When Brad Pitt walked away from his starring role in The Fountain several years back, Darren Aronofsky's most elaborate project to date seemed destined for backburner limbo. Thankfully, the visionary behind the mind-melting Pi and sense-searing Requiem For A Dream has proved as tenacious as he is ingenious, finally succeeding in bringing it to the big screen.

The film is a fantastical journey that spans 1,000 years and inter-relates the lives of a 16th-century Spanish conquistador, a modern-day scientist and a 26th-century astronaut (all brilliantly portrayed by Hugh Jackman), and their struggle to understand the meaning of life, love and death.

As with the most interesting and important art, watching this sci-fi masterpiece will throw up as many questions as answers. Yet, because it's such a stimulating ride, the fact that you may not grasp the whole picture first time around is irrelevant: the tale is an epic that demands - and deserves - repeat viewings. You won't see much in the coming year as visually dynamic, cerebrally demanding and completely gripping as The Fountain.