Judging just by the trailer, Immortals would appear to be a simple rip off of 300 with it’s classic Greek heroics, ultra slow motion carnage and hyper stylised reality. It turns out it has more in common with Clash Of The Titans since it uses the Greek Mythology (with Gods, Mortals and Titans doing battle) than it does 300 with an enraged Spartan King going berserkoid.
Directed by cinema auteur Tarsem Singh, the film is designed within an inch of its life. Like the works of Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam or Henry Sellik the moment you see Tarsem’s films you know exactly who’s made it. There’s a stately theatricality to the look and tone of the film as if it’s a respected classic being performed in a stage production. There’s a ‘fakeness’ to the production design which always threatens to pull you out of the movie, but the narrative is strong enough and the dialogue delivered with such earnest gravitas, that suspension of disbelief kicks back in immediately. It's a delicate balance though...the film is humourless and the dialogue itself clunky...but the weird historical reality remains convincing throughout.
Henry Cavill proves to be a strong leading man and bodes well for the Superman reboot in which he'll star as Kal-El. He's got both the physical presence and a quiet, confident charisma that puts him legitimately on the Hollywood Young Leading Man A-List that the likes of Cooper, Worthington, Tatum, Pattinson and Wahlberg should be excluded from. The supporting cast is equally solid with John Hurt, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas and Stephen Dorff (great to see him back in big budget stuff) while Frieda Pinto is outrageously beautiful to the point of distraction. Micky Rourke dominates the film as villain Hyperion with his laid back sadistic performance that's the best thing he's done since he was Oscar nominated.
Not as good as 300 but still pretty engrossing, Immortals tells the classic Greek mythology with style and conviction in a manner that's utterly unique.
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