Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

Well I still don’t know if it’s going to be good or bad, but the opinion split seems to be forming very clear lines now. Science Fiction fans at Comic-Con liked it, the media reviewers disliked it (twice) and now it seems that the science crowd is coming out in favor of it.

Darren Aronofsky’s he Fountain has won the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Award (worth $25,000). The award which is given to feature length films that “explore science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways” and “depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion” will be presented on October 18-22 at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

The Fountain, which stars Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and Ellen Burstyn was written and directed by Aronofsky. The story is of a man’s attempts to save the woman he loves over a period of some 1,500 years from the 16th to the 26th century. At the core of the movie is a contemporary scientist who tries to save his beloved wife from cancer through scientific research and experimentation.

The picture I’m starting to form on this film is that it may well be a movie that only a narrow segment of the public enjoys. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it may leave it open to charges of being a box office flop. On the other hand it could lead to a very healthy DVD life.

Clearly there’s plenty of acting talent involved in this, but the plot descriptions are a little vague and the subject may just not be very compelling for the casual movie goer.