Review of Immortals (2011) by Anonymous-V — 13 Nov 2011

I loved this movie. Not because it was without flaws. I'm a huge fan of the Hellenics. I do agree with many of the criticisms however. This movie doesn't explore the rich fantasy side of Greek mythology.

But in a lot of ways, it's very faithful to Greek myths in terms of structure. To make the most out of the movie, it does help to know about some informational aspects because the film does a poor job at elaborating.

There were details that were left to be inferred, like the values of burying the dead, the values of immortality, and the bull torture device (historically real). Those were all true to the Hellenic Greeks.

Narratively, there were "plot holes". It's common in myths to not explain everything. Sometimes things just happen. I'm not saying the that story doesn't make sense, but there are moments that lack clear transition.

Like classic Greek myths, the movie has superficial story telling. There isn't much if any character exploration or engagement. However, the classical themes of tragedy, heroism, fate, faith, and immortality are there.

I accept these "faults" in terms of the format of myths. Myths don't have deep characterization or heavy drama. They are told quite directly. Although it may seem empty in regards to modern story telling, the story is faithful to the classic Greek hero tradition.

There were some mildly questionable acting. Cavill thankfully gave a solid performance. I was worried especially since he's lined up to be the next Superman. I understood everything Rourke was saying, but I can understand if his mumbling gets annoying.

I interpreted it to reveal how his character felt forsaken. His rage was masking his bitterness and depression. All of his actions were essentially trying to wave the finger at the gods for letting him down.

The ladies in the movie were generally stoic, but life was tougher then and the story only allowed one emotional scene for Pinto's character. The direction by Tarsem was quite spectacular. It's already widely agreed that the movie is visually amazing.

The action is just as amazing and definitely pays off in the end. It's not all slo-mo or over stylized. Tarsem made human fights intense and in real-time which contrasted to the power of the Gods who were shot in slo-mo and had stunning, acrobatic movement.

The sound effects were dramatically phenomenal. They gave real dimension to the visuals. Speaking of the visuals, they weren't all eye candy. The slow, panning close-ups of the labyrinth's walls really gave off the dizzying confusion of being in a maze.

In fact, there were several very visceral scenes where you're made to feel exactly what was happening. Your ears ring; your eyes get blurry. The most interesting aspect of Immortals for me was the blend of realism and mythology.

It plays on how myths may have been conceived. The movie is told visually as myth, within a reality, within a myth. I'll explain. Theseus's world is meant to be real, and in his world there are myths of gods who some doubt exists.

Theseus' own story becomes a myth depicted on a statue at the end. The movie itself is a myth and that's why it's theatrically stylized. This interesting approach puts a new spin on the interpretation of gods.

The gods and titans are presumably the same race of super beings. They have the same helmets and abilities. As the movie mentions, "history is decided by the victors", therefore the self-dubbed Gods are considered good.

It's a little jab on the one-sidedness of myths/stories. I enjoyed the interpretation of youthful gods. They weren't necessarily magical beings. They were very human, which is how they are suppose to be.

Even if the story seems uninteresting at times, I think the action and style more than makes up for it. If you're a fan of classic heroes, superheroes, amazing style, gritty action, or looking at hot people, I think you will find the movie enjoyable.

If you're a fan of Hellenic Greek culture, even better. This movie isn't an adaptation. It's a modern myth that takes all its cues from Hellenic stories. It's not an intricate movie story-wise, but there is good film-making going on.

Tarsem's action and visuals provide plenty of entertainment to a fresh interpretation of Greek stories.