Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

The Fountain

also known as “La fuente de la vida,” “A forrás,” “Allikas,” “Fontana zivljenja,” “Fontana života,” “Fonte da Vida,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for some intense sequences of violent action, some sensuality and language.

Reviewed by: Sheri McMurray
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Extremely Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Drama
Length: 1 hr. 35 min.
Year of Release: 2006
USA Release: November 22, 2006 (wide)
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Relevant Issues
Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution, 20th Century Fox International

About the biblical Tree of Life

Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution, 20th Century Fox International

Where did cancer come from? Answer

How did bad things come about? Answer

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Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer

What about the issue of suffering? Doesn’t this prove that there is no God and that we are on our own? Answer

Does God feel our pain? Answer

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What is true love and how do you know when you have found it? Answer

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Is Jesus Christ the answer to your questions?
Discover the good news that Jesus Christ offers
Paradise or Pain? Why is the world the way it is?
Why is the world the way it is? If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this? (filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty) Answer
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Featuring Hugh JackmanTomas / Tommy / Tom Creo
Rachel WeiszIsabel Creo
Ellen BurstynDr. Lillian Guzetti
Mark Margolis … Father Avila
Stephen McHattie … Grand Inquisitor Silecio
Fernando Hernandez … Lord of Xibalba
Cliff Curtis … Captain Ariel
Sean Patrick Thomas … Antonio
Donna Murphy … Betty
Ethan Suplee … Manny
See all »
Director Darren Aronofsky — “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Wrestler,” “Pi
Producer Ari Handel
Arnon Milchan
See all »
Distributor
Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo.
Warner Bros. Pictures
, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Trademark logo.
20th Century Studios
, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company

Souls seeking eternal life in all the wrong places—Atheist and radical Environmentalist Darren Aronofsky presents the world with another propaganda film promoting his godless worldview and “spirituality”

All I can say is… huh?

I went to this movie expecting a sci-fi fashion, love story that would whisk me, time-traveling style, from 16th century Spain, through the 21st century and on out into the future with a thrilling story line of two lovers racing time to find the Fountain of Youth so that the dying heroine can survive and live forever with her true love.

Instead, I found myself yawning through a dark and cryptic story, confusing plot and relentlessly dull close-ups. There were spurts of fine acting, but it never seemed to match the emotion the actors were trying to convey. Either they were crying, screaming, or pouting, and most times just emoting without speaking for long periods of time. Most scenes done in extreme close-ups that, to me, took away from really connecting with these characters that I so much wanted to get to know and feel for.

I’m sorry, I just didn’t buy it. And I am warning anyone who knows where they are going after death, that is to be with The Lord Jesus, not to buy a ticket to “The Fountain.” It’s a pretty boring hour and a half, full of un-Christian metaphors and obtuse, eastern-religion worldview themes.

Director Darren Aronofsky (“Mother!”, “Noah,” “Requiem for a Dream”) spends a lot of time and energy trying to force feed us his idea of higher enlightenment for the future of mankind.

In his 26th century, it seems we have gone past a mere body and soul, and taken up living in bubbles in outer space, sitting in a lotus position and dwelling within our enlightened minds to eventually be pulled into a golden nebula, melting into pure …a …well, nothing. How aimless is that?

Without the true wisdom of the Scriptures and a loving God to comfort them, the pitiful characters in this film are depressed and pained individuals with ABSOLUTELY NO HOPE.

Although the film, itself, darts back and forth between time eras, and the dialog is fractured and sparse, I will try and put things in order as best I can understand. What you see in the theater will be wildly out of sequence, but to tell a bit of the story, it must be put into some sort of order for you here.

“The Fountain” is not really a fountain at all, but the biblical Tree Of Life allegorically adjusted by the director’s atheistic worldview. In the 16th century, the Spanish Queen Isabel (Rachel Weisz)is being hounded during the Spanish Inquisition by an evil guy named The Inquisitor. He is a determined, demented man leading a bloody rebellion in hopes of killing the Queen and taking over the throne.

Queen Isabel calls upon her loyal and trusted conquistador Thomas (Hugh Jackman), whom she obviously loves, to find The Tree Of Life, get some sap, and return back to her in time to drink it together and live forever. They know time is running out, and this seems to be the only way to save their love.

Thomas and a trusted Friar take a secret map along with a regiment of Spanish fighters and travel to an ancient Mayan temple pyramid where The Tree of Life is said to be guarded by a hoard of Mayan warriors. Thomas is able to break through their battle lines, climb the pyramid and claw his way to the top. Here he finds the door to The Tree of Life guarded by a holy man with crazed eyes, a spear and a bad set of teeth.

In the 21st century, the characters of Thomas and Queen Isabel take the form of Dr. Tom Creo, who is frantically trying to find a cure for his wife Izzy’s terminal brain tumor. His beautiful wife hasn’t long to live, and, as the clock is ticking, he spends every waking moment dedicated to injecting, dissecting and operating on laboratory monkeys in hopes he’ll find a cure for the ill-fated Izzy.

They don’t know they were once a conquistador and Queen, though Izzy is writing a novel of sorts, which tells the whole story of the Spanish lovers up to the time Thomas the conquistador encounters the Temple shaman. The final chapter is never finished as poor Lizzy succumbs to the tumor.

Dr. Tom somehow mystically knows that if he finishes the final chapter himself, they will be reunited. He thinks The Tree of Life may already have been found, as he has been doing experiments on the bark of a tree that seems to make people get younger, healthier and shrinks tumors (although the fate of the poor monkeys is questionable). He is a man consumed with grief, desperate that this tree will have the power put them back together forever.

Skip 500 years into the future and things get really weird. We don’t know the name of the bald man in the bubble, but are pretty sure it used to be Tom. It seems he is floating in outer space, confined in the bubble with a tree whom he talks to, hugs and nurtures. We assume this is The Tree. They (Tom and the tree) seem to be floating into a glowing star system and are visited every now and then by spirit Izzy, or Isabel, in one form or another, which either irritates, soothes or causes bald Tom to go into a tormented rage.

Even though the 16th century Thomas is shown kneeling in prayer and is assisted by a friar of the Spanish church, there is no connection between him and the 26th century bald man in the bubble, who is shown floating in a lotus position with hands resting, finger to thumb, on his knees, obviously meditating and on a higher plain than any lowly 16th century (or 21st century for that matter), man on his knees in prayer to God, The Father, for guidance. Bald Tom is on his way to The Shibalba, what the Mayans called The Fountain.

It is my opinion that the authors of the script and the Director are trying to put religion on an Evolutionary track, stating to it’s audience through “The Fountain” that belief in God is on it’s way out in lieu of a new and improved eastern-themed, higher consciousness.

Important details to heed about “The Fountain”

The PG-13 rating is misleading. Although there are only 6 profane words, there was a very suggestive sex scene in a bathtub. There was no graphic nudity, per se, but there was no doubting what was going on, and lots of open mouth kissing. I was uncomfortable watching it, as it dragged on way too long.

There were sword fights, lashings, stabbings, and violence with blood. Several poor people were shown hanging upside down, covered in blood and eventually killed. One character got his ears cut off, and they were shown lying beside his head as he writhed in agony.

The character of Queen Isabel notes Genesis 3:24 to support her quest for The Tree of Life. She says after Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, that the tree was hidden by God, and that it can be found once again. In so doing, and by wearing her ring, Thomas will become the Adam of the world again, and she will become his Eve. Of course, along with the sap which springs forth from this tree, they will live forever.

ETERNAL LIFE is real—What does the Bible say about it? Answer

Eternal DEATH is also real

“Take this ring,” the Queen commands, “as a promise. Wear it, and when you find Eden, together we shall find ease. You shall be Adam, and I shall be your Eve.”

As Christians, we should note that, in reality, the Tree of Life does not exist here on Earth any longer, let alone give a sap that will allow the drinker to live forever. The believer in Christ’s work on the cross lives forever in spirit with The Lord, after departing this Earth in death, to be resurrected, as Our Savior was, to eternal life with Him.

“The Fountain” goes down lots of strange religious paths, into eastern mysticism or Gaia, in particular. “The seed is planted over the grave. The seed becomes the man, the man grows the limbs and roots, and becomes the world—this is the road to awe!”

The main character travels to a dying star, is consumed by it and becomes reborn. It is noted by one character that the tree of life is the road by which breath is given to you, and, by dying, you float into the realm of the future. Another character shouts, “We shall become immortal (by drinking the sap of the tree), and (when spearing himself with a sword before the tree) our blood shall feed the Earth.”

The only blood to save the Earth is the precious Blood of Jesus!

What is said and done in this absurd, twisted film, is not something any wise Christian needs to see, and most definitely not any impressionable Christian teens. It cannot be stressed enough, especially in the times in which we live, that God is with us, leads us and comforts us. There is never any need for any other. He is sufficient to fill our needs, and every desire of our hearts.

What on Earth is happening in our culture? The answer is plain, I’m afraid, in Romans 1 and 2. Men render truth dumb and inoperative because of their wickedness. They refuse to acknowledge God or to thank Him for what He is or does. They become fatuous in their argumentation.

In rejecting the God of Scripture, maker of Heaven and Earth, they still have the need to fill the emptiness their spirit craves, so they follow new gods. Gods of mystic proportions. Gods who tell them that true enlightenment is found WITHIN THEMSELVES. Man begins to hold himself up as the controller of his life. He is ruler of himself and someday will become complete by becoming one with the universe.

Behind a facade of wisdom, men become fools. They give up God. They forfeit the truth of God and accept a lie. They overflow with insolent pride [see: humility]; their minds teem with diabolical invention. They recognize no obligations to honor, lose all natural affection, and have no use for mercy. They do not hesitate to give their thorough approval to others who do the same (see Romans 1:18-2:5). They have no hope.

“There is no doubt at all that he will ‘render to every man according to his works,’ and that means eternal life to those who, in patiently doing good, aim at the unseen… It also means anger and wrath for those who rebel against God’s plan of life. ‘But there is glory and honor and peace for every worker on the side of good’” (see Rom. 2:6-10, PHILLIPS).

So many people today want direction for their lives. Tell them that God has given us a map, and this map, of course, is the Bible. It tells us how to live. The psalmist said,

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” —Psalm 119:105

Everything we need to know about living is in the Bible. That’s where we can find our road. Not only that, we can share our map for the road to heaven.

Only God knows the future, and His road is well-lit. When we are looking for direction, we don’t have to go any further than the Bible, God’s roadmap to life. He alone will show us the way to eternal life.

The “spirit” character of Izzy keeps coming back to Tom, whispering to “finish it.” I kept agreeing with her, hoping that this mixed-up mess would come to an end. “Finish it!” I pleaded in a whisper, “…and let me go home.”

My recommendation: Stay home. It’s a shame, because the core idea for this movie could have been an exciting look at a time-traveling Romeo and Juliet, but alas, “The Fountain” isn’t worth the film it was printed on.


  • Violence: Very Heavy— • man bloodily cuts his own throat • man delivers a killing blow to a priest’s head (bloody) • characters ears are cut off, and then shown lying beside his head as he writhes in agony • men speared to death • men sliced or killed with swords • self-flagellation (Catholic) with bloody open wounds • fights • man stabs another in the belly with a dagger (bleeding wound)—and then with a flaming sword • victims of the Inquisition being hoisted upside down, punished and apparently killed • physician violently grabbed by the neck and pressed to a wall • live monkey’s head with open brain surgery incision
  • Profanity/Vulgarity: Heavy— • 1 or more f-words—including “Why the f*** do you think I’m here?” • “For Chr*st’s sakes” • “God” • “d*mn” (3) • “hell”• s-word • “Get his a** in here”
  • Sex/Nudity: Moderately Heavy— • female bathing nude (but not graphic) with attending man, ends up in passionate sex • brief bare female breast in Inquisition scene
Article Version: September 17, 2017

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Thank you for your review of “The Fountain.” Every secular review I read had nothing but praise for the movie—but they are not concerned with the spiritual effects of movies.

An additional piece of information: Xibalba (the generally used spelling of Shibalba) is the Maya underworld. Not quite analogous to Hell, but it is described by the Maya in their mythology as a gloomy underworld populated by demons, and ruled by “death gods.” The movie was not only mixing Maya mythology in, it was distorting it—in thoroughly New Age way. There was no way that the Maya would ever have viewed Xibalba as a place one would want to go.
David (South Africa)
Positive
Positive—This film is beautifully shot. The visuals are stunning. However, this movie is not for everyone. If you are a person who enjoys a straightforward movie, then you are better off staying away from this film. This movie is very complex and deals with various afterlife theories. The story telling is also quite complicated. Keep an open mind, and you shall enjoy this flick.
My Ratings: Good / 4
Emil Thas, age 27
Positive—“The Fountain” is not for everyone. It’s an art film. It’s not a popcorn flick, or a date movie (although that’s what the TV spots want you to think). This is a movie with some depth to it. I’m not going to debate what makes art great or terrible, but I believe that “The Fountain” is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. Maybe not the most entertaining, but it’s built so well. And it should be since Darren Aronofsky’s been working on it for nearly a decade. Every scene means something, and there’s so much depth and imagery throughout the film. Needless to say, if you want a movie to tell you what it means and spell out every lesson we should learn from it, this is not the movie for you.

The main lesson we learn in the film, is from the story of the man who had the seed planted on his grave. It does not mean that we can literally become part of nature and live forever. It’s symbolic. In a way, we live on through the lives we touch and the things we do here on Earth. And those lives touched and changed branch out to touch other lives and changes the world more. That is what the movie says is the key to eternal life. We as Christians know there is greater hope. But that still is a great point of thought for Christians. Because we know that the impact we have on Earth is directly related to our experience in the hereafter (Matthew 16:19). See all »
My Ratings: Better than Average / 5
Brent Hand, age 23
Positive—“The Fountain” is not a “Christian film,” but communicates one of the most true and postive themes of any movie in recent memory. This film is about the longing for eternal life. The three stories serve not so much as a cohesive narrative, but as a look into the human spirit. The 16th century Spanish story shows the futility of the attempts of man to find eternal life on this Earth. These efforts were and will always be destructive, as shown in the scene with Hugh Jackman at the tree. The modern tale of the wife dying of cancer and her husband furiously seeking a cure shows man’s desperate need for new life.

The scenes with Jackman and Weisz are some of the most tender and beautiful ever captured on screen. This story shows the plight of humanity on Earth. We live in a fallen world where sin, disease, and death will always bring pain and sorrow in this life. Jackman’s character foolishly tries to conquer these forces through his own strength.

Finally there is the futuristic story. I interpret these sequences, not as actual events, but as a look into Jackman’s character’s heart. With all his might, he searches for eternal life in this physical world, but despairs at his inability to achieve it. Only when he accepts that he cannot do anything of his own strength to achieve salvation does he find that this eternal life is found as a gift and inheritance after his mortal body passes away. Only then does the tree of life bloom.

This is an artsy film. If you don’t like that kind of thing, you probably won’t like this. However, if you have any appreciation for such things, please see this movie. Visually and thematically, this is one of the most mesmerizing pieces of art one is likely to witness. 20 years from now when “The Fountain” is recognized as a milestone in filmmaking, you will be able to say that you saw it in theaters.
My Ratings: Average / 5
Andrew Black, age 20
Positive—…the beauty of the film is how impenetrable it is to those unwilling to look, and I don’t care to give away the rose to those fixed on the thorns. This is, in Darren Aranofsky’s (the writer and director) words, “a love poem to death.” The film drifted at sea for five years due to conflicts with the studio and stars (originally Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were set to star), and utlimately Aranofsky gave up and rewrote the script after a hiking trip in Asia. The central storyline, the one on which the viewer must be focused, takes place in the present, with Hugh Jackman’s Dr. Croe becoming obsessed over saving his wife, Izzy, so much so that he’s spending the last days of her life in the laboratory instead of taking a walk with her on the first snow. She’s written a book, entitled The Fountain, which chronicles the doomed quest of a Spanish conquistador to seek out the Tree of Life in the New World at the request of a Queen Isabella threatened by the Inquisition. The research Izzy’s done for the book has brought up intriguing questions about the Mayan afterlife, which annoys scientific Tommy to the point of distraction. These two visions are intercut with a third, in which a hairless, monk-like Tommy is flying toward the nebula on which the Mayans placed their eternal hope—Xibalba—with a mysterious tree. He consumes its bark for sustenance as he progresses toward what he believes is the only thing that can keep the tree alive.

Each story has the same end: Izzy, or her equivalent, dies. The film is about the present, not the 16th-century fantasy of Izzy’s book or the 26th-century mysticism of the final chapter Tommy adds to it. This is, I think the most confusing point that will likely irritate many who believe in a straight transition from life to heaven. Know that the film says nothing about what actually happens after death, whether or not there is a God, whose god is God, etc. Tommy’s grief over losing his wife, and her desperate plea, in the form of her book, to tell him it’s not his fault, that there was nothing he could’ve done and his search for an end to death through science will only end in failure is the focus of the movie. One of the things I enjoy most about Aranofsky is that the worldview put forth in his films is not entirely unfriendly toward Christianity, but one would do better to go to the library rather than the multiplex to understand it.

I’ve said nothing about the quality of the filmmaking, but it is top-notch. In fact, for those who find the film too esoteric, it will be its only high point. How unfortunate though that such a film is so derided simply because it is difficult.
My Ratings: Average / 4
Peter Jurmu, age 21
Positive—I was very pleased to view this excellent film, after having read some very negative reviews that found the film lacking. I found it very comforting and truly “Christian” and loving, in my experience of Jesus Christ as love. Also, having perused the comments at this Web site, I found that some viewers found the same positive qualities I found, with the same loving, all-embracing healing that I think comes from the tree of life, which figures in this movie. Clearly, this film is not science-fiction, but a soulful, loving tribute to the power of love, which is, as always, the Power of the Christ.
My Ratings: Good / 4½
David Johnson, age 63
Positive—I really liked this movie—Aronofsky has a track record of creating haunting movies that stick with the viewer. This movie is much less disturbing than his previous works; it is the beautiful non-CGI shots that have stuck with me. A beautiful film.
My Ratings: Good / 5
David Sizemore, age 21
Neutral
Neutral—…This was one very bizarre movie. Probably the most bizarre and incomprehensibly strange movie I’ve ever seen. It follows three stories, if you can call them that. It started off quoting Genesis about the tree of life, and it implied it was the tree of life from the Bible, but by the end it became a very weird pagan Mayan legend about the First Father. There was no explanation as to why he was floating in space in a bubble with a tree that he talked to like it was a person. It jumped back and fourth from Izzy, Hugh Jackman’s wife who was dying of cancer and him in the present dealing with her as she gets closer to death. He then begins to read a short story she wrote called “The Fountain” about a man working for Queen Isabella of Spain, and she sends him to find the tree of life in New Spain, where the Mayans lived.

The acting was great, but the story was so choppy. It took scripture out of context (such a dangerous thing to do) and mixed it with Mayan mythology. Not to mention it was so slow, and the same scenes repeated themselves over and over again. There was little to no final explanation. I left the theatre laughing, and so did the other people there. It was admirable to see how much Hugh Jackman’s character loved his wife, but that was the only good thing about the movie. …if you like watching lava lamps, listening to weird and depressing New Age music, than you might like this film.
My Ratings: Average / 3½
James J. Domzalski, age 24
Negative
Negative—Many of the viewers left the movie laughing, not because it was funny, but so utterly pathetic. Overheard someone saying, “They should give us our money back,” to which I say, “Absolutely.” In the movie, the way of eternal life is found (the Spanish Queen and her “Christian” monk) from the murderous Mayan religion. In dying, one finds eternal life. The head of the Inquisition preaches the same doctrine. The movie is very “spiritual,” having a mix of reincarnation, Zen, meditation, and of course Mayan. Our group agreed that for all of us, it was the worst movie we had ever seen. Period! We all seriously thought of leaving in the middle of the movie, like those sitting next to me did.
My Ratings: Offensive / 1
Jim Long, age 61
Negative—“The Fountain” has got to be one of the most bizarre movies I have ever watched—and I have watched a lot of movies. Mixing together metaphors from Christian and New Age thinking (think “Matrix” only more extreme) this overblown, over-the-top, and over long (even though it’s only 96 mins.) quickly goes nowhere, stays there, and ends there. It seems to me that the makers of this movie were out simply to mess with peoples heads and see how far they could push the movie goer; but that’s not to say that this is simply a movie—it has an underlying agenda, namely to push the idea that everything is connected in some kind of quasi-religous, reincarnational way.

**SPOILER** One of the main characters dies and where her body is buried, a tree is planted; the New Age idea is that the dead person becomes part of the tree and the trees fruit as the tree draws it’s life from the ground which contains the grave. So if you have an urge to watch Hugh Jackman eating pieces of bark from the tree then you’ll enjoy this movie.

A friend who raved on about how good this movie was argued that I had missed the point—that this was simply a movie about love. He may be right but the love shown in “The Fountain” is not the biblical love we read about in 1 Cor. 13. This is a love void of any eternal hope and salvation just a vicious circle of trying it again and again and failing again and again. A bizarre even dangerous movie, with a even more dangerous message. Best to look elsewhere for the meaning to it all (i.e. God’s Word).
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 2
Christian St John, age 35
Negative—UGH!!!… My husband and I saw this film on Thanksgiving evening. What a waste of our time and money! After it was over, we looked at each other and said at just about the same time, “What the heck was that?!” I remember saying, 'I hate this movie on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start!' As a Christian, I hated the screwed up theology and the overly new age/Eastern religion slant. As a moviegoer/movie-lover, I hated the constant flashbacking and flashforwarding—it drove me crazy. I also hated the way the movie seemed to sort of start about 15 times but then never carried anything through—pick a beginning for crying out loud! There were several endings too to my mind.

For a while, I thought it might turn out to be a film that made you really think and get you to try to figure out things for yourself in the storyline (kind of like “The Matrix” did), but not so. From the various previews for “The Fountain,” we really thought that this was going to be a sci-fi or fantasy action film—guess we should’ve read some reviews first.

And of course, as Christians, it’s a little hard to get into a movie with “new” ideas about living forever/dying/eternal life when we already know how God works that out for those who belong to His Son—we find it pretty hard to “suspend our disbelief” for the movie in those cases. The only thing I thought was good in “The Fountain” was the cinematography and the visual effects—but hey, I need more than that in a film.

I haven’t despised or been so disappointed by a movie this much for a very long time. Do yourself a favor, and don’t see it if you haven’t already. We actually told people in line as we were leaving not to see it… but I don’t think anyone was paying any attention to us. I’m sure they wish now that they had.
My Ratings: Offensive / 1
Lori Martin, age 44
Negative—My teenager and I went to see this and found ourselves alone in the theater (should have been warned by that!). We walked out wondering what in the world we had just seen, and I was glad I had only paid early-bird matinee prices! This is a mixed-up mish-mash of sci-fi, mysticism, time traveling and romance. It is visually stunning at times, but the acting and most of all the story just didn’t make it worth the money and time. For Christians and non-Christians alike this is a dud.
My Ratings: Extremely Offensive / 2½
Ellie, age 51
Negative—Horrible movie, didn’t get anything out of it. Too long, too slow, too confusing.
My Ratings: Average / 1
Jim Palmer, age 37
Comments from young people
Neutral—…I did not enjoy seeing this movie. It dragged on forever, and made no sense. As the reviewer said, there are very interesting ideas, such as: The Angel with the flaming sword, The Tree of Life, Immortailty of Earth, and even intersting ancient Mayan folklore… however… the film did nothing interesting with these themes! This could have been such a weird movie, but instead it seemed to try way too hard to be profound, and in turn missed the mark completely. I wasn’t offended by this movie, I mean there is the scene with the couple in the bathtub, but it wasn’t graphic, and at least the characters were married.

I don’t mind if movies question what we Christians regard as truth, because there is no way a movie could shake the truth of that… however, if a movie is going to try, at least they could do a good job of it. Not impressed at all, and wish I would have seen “Casino Royale,” instead!
My Ratings: Average / 2
Jeremy Cabalona, age 17
Positive—…During the 3 stages of reincarnation, the main character goes through 3 stages of wanting to cheat death, to live eternally. The first way is through the Tree of Life, which, the author does not explain fully why it does not exist on the Earth anymore. The second was defeating death with science, which did not work out to well. The third and final way was visiting the dying star “Shabalbah” which I believe was to achieve eternal life as well, however, the star dies and explodes thus ending the cycle of reincarnation the main character keeps going through and making him one with the universe (as odd as it sounds).

Overall, I was touched by the movie and I became interested in studying the Mayan religion because of it… I would encourage anyone without close-mindedness blinding them to watch this movie and to enjoy the deep thought it brings to you like all movies concerning the topic of eternal life will.
My Ratings: Average / 3½
Edwin, age 16
Positive—While the reviewer expresses legitimate concern over the movie’s portrayal of the afterlife, I think it should be noted that the movie in no way meant for what was portrayed to be fact. It was serious, yes, and in the movie it was real enough. The problem here is that when one begins to watch a movie, you expect everything to be a concrete statement. When a character in a movie says something like, “The way to enlightenment is death,” we think the character means it literally. However, in this film, everything should be viewed in a figurative connotation. Everything in this movie represents something else. Keep that in mind as I progress.

First, I would like to express concern that so many people wrote that they had a big problem with the film’s mantra of sorts: basically that the way to eternal life (enlightenment) was death. This is entirely consistent with Christian doctrine. Remember that the movie is figurative, not literal. As such, in a figurative sense, one must be reborn in order to attain salvation. How is one born again? By dying to self (and accepting Jesus Christ as lord and saviour). The path to enlightenment is your death, figuratively speaking. See all »
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4
Adam O'Connor, age 18