The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Fountain
Book Review: dazzling
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this as an anniversary gift for my boyfriend. He loved the movie and loved the book as much. Highly recommended. It's dazzling to the eyes. If only the prints came in poster size, I would definitely frame them!Book Review: Cool artistic photography book
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a cool book to have if your really into art, photography, and the film itself. However, the description on Amazon is more then a little misleading. If you check out the first few lines in the editorial reviews section for this book you will see what I mean. When I ordered this book I was expecting that it would include the graphic novel director Aronofsky recast when the movie seemed like it wouldn't happen. In reality the book does not contain a graphic novel at all. What you are getting is a very high quality book containing many pages of art, photography, and stills from the film. As an artist I really love books like this because they help provide some inspiration when I'm feeling stuck. As a bonus you'll also find that the back cover of this book is very thick, this is because there is an area cut into it where you'll find a copy of the film's screen play. There isn't much to read about the film in this book and for the most part the only included text is the screenplay itself. So if your thinking about getting this book, hopefully this will help you understand exactly what you are buying.Book Review: Amazing Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the best "companion" books for a film ever made. Beautiful and brilliant film and beautiful and brilliant book to go right along with it. There are no words, it just places the serene imagery into printed form. It's best as a coffee table book or to adorn your collection of other movie books. It's even got a small version of the complete script in the back. If you're a fan of the movie, I can't suggest this book enough. You won't regret buying it, but don't think you're getting a novel or even a behind-the-scenes, as it's not that.Book Review: isnt a graphic novel
Summary: 4 Stars
this (in my opinion) is not a graphic novel. it is only photos of the motion picture. Its a great gift and i love the screenplay that comes with it. although when i purchased it i was expecting something else. give the description more justice to what it really is.Book Review: eternally yours
Summary: 2 Stars
Before Darren Aronofsky turned "The Fountain" into a beautiful movie, this exquisite story of life, death and love was made into a graphic novel. But the graphic novel is a stumbling experience, whose beautiful dialogue and heartrending situations are
The story follows three intertwined storylines -- a conquistador named Tomas, who is battling the Mayans, and thinking of Queen Isabella back in Spain. Then there's a doctor named Tom in the present, who is struggling to save his dying wife from a brain tumor, by using an extract from a strange tree.
But death cannot be pushed away, and Izzy succumbs to her cancer -- but Tom won't accept it. It the future, Tom is transporting the tree to a distant nebula, struggling to defeat death once and for all. But is death an end, "nothing"? Or will he fulfil Izzy's last request and finish her book about Tomas the conquistador, and the Tree of Life?
It's an exquisite story, full of moving emotion and mystical connections -- everything from Christianity's story of the tree of good and evil to Mayan myths show up in Tom's journey. This is illustrated through the rings in each story -- tattooed, gifted and wedding -- and the eerie, surreally beautiful climax.
And Aronofsky tackles the ultimate question of life -- is death an end, or a beginning? Does the existance of death give us greater life? And can love reach out beyond the grave?
Unfortunately, Kent Williams' artwork simply doesn't measure up to the exquisite storyline. It feels like a bunch of your basic graphic artists were collaborating in their different styles, only to hit a deadline and turn in the unfinished work. He captures delicate moments -- such as Tomas kissing Isabella's ring -- but the rest of the time, I felt it lacked.
Sometimes there's no background, just aqua splashes or colorless sketched figures. Some of the characters look like photographs cut-and-pasted, and with tacky surroundings merely added in, while at other times they are fully sketched and detailed. And worst of all, it's hard to follow the story because the characters never look the same. Every few pages, they change appearance radically -- Izzy even changes ethnicity for a few panels.
"The Fountain" has a brilliant story, but Kent Williams wasn't up to the task of bringing Darren Aronofsky's beautiful story to life. Too bad, because the story itself is full of bittersweet purity.