Movie Review: Immortals

Thanks to omy.sg, I went to the movie preview of Immortals two nights ago and I was blown away by the action sequences and special effects, which were enhanced by the 3D glasses.

Being a fan of 300, Troy, and all Greek mythology, I really looked forward to this show (which was produced by the same people who gave us the unforgettable 300).

The story behind the visually exciting Immortals are as follow:

When the world was still young, immortals walked the earth. There were peace until thees immortals realised that they can inflict great damages to one another and a war erupted. The winners call themselves Gods, and the vanquished were labelled Titans.

Eons after the this mythic battle between the Gods and the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Bloodthirsty with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke, above) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a fearsome army of soldiers, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares, the Greek God of War. Along the way, his army unleashed fear and deaths throughout the land.

Anyone who found this mystical bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the end of the war between immortals and were waiting for revenge. In Hyperion's hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man’s conflict unless the Titans are released.

In the midst of all these, a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill above) comes forth as the hero. Chosen and trained by Zeus himself, Theseus soon caught the attention of his local army through his fighting skills. When Hyperion finally unleashed the Titans upon the people, Theseus must stop Hyperion and his army while the Gods attempt to stop the Titans once more.

As mentioned in my opening paragraph, I was truly blown away by the action and special effects, and the 3D effects came across as classy and with a lot of depth difference.

When the Gods (dressed in gold above) appeared in their true form, they look gorgeous (Ok I meant Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare played by Isabel Lucas - she is really hot - see picture below). I love the action sequences of the Gods against the Titans the most - gory, detailed and fantastical, really fantabulous!

However, the best parts of the movie remains the special 3D effects and the action sequences. The story is pretty flawed and that was a real pity, as it could have been a real classic epic. Being a geek in greek mythology, I realised that Ares was being defeated far too easily by Zeus. And Poisedon was seen as being below, or in this case, hinted to be just another child of Zeus - which is wrong as Poseidon and Zeus, together with Hades, are brothers and were actually children of Cronos/Kronos, a titan. They should be of equal standing with command over different realms (the earth and the sky by Zeus, the sea by Poseidon and hell by Hades). However, Hades was never mentioned here and Poseidon seem to fear Zeus. Zeus' weapon of a whip in the show also don't seem to be right.

Also, Theseus is the child of Poseidon, according to the mythology but it is certainly not protrayed as such in this show. But the did show Theseus slaying a Minotaur, which is what the mythical Theseus is famous for. Oh well, I'm just being too specific because I am a big fan of Greek mythology and a big fan of the game God of War.

The story also left many questions unanswered, such as the origins of the Oracles, why the Epirus Bow was forged, why Zeus only seemed to care about Athena and not the other Gods...

For me, if you are looking to enjoy a show with awesome special effects and just to have a ride of a time, then Immortals is certainly for you. It isn't a show for the intellectuals though, but that is why it is mainstream.

3 outta 5 stars for me. You need to watch this in 3D to fully enjoy the show. Don't wait for the DVD because the experience would be totally different.

The 3-D epic adventure Immortals is directed by revolutionary visualist Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and produced by Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton, the producers of 300, as well as Ryan Kavanaugh (Dear John, The Dark Fields).