Immortals

With their sweeping vistas, badass heroes and affinity for giving face to what lies beyond this life, the swords-and-sandals genre never goes out of style in Hollywood; Ben-Hur, Spartacus and Gladiator are among the classics that come to mind. However, in the new (digital) age of Hollywood, the genre took a decidingly *cough* sharper turn with  Zack Snyder’s 300, an arguably overzealous college student compared to its distinguished predecessors, ready to break down some walls and protest while showing a lot of skin.

It is in the spirit of 300, we turn our sights on Immortals, a visually rich campaign from director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall). Whereas its older brother (and this restyled genre is built on the backs of “bros,” don’t lie) is an all-out action extravaganza from the mind of a 14-year-old boy, Immortals strives to do the same with far more discipline. In this respect, it succeeds in bringing this “stylized” genre one step towards some sense of relevance while just missing a chance to find its own identity.

The film opens on the Virgin Oracle (Frieda Pinto) fortelling that King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) will seek the Epirus Bow in order to release the Titans from their prison under Mount Tartarus where they have been trapped ever since they lost the war with Zeus (Luke Evans) and the other Gods of Olympus. Hyperion seeks the Oracle to show him where the Bow can be found, killing all who get in his way while desecrating houses of worship. All the while, Theseus (Henry Cavill, who may I just say … damn) lives life on the coast under the stigma of a bastard. When word reaches his village of Hyperion’s crusade, he attempts to leave with his mother, but Zeus has bigger plans for the mortal. Unless the Titans get directly involved, Gods are unable to interfere with the affairs of Humanity. Therefore, Theseus inadvertently becomes a hero on behalf of the Olympians and the rest of the world Hyperion swears to destroy.

Thankfully, the script is not as laughably bad as it could have been. And if you’ve seen 300, you know that such a script can go horribly awry. Everyone has a bit part to play, some more than others. Cavill made a smart move in getting his name out there now before his Superman debut. He’s got enough charm and dare I say talent to tackle a leading man role and from the look of his body, he’s certainly not lacking in dedication. The supporting cast is well-rounded and likable with Pinto bringing the tenderness (amongst other things) as the Oracle and Stephen Dorff (Blade) playing a thief who takes up Theseus’ cause as well as all the one-liners.
If anything felt lacking it could be the Olympians, who don’t get much to say but just enough to do. Although it’d seem that the lack of Olympian presence in the bulk of the film was what Singh was aiming for; whenever they do show up it illicites a strong “aw yeah” reaction. When they do show, it is pretty cool, if too quick to appreciate fully.

But if it’s anybody’s show, we’d have to give credit to Mr. Rourke as Hyperion, who clearly thought things over for the role. What could have easily been a scene-chewing part turns out to be an impressively subdued (gasp, you know you’re shocked) performance as a mad king fueled by grief who will use any means to get what he’s after. Even if his wardrobe isn’t nearly as calm (cite Singh’s influence), it’s nice to see a more grounded villain take the stage in such a movie with just enough menace as to drive the conflict forward.

There’s no question that Singh comes from a visual background and it holds up well here. Unlike 300(have we mentioned that film for comparison yet?), whose palate was all over the map, Singh employs (mostly) golds and browns to give the film a greater sense of visual consistency. It’s less jarring to the eye, especially when viewing in 3D, and easier to sell the flick as a moving painting, which in many instances seems to be what the crew is going for.

The action is better than expected, if a little tacked-on towards the end. Theseus is plenty badass and the camera rarely feels lost in the scramble of the fights, which improve in scope as the film progresses. Plus, it’s violent — very violent. But this is not violence in the sense of Drive or even 300 (did it again!); the deaths, maimings, etc. are all graphic but seem to switch from a live-action actor into CGI, which definitely makes the sequences look like a video game. Whether that appeals to the viewer is based on personal opinion, but Singh and Co. still have fun killing CGI soldiers with various weapons coming out of various orifices.

Immortals gets a lot of things right: It’s cast is well chosen and up to the task, its director and crew have a clear visionary flair that doesn’t feel overdone and its action is just enough to satisfy without feeling like we’ve gorged ourselves on some form of action pornography. Still, it just seems to be missing that “step” that sets it apart as its own entity with its own message — entertaining or otherwise. The film has that wonderful painting quality, but lacks the interpretation and meaning that comes with it. Still, it’s a pleasing road to go down on and a welcome entry in the action genre.