Most of the “sword and sandal” films through the years are basically the same story: An ordinary man, usually a peasant, unbeknownst to himself is the chosen one, the one that will lead his people out of their misery or the one that finds himself on a quest in order to find some powerful object that a villain wants to control in order to rule the kingdom or the world.
Over the years Hollywood has used the latest technology to make these films the big spectacular, be it The Robe in 1953 (Cinemascope), Jason and the Argonauts in 1963 (Dynamation) or 300 in 2006 (CGI). Now with the very formula story, director Tarsem Singh uses all manner of visual effects including 3D to unleash the bloody Immortals.
Before a quick outline of the screenplay, there has to be mention of the gallons of blood and gore that’s splashed on screen in the service of a story that is as old as – you guessed it – the gods. Singh gives audiences a celebration of gore. There are severed heads, spines and torsos. Many are impaled, heads are crushed, and limbs are hacked off, all in 3D and at times in slow motion!
OK, the story. A bastard child now grown named Theseus (Henry Cavill) ,who doesn’t believe in the gods, finds himself on a quest to find the Epirus bow, which can release powerful arrows that can hit a target from a distance. He is on the quest for vengeance against King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), who wants the bow to rule over everything, including the gods. The gods can do nothing to help on the orders of Zeus (Luke Evans), who believes Theseus and his small band, which includes the Oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and a thief Stavros (Stephen Dorff), will find a way to secure the bow and defeat Hyperion.
Nothing here is new as far as the story goes, but what is surprising is the film is much better than the trailer, which made it look like a rip-off of 300. It isn’t simply because it is all done in a less theatrical manner. No broad speeches (well, there is one by Theseus toward the end) and much less yelling, and the overall scope of the battle scenes are larger. But the biggest difference here is the staging. Everything here is done so it looks like it came right off a painting. Singh uses his visual effects to create a stunning world of a village on a high cliff, vast space inside the mountains, a gargantuan wall to keep Hyperion and his thousands of troops at bay. And there are also stunning costumes by Eiko Ishioka.
The acting is OK. In the lead Cavill holds his own, but clearly this is a physical role for his ripped body. If anything, Cavill is on his way to his next role as Superman. Pinto is stunning. It must be stated that her nude scene was done by a double. Dorff is better than good. He gets the film’s funnier lines. Rourke embraces the role. He comes pretty close and some would say he goes over the line, but he does make a good villain. Like the gore, the swordplay is plentiful and more than worthy of the film’s hard R rating.
Immortals isn’t for everyone, but for those who like their action bloody and backgrounds beautiful, this film is for them.
Read more: FILM REVIEW: Immortals bloody, beautiful - Kingston, MA - Wicked Local Kingston http://www.wickedlocal.com/plymouth/lifestyle/entertainment/x1431165874/FILM-REVIEW-Immortals-bloody-beautiful#ixzz1ejBcaycD
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