Immortals - quick review (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Narratively a little weak, but many scenes are so gorgeous to stare at in this film. Saw it in 3D. The story felt overly long in the first hour for its general plotline, and doesn't give enough information to develop the players in the story: humans (Theseus the good guy, Hyperion the conquering type, and other supporting folks), the gods (Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and others), and Titans (just a bunch of dudes standing in a mythical prison cube for a long time). So carefully constructed sequences show up on the screen, but without proper character build-up for the players in the story, the action, while skillfully executed, fails to engage the viewer, and becomes a fine reel of artful EFX and composition. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful film in many of the scenes, and it takes the viewer away to a place a long time ago where humans and gods engaged one another to fight the release of titans, who have the potential to bring the heavens down to earth and make it a very unpleasant place to be. I just wished it had a better script to engage the viewers with a more vested interest in the central conflict. I wanted more content of the gods and titans. The script relies too much on narration to fill in the gaps, to its detriment. I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.

 

[Sam Posten]

Evert called it the best looking terrible movie ever, lmao

 

[Malcolm R]

I'd agree. Great looking film (Tarsem's films usually are), but that's about it. Take bits and pieces of 300, Spartacus (the recent cable series), and Clash of the Titans, mash them all together and you get this jumble.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

There seemed to be some disconnect between how many Titans were in the box, and how many the Gods were fighting at the end. I thought it seemed like there were only 20 or so in the cage, but it seems like the Gods slaughtered dozens and they still kept coming.

I didn't think the 3D was necessary, either. I didn't see where it added much, other than to the cost of my ticket (no 2D option available).

 

[Brandon Conway]

Solid film that delivers what I expected: fantastic visuals, strong (and terribly violent) action, and a story that needed some trims and focus. 7/10
Malcolm:


There's at least one shot of Titans coming from beneath the box through the ground, which suggests they were almost "spawning" indefinitely.

 

[Brett_M]

Immortals Review: Starring Henry Cavill & Mickey Rourke Directed by Tarsem Ever wonder what 300 would have been without the homosexual subtext? Well, Tarsem’s new flick answers that question. Immortals tells the story of King Hyperion’s search for the Bow of Epirus and how a peasant named Theseus, with the aid of a virgin oracle (Frieda Pinto) and a thief (Stephen Dorff), will try to stop him from unleashing hell on earth. The King is played by none other than Mickey Rourke and his performance is menacing. Thesius is most people’s first glance at the new Superman, Henry Cavill. He is athletic and earnest in his portrayal of the one man who is capable of leading a small band of Greek soldiers to victory against a huge army of evil forces. (Sound familiar?). The Epirus bow, so important in this tale, was lost on Earth after a war in the heavens between the Gods (Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, et al) and the Titans. The Titans lost and were imprisoned deep within Mount Tartarus in Greece. The bow is like a lightsaber – it fires arrow-shaped beams of tremendous power and it can loose the Titans from their prison so they can destroy the world. Hyperion wants the bow for this reason. He is driven by madness and fury at how his wife and children were killed by disease and the Gods did nothing for him as he prayed for their deliverance. It’s an oft used back story and Rourke does his best to emote through his gravelly voice and toned physique. There’s a lot of sweat and ripped abs. People yelling. A final stand at a fortress of stone. You can probably figure out how it will end. While the story is sword and sandal epic paint by numbers (300 meets Troy with a dash of Clash of the Titans), the real star of the flick is the gorgeous cinematography and editing. The cgi sets look amazing – detailed and sensual. The film has the 300 look: vivid oil paintings come to life. The editing is from the 300 School of Filmmaking as well, especially during the fight scenes. The action set pieces in this film are awe inducing and frenetic, even in slow motion. They are gruesome as hell and this film earns its R rating. I will not spoil it. They must be seen to be believed. It’s here that this film rises above others like 300 or Troy. The Greek Gods are full-fledged characters and their ability to whoop ass makes some of the best action in the whole show. Although the film plods along at times and hits all the typical marks of an summer cgi spectacle (rousing action, bloody mayhem, fearsome warriors, the big speech before the big fight, the sex, Conrad’s hero journey, etc), it is worth checking out on the big screen for the visuals. Fans of the genre will no doubt eat it up but they will not help the film disappear from the charts in a few weeks. I liked it for what it was. So: See it? If a fan, yes. Rent it? Most movie-goers, yes. Buy it? I won’t and I love stuff like this. 6.5/10 ***.5/***** P.S. I agree with Patrick -- needed a better script.

 

[Al_S]

I liked the way this film looked but that's about it. I give it 1 star.

 

[todd s]

A few things about the gods that bothered me...

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

-I understand the gods not wanting to interfere with human affairs. But, as soon as The bow is found. They should have come and taken it. Not intervening earlier caused the deaths of numerous gods and men. -During the god/Titan fight. Did it seem like their were more titans than originally shown in the cage? -We see a battle with 3 gods and Posiedon died?!? where are the other gods?? If this the Titans are that bad. Where are the dozens of other gods we see at the beginning and end of the movie?

 

[Brandon Conway]

^ I already answered your 2nd question above.