Immortals is a film I want to like. Visually, it looks very appealing and the whole stylized violence aspect looks like it’s going to be quite similar to 300, which I really enjoyed. That being said, there are a few things that have me hesitant.
In this new trailer, a voiceover explains what looks to be a confusing plot and of course, there’s plenty of eye candy as well. It gives us a better look at the film but I still feel the same way.
Director Tarsem Singh has proven with The Cell and The Fall that he has a distinct visual style and Immortals looks to be no different. And really, that’s the most appealing part of the film, Singh’s involvement.
Aside from that though, I’m not too impressed. The crazy visuals, epic battles and slow-motion action all look a bit too corny and hokey. It also looks like Singh is seriously close to overkill here, almost every shot is highly stylized and it may be too much for the viewer. As much as I enjoyed 300, I started to feel the same way, that it was close to being overkill.
As for the trailer itself, I just didn’t enjoy it all that much. Check out the scene at the 23 second mark, that just looks plain silly. What about Mickey Rourke’s delivery of “I will end the reign of the Gods” at the 47 second mark? Can you actually take him seriously? And as cool as that move at the 2 minute mark is, do you not feel that maybe it’s just a bit too much?
Immortals looks like 300 on crack, and that’s really saying something. The post-conversion 3D may ultimately kill it but I think there are other things to be worried about here.
Immortals opens on November 11th, 2011.
Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders–including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff) — one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend.