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Friday, November 18, 2011

[7.50/10] Immortals [3D] (2011)


Immortals [3D] (2011)

Full review: One of this year's most anticipated movies has finally arrived, and even though Tarsem's latest does not exceed expectations, it certainly meets them. Loosely based on the Greek myths of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Titanomachy, "Immortals" tells the story of Theseus, a mortal man who's chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the merciless King Hyperion, who wants to destroy humanity. Singh's interpretation of these myths is hardly groundbreaking in terms of storytelling, but he compensates the lack of strong script with creativity, skillful execution and his signature impressionist style. The astounding visuals are undeniably the film's main strength. Tarsem is widely known for his trademark visual style, and with "Immortals" he proved to the world yet again what an amazing visionary he truly is. Although shot mostly against green screen, nothing about "Immortals"' visuals feels fake. The CGI scenery, which mostly consists of monolithic seaside cliffs and ancient Greek fortresses, is absolutely stunning, and the 'real' settings are just as impressive and superbly crafted. The golden tint of the cinematography reminds the one in "300", though here the golden-brown caramel-ish colors are more muted and washed out. Most of the costumes are authentic and beautifully-designed, though some of Gods' armors look a bit ridiculous. The 3D is subtle and hardly noticeable, but it still adds depth to certain scenes, and makes the more eye-catching. The true highlight of "Immortals" is without a doubt the 'Gods vs Titans' action sequence at the end of the movie, which is nothing short of mind-blowing! You'll witness one of the coolest, most spectacular and unique slow motion fight scenes ever shot. During the battle, the camera angles are incredibly creative, the fast camera movements are razor-sharp, and the slow-mo itself is used in an effective and very stylish way, which makes this culmination scene absolutely jaw-dropping, and a true feast for the eyes. Sadly though, apart from this amazing scene, "Immortals" lacks enough action. There are some good, gory and extremely graphic fight scenes throughout, but obviously, Tarsem have saved the spectacle for last. One one hand, the climax is definitely worth the wait, but one the other hand, "Immortals" could have been so much more thrilling if there was more great action in it. The performances range from strong to forgettable. The future Superman, Henry Cavill, has the right look and the skills to play Theseus. He has great screen presence and does a great job in portraying his tough character. Stephen Dorff delivers as Stavros, Luke Evans is just okay as Zeus and John Hurt is gives a solid performance as the Old Man. Freida Pinto is beautiful head-to-toe, but she barely possesses any acting skills whatsoever, hence she gives a poor performance as Phaedra. Mickey Rourke is absolutely brilliant as the ruthless King Hyperion, and steals every scene he appears in.

Overall summary: Neither as spectacular, nor as visually-striking as Zack Snyder's similar-by-style "300", but still one of the best-looking movies of the year, Tarsem's "Immortals", while hardly phenomenal, is constantly engrossing, and offers a solid story, plenty of gorgeous visuals and some breathtakingly-shot action sequences.

15 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Good to see you enjoyed it. So many said it was disappointing and the visuals were the only good part.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, I certainly did. Well, it wasn't as sensational as I expected it to be, but still there was a lot to be enjoyed. The visuals were amazing and the action was great too. The final act was absolutely spectacular!

Mel Chesley said...

Sounds good, I will have to check it out. I saw the previews for it and liked those. But I always hold my breath til the movie is over because more often than not they don't live up to their expectations from the previews. Great review!

Franco Macabro said...

I thought this one was freaking awesome, a masterpiece! It begs to be watched on 3-D. Loved the effects, the wardrobe...wow, and the overall way in which Tarsem dealt with greek mythology, not cheesy at all.

This one needs to be seen on the big screen.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Caledonia, you should definitely give it a shot. You're right. There are many movies that don't live up to the awesomeness of their trailers, but that's definitely not the case with Immortals.

Thanks, glad you liked my review. ;)

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

The Film Connoisseur, it was hardly a masterpiece ("300" was), but its visuals blew me away. The slow-mo action was the best thing about it definitely. There were a few cheesy parts, but those were very few and almost unnoticeable. ;)

I agree 100%, it deserves to be seen on the big screen for the visuals.

Maynard Morrissey said...

Great review, George!

The trailer looks pretty impressive but I'm not a fan of sword-and-sandals flicks, so I definitely won't see it

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Thanks, Maynard.

Well, this one is not your typical sword-and-sandals flick, but a true visual feast, so you might actually enjoy it. ;)

Unknown said...

I love your review and I will most definitely be seeing it. I've been looking for another 300 type film. I am dying for the prequel/sequel whatever they're calling it.

It looks like we now know why Danny Boyle kept Freida's speaking moments to a very bare minimum in Slum Dog. I like her, but she needs some lessons.

✗✗ said...

I was skeptical because it looked like a copy cat of 300 so I was hesitant to see it. I loved 300 but didn't want to see a poor rendition. However, after reading your great review I think I will see it. I'm really glad to hear it was good. I think I'm more excited for the visuals alone. Again, Great Review!!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Thank you so much, sweetheart.

I'm looking forward to "Xerxes" as well and I hope it will be at least half as good as "300" was.

"Immortals" was my most anticipated movie of 2011, and though it wasn't as amazing as I expected it to be, it left me satisfied.

Ah, poor Freida. She definitely needs some acting lesson, because at this point she's pretty mediocre.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Nicole, the truth is there are many ideas borrowed from "300" in this movie. The visuals are similar too.

Nevertheless, it's still worth-seeing and quite dazzling visually.

Thanks for the compliment. ;)

Matt Stewart said...

Awesome blog! Immortals really looks like a sweet film, I mean as far as entertainment goes, a deep intelligent story is not needed IMO.

Nice review, and hope you get the chance to check out my blog as well.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Matt, thank you so much. Glad you like my blog.

Yep, a deep story is not necessary in this case. "Immortals" is all about the visuals.

I've checked out your blog in the past and I'm even a follower, so I'm familiar with your writing. ;)

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

søgemaskineoptimering, thanks, glad you we share the same opinion on this one. :)