*Review is pretty much spoiler free, but if you want to go in knowing nothing at all about the movie then don't read.
If you have seen either of director Tarsem Singh's (or just Tarsem, depending on his mood I guess!) movies then you will have a fair idea what to expect from Immortals. Both The Cell and The Fall are visually astounding, but while the former was also pretty dire in every other respect, The Fall is actually one of my favorite movies. I was equally as impressed with the story and performances in that as I was with the eye candy on display. Tarsem's third film falls somewhere between the two.
Immortals tells the story of King Hyperion's (Mickey Rourke) quest for the fabled Emperius bow which will give him the power to release the Titans and end the reign of the Gods led by Zeus (Luke Evans). At least, that is what we are told initially. Somehow as the movie progresses that becomes a quest to end humanity while he is at it (there is a lot of this type of stuff). Anyway, he runs into some opposition in the rock solid form of Theseus (Henry Cavill), a young peasant who witnesses Hyperion murder his mother right in front of him. Obviously that doesn't sit very well with him so along with Stavros (Stephen Dorff) and a beautiful virgin Oracle named Phaedra (Frieda Pinto) Theseus sets out for revenge, though Phaedra has had visions of a different destiny for him.
The visuals on display here may well be Tarsem's best, and that makes them a contender for the best committed to film imo. Everything from the cinematography, costumes, angles, framing, choreography, special effects - amazing. Some critics have compared the movie to a painting come to life and it really is. They have also criticized pretty much every other aspect of it however. Although I do agree with some of their points, I think the majority of them have definitely been too harsh on Immortals. For one, the performances are very good. The script isn't though, and that results in the actors having to spout some silly dialog, but regardless everyone does just fine. Obviously here at CBM we were most interested in how our new Superman Henry Cavill would do and I'm pleased to report that he is pretty damn good. He doesn't set the screen on fire or anything but as I said, nobody gets the opportunity to. What he does do is display a strong screen presence, physicality and towards the end, some very believable intensity. I think he will make a fine Supes based on this. Mickey Rourke has a blast as the bad guy, devouring every scene he appears in like the walnuts he frequently chews on. Hyperion is easily one of the most vile, sadistic villains ever to appear in this type of movie and Rourke is genuinely unnerving at times. The stunning Frieda Pinto is also on fine form but is wasted in the final act, as is the impressive Steven Dorff as the "Han Solo" type sidekick. Luke Evans is ok as Zeus, he overacts a little for my liking.nThere are other actors of course, a few more Gods including Kellen Lutzas Poseidon and Isabel Lucas as Athena but honestly they fail to make much of an impression with their allotted screen time.
This is a pretty violent movie. The standard spurting blood and gore of battle is expected but there are some very nasty torture scenes too, definitely not one for the youngsters. Said battle scenes are going to be compared to Zack Snyder's
300 and although there is no denying the similarities (particularly the final tunnel skirmish) I think they stand up to em. Some great set pieces include a tidal wave escape and a brutal fight between Theseus and the Minotaur. Unfortunately by the time Theseus makes his token rousing speech to the troops (very rushed and almost inaudible) the movie gets pretty nonsensical. There are still some awesome scraps on display but without getting too spoilerific, amidst them you might also catch characters doing things that will make you shake your head in disbelief. A shame, because with a stronger final act this could really have been worthy of having the "epic" moniker applied. There is also the dreaded "open for a sequel ending". Sometimes a story is just over folks. THE END! I'm starting to think those words are going to evade every single big budget/special effects driven movie we see fore a very long time.
Maybe not quite on par with 300, but infinitely better than the similarly themed Clash Of The Titans. Exciting, strange, violent, silly but very entertaining overall. Do yourself a favor and catch this one at the theater. At the very least your eyeballs will thank you for it.
Oh, I saw the movie in 3D because it suited us time wise. It was ok, not the worst I have seen with some great shots that benefited from the gimmick. But there were also plenty of the usual murky parts too. I don't think you would be missing out seeing this in standard 2D at all.
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