesy.

"The Fountain" is rated PG-13 for scenes of violence (swordplay, stabbings and impalings), scattered profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), drug content (use of various experimental medicines), a brief sex scene, some brief gore and a brief scene of torture. Running time: 98 minutes.

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