5. The Fountain
Budget: $35,000,000 Worldwide Box Office: $15,978,422
The Fountain was a 2006 sci-fi epic, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman who play the protagonists over three time-periods, including the Spanish Inquisition, the present day and through space. It is a wholly ambitious undertaking by Aronofsky and still remains one of the most critically polarizing films to date. Initially intended for a 2002 release starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the lead roles, film production was scrapped when Pitt had reservations over the complex nature of the script. Production re-emerged two years later with Aronofsky having tweaked the screenplay in order to accommodate the smaller budget he was given. The Fountain is certainly a film that is either loved or hated. Its philosophical, religious and metaphysical content can seem inspired to some but overly pretentious to others and so it proved to critics, who were evenly spilt in their opinions of the film. While I can understand the frustration of some for definitive answers, the film isnt structured in that way. It is simply a love story, with the fear of mortality reciprocated through the film allowing Aronofsky to enhance the messages he wishes to convey. One of the film's most prominent features is the visually spectacular effects. The special effects used to create the scenes set in the future were generated through macro photography of fluids rather than CGI, rendering the swirling lights and shimmering colours that photographs of microorganisms provided and placed in tangent with the live action. This technique allowed Aronofsky to significantly reduce the budget of the film, from its 2002 budget of $70 back down to $35 million. An impressive use of ingenuity that arguably paid dividends. The Fountain is a film that requires repeat viewing to fully appreciate the various aspects that it brilliantly employs. From its stunning visuals to the deeper meaning it implies, whether loved or hated, it is certainly a changing experience.