Review of the film Immortals
After seeing the movie 300, a well received movie based on the ancient battle of King
Leonidas and a force of 300 against a Persian army, I had high expectations for the film
Immortals when I discovered that it was produced by the same producer Frank Miller. Luckily, I
was not disappointed. Immortals is a high action /drama film about a brave hero named
Theseus (Henry Cavill) who discovers his destiny through the Greek god Zeus (Luke Evans) to
stop the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) from discovering the lost Bow of Epirus and using it
to unleash the ancient Titians onto the Earth.
Like Miller’s 300, this film brings the same atmosphere of ancient Greek mystery,
intense fighting scenes, bloodshed, and creative imagery and cinematography. The army of 300
in Millers film believed in honor and fought without fear. In Immortals, Theseus, unknowing of
the fact that he is a demi-god, shows a great deal of courage and strength in this story. He
comes from humble beginnings, but has been trained as a child to be a warrior and protector.
When situations in the movie become dangerous and tragic, Theseus steps up without fear to
fight any opposing warrior or villain. Director Tarsem Singh did a great job by picking the upincoming Cavill to play the part. Seasoned actor Mickey Rourke, who plays King Hyperion, is a
villain so brutal and evil that it will leave the audience stunned. Hyperion is heatless and takes
pleasure in the suffering of others. He slaughters and tortures anyone who stands in his way of
reaching the Bow of Epirus, no matter if they are men or women. Each display of torture from
Hyperion is worst the one before and you cannot help but wonder what he will do next.
The violence and blood is taken up another level from the film 300, however, both films
consist of violent scenes that are dramatic and sometimes carried out on camera in slow
motion. The film starts off slow in the beginning, but overall it has a good mix of action and
drama and leaves you wanting more at the end. Every good movie starts off slow in my opinion
in order to build up the plot.
According to IMBD.com the movie has a 110min running time and received a 6.2 rating
out of 10. According to Rottentomatoes.com the film received a 5.2 out of 10 rating. Most
critics on these sites agree that the film was beautifully directed visually, but that it had a weak
storyline and plot. To a certain degree I would agree. What makes this film so great in my
opinion are in fact the visual effects and the action. Both 300 and Immortals have backgrounds
that were created on blue screen, with dramatic slow motion fighting scenes, but in Immortals
the inclusion of gods called for the special effects to be increased in this film and give it a more
fantasy appearance. Many of the action scenes involving the gods look almost like works of art.
Mt. Olympus sits up high in what looks like outer space overlooking the earth below it. The gods
are presented as being ageless, appearing young, plated with gold armor and very handsome.
Their movements, during battle scenes especially, are swift, appear in slow motion but their
execution is quick and devastating to their opponents. The audience will be in awe when the
gods step in at times to help Theseus in his quest to defeat King Hyperion.
Theseus fights with precession during his battle scenes, slicing and stabbing any
opponent who dares to attack him. Theseus is well trained and kills almost effortlessly in this
film, as if it was second nature. It’s interesting how in both in 300 and in Immortals, the director
pays special attention to the swift frame by frame movements of the hero’s to highlight how
incredibly skillful they are in battle. The dialogue in my opinion was what perhaps weakened
the film. There aren’t any memorable speeches or quotes, like in 300, and the characters
personalities are one dimensional. There is a scene towards the end where the army of his
homeland, who by the way isn’t too fond of Theseus, runs away from the battle scene because
they are outnumbered and have given up hope. Theseus stands on a pillar above them and
gives the army a pitiful two minute speech about not giving up and believing in themselves and
suddenly they all discover a inner courage and look up to Thesus as their new leader. The
characters are one dimensional because the audience doesn’t really get an opportunity to learn
anymore about the characters expect for their names and small details of their background. The
film 300 shows King Leonidas as a warrior, a husband and a father. You see his warrior and
aggressive side, as well as his compassionate and loving nature.
Despite all of this when it comes to the storyline it was exactly what it says in the
description. If you pay attention, the film contains a few good messages, such as: the
importance of trusting in yourself, never giving up when you are faced with a difficult obstacle,
and no matter your background or where you come from everyone is capable of doing great
things. There are also a few similarities between the story and the Bible if you know your Bible
literature. These uptight movie critics have to realize that every movie is not going to have the
dialogue and character dimensions of the Godfather, the humor of Animal House or the visual
affects of Avatar. Immortals is an action movie and great action is what you get.
If you want to see a good action film about Greek Mythology, bloody violence and
awesome visual affects then go see Immortals. If you’re looking for a movie with a deep
intelligent and character development then I advise you go see something else.