Immortals came out back in 2011 and somehow this thing just got lost in time even though it had everything going for it, you got Henry Cavill right before he became Superman playing this Greek hero Theseus which was perfect casting if you ask me, Mickey Rourke as the evil King Hyperion doing his whole menacing villain thing and Luke Evans playing Zeus but not the old bearded dude you see in every other Greek mythology movie. The whole cast is ridiculously stacked and the action sequences are insane to watch specially when the gods finally get involved with all that slow motion carnage and gold armor flying everywhere, its basically pure eye candy for anyone who loves visual spectacle which this movie delivers in spades, what really surprised me was how much I enjoyed this thing on a rewatch because I remembered people shitting on it when it first released and calling it a 300 ripoff but it was doing its own thing. The cinematography is beautiful too with every single shot looking like a painting full of rich colors and dramatic lighting that makes even the quieter moments feel important and meaningful, director Tarsem Singh knew exactly what he was doing with the visuals and it shows in every frame of this movie, the whole story is pretty straightforward which works in its favor because it does not get bogged down trying to be too clever. Theseus is this guy who has been training under an old man his whole life not knowing its actually Zeus in disguise and he has to fight King Hyperion who is trying to release the Titans and destroy everything because he is pissed off at the gods for not saving his family from disease years ago, the setup is simple but effective and it gives you everything you need to care about what is happening without over explaining every little detail.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253864/
- Platform: AppleTV+
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The movie is one hour and fifty minutes so it never really felt draggy for a movie that long, it gets in there and tells its story with some spectacular action then gets out before you can get bored which I really appreciate because so many movies these days drag on for two and a half hours when they do not need to, Mickey Rourke as Hyperion is pure evil in this thing and he is amazing to watch because the dude just chews up every scene he is in with this quiet intensity that makes him terrifying. One of the most brutal moments is when Hyperion attacks Theseus village and kills his mother right in front of him and its shot in such a visceral way that you instantly want to see this bastard get what he deserves, the action in Immortals is what really sets it apart from other sword and sandal movies because Tarsem Singh uses these Matrix style fight sequences specially with the gods that are just crazy to watch, when they finally show up to fight the Titans its like watching a completely different level of combat compared to the regular humans. The production team behind this knew exactly what kind of movie they were making and they committed to it fully which is why it works so well even if some people think its all style over substance, sometimes you just want to watch gods and heroes kick ass while looking amazing and this movie gives you that experience perfectly without trying to be something its not, if you loved 300 then theres a good chance you will love Immortals too because it has that same kind of stylized violence and epic scale even though its not as well known.
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Henry Cavill does a solid job as Theseus even though this was before he really became a household name with Man of Steel, you can see the potential in his performance here as this young guy who does not believe in the gods until he meets one face to face and realizes everything he has been told is real, the whole Greek mythology angle gets a modern action movie treatment here which some purists might hate but I think it makes the story more accessible to regular audiences. They take the basic idea of Theseus and the Minotaur plus the Titanomachy, I didnt know this term until I star searching assuming it was a painting of all gods going at each other, the all blend together so well into one story that moves fast and keeps you entertained without getting too caught up in mythology accuracy, Freida Pinto plays the Oracle Phaedra and while her character is not super developed she does fine with what she is given, her visions of the future add an interesting element to the story even if they do not always make total sense when you think about them. Luke Evans as Zeus is probably my favorite part of the casting because instead of making him this wise old father figure they went with a younger more warrior like version who actually gets his hands dirty when shit hits the fan, the scene where the gods come down and start wrecking Titans in that golden armor is one of the coolest moments in the whole damn movie and its worth watching just for that sequence alone. John Hurt shows up as the old man training Theseus and obviously you figure out pretty quick that he is Zeus in disguise but Hurt brings this calm presence to the role that works well against Cavills more hot headed performance as the young hero learning his place in the world, the relationship between them feels genuine even though you know the old man is hiding his true identity the whole time.
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The visual style of Immortals is what people remember most about it and for good reason because every frame looks carefully crafted, Tarsem Singh is known for making visually stunning movies and this one is no exception with sets and costumes that look almost surreal at times, the violence is brutal and bloody when it needs to be but its also beautifully choreographed in a way that makes the fights feel like deadly dances instead of just random chaos. You can actually follow what is happening in each fight scene which is something a lot of modern action movies fail at with all their shaky cam bullshit that makes you dizzy, the score by Trevor Morris fits the epic tone perfectly and elevates the emotional moments without being too overbearing or cheesy, it knows when to be quiet and when to go big which is a tricky balance to get right in these kind of movies. The whole production design deserves credit because they built these massive sets and filled them with details that make the world feel lived in even though its clearly a fantasy version of ancient Greece, nothing looks cheap or half baked about the environments which is impressive considering the budget was only 75 million dollars, when Hyperion finally releases the Titans near the end its this massive thing of destruction that leads into the final battle. The gods versus Titans fight gives you everything you want from a climax like this and its loud and violent and over the top in all the right ways, the way they shot the gods moving at super speed while the Titans are slow and brutish creates this cool contrast that makes the action feel unique compared to other fantasy movies.
I would easily give Immortals a solid 7.5 out of ten because its not perfect but its a hell of a good time if you want to watch Greek gods and heroes kicking ass while looking amazing doing it, the story is simple enough that it does not get you offtrack from the constat action and spectacle which is exactly what this kind of movie should be about, some people complain about the lack of character development and yeah sure Theseus does not go through some deep psychological journey but thats not really the point, in fact for the most part the guy is just lost in life and is not sure what to be or do but he just reacts. He is a guy who needs to save his people from an evil king and vengeful Titans so thats what he does without a bunch of unnecessary drama or subplots that would slow things down, the movie knows what it is and does not try to be something its not which I respect way more than movies that have delusions of grandeur and fall flat on their face trying to be too deep or meaningful. Mickey Rourkes performance alone makes the movie worth watching because he makes Hyperion into this truly hateable villain that you want to see get destroyed. If this movie came out today with the same cast and production quality I think it would do way better at the box office. People are more hungry for this kind of epic fantasy action now than they were back in 2011 and it just had bad timing coming out when it did and getting lost among bigger releases that year, the movie made over 226 million worldwide which is not bad at all but it deserved to do better considering how entertaining it is and how good it looks, definitely worth a watch if you have not seen it or want to revisit it after all these years.
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