Despite knowing that this was a movie not a lot of people seemed to like (one look at Rotten Tomatoes makes that clear) I still was curious to see if this would be a movie I’d enjoy. I haven’t seen The Fall yet (but the DVD is waiting on my “to watch” stack and remembering that The Cell (which I saw while on holiday in Florida) was visually striking I wanted to find out if director Tarsem Singh managed to do the same with this movie.
This is a movie which deals with Greek mythology, so seeing gods and oracles is all part of the story about King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) wanting to conqer Greece by getting his hands on the hidden Epirus Bow, which will allow him to unleash the immortals (strong enough to fight the gods), who have been locked away in a mountain and unable to move.
Of course there must be something or someone standing in his way and in this case it’s Theseus (Henry Cavil), a simple farmer who has been trained so well that the most experienced warriors look like first time fighters. After an attack on his village he’s out for revenge. Together with an Oracle (the beautiful Freida Pinto) and some other warriors they set out to find King Hyperion and have their revenge.
Visually it’s a very unique and beautiful movie. It’s obvious that a lot of time was spent on processing all the images with the computer as colors are bright and a lot of CG has been added. The costumes are stunning (although I must admit the helmets the gods wear do seem ridiculous, but then again I know nothing of what’s hot in “God fashion”).
And as we are in sword and sandal territory the movie wouldn’t be complete without some good old battles. Now in this case the movie doesn’t hold back, so if you can’t stand the sight of blood it’s better to skip it. Limbs are cut off, heads beaten to red pulp and people cut open. A lot of this is done in slow motion (which is comparable to what was done in 300 or even something like The One with Jet Li) and I thought it was stunning to watch.
Does this movie have a great story? I have to admit that it’s not the strongest part of it all, but the visuals and battles made up for it. It’s not a movie everyone will love, but which I think should be watched to be amazed by how it looks.
Score: 8
Nice review. I recently saw Immortals and I was surprised by how good it was.
The gods really bugged me though. I understand making them stand out, but they just really distracted from the rest of the film, expect when Zeus was John Hurt.
Nice to hear you enjoyed it as well.
Hmmm, the gods were necessary for the story although I must admit they really didn’t have a big role (at least most of them)
Solid action flick. The visuals are really quite amazing, especially in IMAX 3D and while the story has been done many times before, I’m always a fan of Greek mythology (even though in this case, it has almost nothing to do with it)
Would have loved to see that in Imax…
While the movie looks decent it’s not continually to the crazy-god standard that Tarsem can do – I’d say get ‘The Fall’ to the top of your pile, I’ve got two reviews on my site if you want any excuse.
Still enjoyed this, although not as much as you. My biggest problem was the “let’s make it as close to the 300 as possible without getting sued” vibe it gave off. Still, looking forward to Mirror Mirror in March though!
I will try to see The Fall as soon as I can!
It’s clearly no 300 and there are similarities, but the fights were just as cool 🙂
Interesting. After all the flack the film got on cinema release I am glad to see you like it. This means I will probably like it too!!
Nicely done sir
Hope you will be able to watch it Scott!
The fact that this film has awesome visuals, which is undeniable, is not enough for me to respect it as a piece of art. It’s like putting a bunch of very capable computer geeks together in one room to come up with some stunning CGI and great rendered environments. I feel their efforts are better spent at making a great video game, which does not need the level of storytelling that a film does. I would have liked to see all of this effort coupled with a great story that does not fall for every cliche in the book. Another film you mention “The Cell” suffers a similar faith but, in that case, there is a bit more to the story and the performance by Vincent D’Onofrio is one of the creepiest ever put on film.
I did include a small review of the film in my blog. Feel free to check it out by following this link (I gave it a 2.5 out of 5):
http://niels85.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/1-minute-reviews-moneyball-horrible-bosses-matchpoint-immortals-like-crazy-and-more/
Interesting thoughts, although I’m not sure it would reach the visual level of this though. It’s clear that the director is responsible for its unique look. Just read your review and the dialogue didn’t bother me.
Yay, I’m glad you still appreciate this movie for what it is, Nostra. The script could be a lot better but I think it’s still got enough going for it to be entertaining and the visuals definitely did not disappoint! I really like Henry as the lead too, he’s got screen charisma needed to play a hero which should help with Man of Steel.
The Fall is fantastic, it’s really quirky in terms of storytelling but emotionally it’s far more than what Immortals could offer, especially between the lead actor and the little girl.
Haven’t read anything about the Man of Steel, but interested to see him in it.
Pretty awful. By that I mean I thought it was awful, but it sure looked pretty. I really like Tarsen’s visuals (I ADORE The Fall), but I suppose he’s a bit hamstrung in what subject matter best fits his unique style. Not a disaster by any means, but not one I’ll watch again.
I could obviously watch it again, but can understand why people don’t like it. Shame you didn’t.
a great film full of visuals. I enjoyed it. and while parts may end up forgettable, the action and style def makes up for it.
Great review. Glad you liked it.
and don’t worry….The Fall is still on my list as well.
Hahaha, maybe we should do a joined review T?
I’m game for that Nostra. Let me know!
Cool, I’ll let you know when I’ve got time to sit down for it and see it and after this I’m sure we can come up with an original form to do a joined review. Looking forward to it!