--- title: "The Fountain: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-fountain/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-fountain" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Fountain (2006): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 9 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come down in favour, though not by a wide margin: five positive against two mixed and two negative. Where they praise, they praise the same things. Hugh Jackman’s performance is singled out again and again, usually alongside Rachel Weisz, and the pair are credited with keeping an eccentric story of grief anchored to something human. Clint Mansell’s score draws similar approval, and even the doubters concede the imagery is striking. The reservations gather around the writing. Several critics find the dialogue clanging or tacky and the philosophy vague, and they part on whether the film’s sincerity makes up for it. The spread is wide. Variety and Time Out dismiss it outright, one as tedious and emotionally unengaging, the other as lacking any insight, while Little White Lies and Eye for Film rank it above anything else Aronofsky has made. It is a film critics either forgive or do not. ## Little White Lies — Matt Bochenski Rating 5/5/5. 25 January 2007. The critic calls the film an unparalleled, emotionally powerful achievement. They single out Hugh Jackman’s performance, supported by Clint Mansell’s score, as anchoring its story of grief. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-fountain) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 January 2007. O'Hara finds the film moving and thought-provoking despite its deliberate obscurity and occasional clanging dialogue. She especially praises Hugh Jackman's career-best performance and Rachel Weisz's warmth and intelligence, which ground the film's eccentric story. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fountain-review/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 26 January 2007. The review finds the film imperfect but transcendent, praising its ambition and emotional impact. It singles out Jackman and Weisz for giving the intimate love story a moving emotional core. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-fountain-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 3/4. 16 November 2006. Schager finds the film uneven and sometimes silly, but ultimately moving and invigorating in its daring sincerity. He praises its visual artistry and Clint Mansell’s elegiac score for deepening the emotional force of its romantic themes. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-fountain/) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2006. Festival review. The review’s verdict is unavailable in the visible page text. The paywall also hides what the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-fountain/4028508.article) ## The Independent — Nicholas Barber Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2007. Barber finds the film absorbing but says its ambition is undermined by tacky dialogue, effects and philosophical vagueness. He particularly praises its psychedelic, metaphysical sweep, while criticizing its overlong message about making the most of life. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-fountain-12a-434033.html) ## Time Out — David Jenkins Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2007. The critic dismisses the film as a turgid, insight-free failure. They complain that its ornate, hippie-dream approach lacks substance. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-fountain-1) ## Variety — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2006. Festival review. Felperin finds the film incoherent, tedious and emotionally unengaging. She praises its striking visual effects but says the thinly drawn characters and repetitive storytelling undermine them. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2006/film/awards/the-fountain-1200513757/) ## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald Fi1m's normalised score 94/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2007. The critic calls the film astonishing, ambitious cinema and regards it as Aronofsky’s masterpiece. They single out its striking imagery and the emotionally convincing performances of Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-fountain-film-review-by-scott-macdonald) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-fountain.md