“Immortals” Features Spectacular Visuals, Generic Storytelling
As if silly Greek drama couldn’t make any more current headlines, Tarsem Singh’s Immortals — a mishmash of the country’s mythology, is out in theaters. The director who is known more for his lavish visuals than artful storytelling, combines a generic narrative with dazzling aesthetics, producing an oddly derivative yet grandiosely entertaining tale of a mortal who must rise up to become the savior of mankind on behalf of the gods.
The story is very loosely based on strands of Greek mythology. In Ancient Greece, the rampaging King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) searches for the Epirus Bow, a weapon of mythical power, so he can unleash the banished Titans from the depth of Mount Tartarus and declare war on the Gods of Olympus. Only the virgin oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) knows where the bow is but Hyperion’s is fast closing in on her. Unwilling to meddle in the affairs of men, Zeus (Luke Evans) and his fellow Gods must rest their anguished hopes on Theseus (Henry Cavill), an unassuming peasant they have secretly groomed to save humanity. But will Theseus embrace his destiny?
Yes, this flimsy plot is as silly as it sounds, and that’s before you even see the over-the-top costumes or hear the lame dialogue. And yet, Immortals has a subtle campy vibe that makes it surprisingly entertaining from beginning to end. Throats are slashed, heads are pulverized, manly apparatus are squashed, the director audaciously piles on the excesses but always in an artistic manner. The battle scenes are excellently staged and often look more like a ballet of war thanks to copious use of slow motion and CGI effects.
In many ways, this is the perfect vehicle for Tarsem’s extravagant inclinations, allowing him to indulge in staggeringly rich visuals and stylish choreography without any remorse. The ridiculously elaborate costumes (by Eiko Ishioka) for some of the characters, particularly Hyperion and the Gods, include complicated headpieces composed only of lines which can be used to deduce the identity of each god. They add a touch of originality and creativity to a movie that is obviously indebted to Zack Snyder’s 300.
Nonetheless, this total focus on spectacle downplays the human aspect of the movie. Do you want to get to know a little more about the main characters? Well forget about it because there is virtually no character development. Theseus is your generic tortured hero out to avenge the death of his mother, followed by his wise-cracking stock sidekick (Stephen Dorff) and his comely yet mostly extraneous love interest. This isn’t to say the actors were terrible. Cavill displays tremendous screen presence as the rugged leading man and transitions credibly from mere peasant to hero of men. The fact that he was able to do so well with some of the silly and melodramatic lines he had bodes well for his next role in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.
As the deliciously maniacal Hyperion, Rourke is obviously having a blast playing another ruthless and intimidating antagonist while Luke Evans brings unexpected inner-conflict as the king of gods Zeus. All of this macho display leaves the film’s few actresses in the dust, with the gorgeous Freida Pinto continuing her string of mostly forgettable roles as a plot device/love interest. Her character basically disappears halfway through the movie — but not before we get a glimpse of her body double’s backside, while the equally beautiful Isabel Lucas is all but eye candy as Athena.
I’m not sure if I would recommend the 3-D. While it was unobtrusive and subtly used, it felt more like an afterthought and didn’t add all that much to the experience. In any case, Immortals is an extravagantly silly movie saddled with generic storytelling but it undeniably makes for a stunning spectacle that action fans will unapologetically enjoy.
B
Notes: Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence, and a scene of sexuality, 110 minutes.
20 Comments
I found it better then Clash of the Titans but not as good as 300. It didn’t have the visceral drive of the latter but it’s so visually pleasing that you can’t help but find it at least watchable.
Interesting. I think I preferred this to 300.
I enjoyed Freida Pinto’s ass in 3D. That alone was worth the price of the ticket…
That was her body double’s ass yo
Fucking Awesome! I loved it. Amazing visuals and some hard hitting battle scenes. Was far better than the previews made it look to be
Ahaha the sound effects for the fight scenes were so over the top! Even Theseus throwing little punches at Mickey Rourke would be super loud
I agree that the action scenes were well staged but the movie was so poorly written, I tried not to laugh at some of the dialogs and Tarsem Singh still doesn’t know how to tell a good story to go along with his sometime cool visuals. Also, I thought the 3D was awful, the film would’ve looked much better in regular bright 2D.
I’m no fan of 3-D but given that this was a post-production conversion, it was about as good as it gets. Nonetheless… down with the 3-D!!! I think it would have been hilarious to be on set of this. The story is so ridiculous, watching the actors wearing their crazy costumes and trying to enact this would have been a laugh riot
It didn’t really do anything different when it came to telling its story, but it was sure as hell a lot of fun to watch and gaze at. Nice review my main man Castor!
Thanks Dan. I guess this is the definition of popcorn entertainment
I’m getting a lot of mixed reviews from this, but what you say is pretty fair. I really wanna give this movie a chance. This is coming from someone who grew up watching The Cell.
Hope you like it, nothing in must-see territory here but you might enjoy the visuals anyway.
The visuals look interesting, but I am not nearly that enthused with it to watch something with no story.
When the mood strikes maybe it will be worth it
I’ve got my notes but haven’t got around to typing ‘em up for my review, hopefully tonight. Glad you enjoyed this, Cas. I have the same feelings as you about the storytelling and visuals, but it’s still worth a watch. I’m also glad you think Henry is good in this.
Looking forward to your review. Yes, worth a watch, it’s not nearly as bad the 36% Rotten Tomatoes would suggest.
Can I just SAMPLE your review and then agree with you wholeheartedly?
“extravagantly silly movie saddled with generic storytelling”
Is very much in line with how I felt.
The “Action” felt like shite in my opinion. Overstaged and slo mo’ed… all the visuals looked reidiculous too. So, if you back those two “positive” elements out of it (which are what everyone who’s been giving it a positive review have been latching onto) you can see where I’m at.
Of course, in fairness, you recognize the camp.
Ahaha fair enough. I can see how the over-the-top editing could feel corny and overwrought. I had a good time overall, I wouldn’t mind seeing it again a year or two down the road
Oh! I never said anything about that! I’ll be watching it again for sure!!
Its Awesomely Awful!!
You know, everyone seems to be hating on this film, but it sure does look entertaining. I know a lot of people who want to see it, so i’ll probably check it out. Great review!
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