The movie is wonderful!  It is magical, adventurous, and wild.  And it looks like we’re going to see more of it, because the ending left us hanging, ready for a sequel!  Since this is part of a trilogy of books, I expect that the movies will follow the same format.

Great cast – Nicole Kidman is the evil one in the movie.  Daniel Craig is the mysterious good guy.  Dakota Blue Richards is the most amazing little girl!  She is brave and strong and sweet and vulnerable all at the same time.  A true heroine!

Effects are incredible.  I love the armored bear!  The costumes, the setting, the whole vibe is other-worldly.  Tons of great messages about friendship, loyalty, determination, strength, and being true to yourself.

Hugh Jackman, one of the most versatile actors of this generation, is “Tom” in three different forms, in three different lifetimes… or is it all the same lifetime? The movie opens up so many questions, and really forces the audience to think. Rachel Weisz plays “Izzie,” his wife, who in the present-day incarnation is suffering from a brain tumor. Present day Tom, a brain surgeon, struggles to find a cure for her. Rachel Weisz has a wonderful quality about her. In this role she’s down-to-earth and real, and yet almost ethereal. She and Hugh Jackman make a beautiful couple, their chemistry is amazing.

Interestingly enough, these two actors weren’t the ones originally cast in the film. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were set to star, but because of delays in production and Cate’s pregnancy, the timing didn’t work out. Aronofsky saw Jackman onstage in “The Boy from Oz” and was duly impressed. Backstage he asked the actor what his next project was, and Jackman wryly replied: “An Aronofsky film, I hope!” Jackman pushed for Weisz, Aronofsky’s wife, to co-star. The couple had agreed not to work together, but Weisz was enamored with the script and wanted the role. For the duration of filming they lived apart so that they weren’t each bringing work home with them. I can’t imagine better casting. Hugh Jackman deserves a nomination for his performance. This is his best work yet.

I just love the story, and the ideas that it brings up. These will stimulate many conversations for the car ride home when people leave the theatre. Life, death, youth, survival, love, commitment, time, choices… these are huge issues that aren’t often dealt with in the movies these days. I love the art direction, The Fountain is a beautiful movie just to look at! This is definitely a movie worth seeing, and maybe seeing a few times.

The story is compelling, we care about the characters, and we are kept guessing every step of the way. Leonardo DiCaprio is the best I’ve ever seen him. He makes you cry he’s so good! Jack Nicholson clearly relishes this role, he’s just out there having fun with it, and it shows. Matt Damon has got the smarmy good guy thing down to a science. You love him, but you don’t trust him. He looks innocent, but there’s so much going on just under the surface it’s kind of creepy.

My only criticism about The Departed is that there’s really only one female role in the whole movie. It’s an awesome part – pivotal, dramatic, and expertly played by Vera Farmiga – I don’t remember seeing her in anything else, she’s a fresh face and we’ll be seeing a lot more from her.

Just be aware that this is a hard “R” – lots of violence, blood, bad language – but that’s what you get when you mix cops and the mob, it would be strange it if weren’t that way.