Jamie passion and passionfruit!

An unusual movie by indie director Darren Aronofsky which has some excellent features even if it does not quite come off.  Aronofsky takes the theme of death and the quest for eternal life and shows us three examples of a man trying to reach and keep his love. There is Tomás the Spanish conquistador searching for the elixir of life in a tree kept secret by the Mayans, a present day scientist trying to revert brain tumors in monkeys and with a wife terminally ill with the same illness, and a 26^th century pilgrim finding himself and eternity in a treespaceship!  In a way, the message is fairly obvious and at times too preachy or simplistic.  Nevertheless, what is fascinating is that we never quite know what will happen next or how the three stories will combine.  Unfortunately, the ending doesn’t really resolve this in anyway but a typical mystical ‘we are all light’ finish.  I liked Hugh Jackman’s acting a lot, Rachel Weisz has less to do and is all a bit of a cypher, while Ellen Burstyn has a nice appearance as a laboratory head.  The special effects and visuals are great – even if the choice of images (lots of corridors leading to the light) is a bit overdone.  The space sequences are great.  Clint Mansell’s music makes for a fine backdrop.  All in all it is an ambitious and thoughtful work which will not be many people’s cup of tea but does give us more to think about than much of what is on in the cinemas these days.

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