Krieg der Götter

I went into this movie expecting it to resemble another 300, or another Clash of the Titans, and while it was a mix of the two, Immortals far exceeded my expectations. Mickey Rourke was, as usual, an amazing villain, playing the role so well that I never thought back to different roles he's played in the past to compare them, because there is no comparison. Henry Cavill played Theseus like a boss, and was the perfect actor for this movie. Don't make the mistake of comparing this movie to other Greek Mythology flicks, because Immortals is in a category of its own. Go check it out when it debuts nationally, you will not be disappointed!

When I first saw the trailer to this movie I thought it would be a lame movie that has mythological elements in it like the recent "Clash of the Titans" movie. But this movie I gotta admit is much better with the direction and the gory and bloodiness of it all. The movie is brutal like how mythological movies like this should be. The story isn't anything amazing or anything like that but the cinematography, the violence and the mythological powers that is portrayed in this movie makes it worth a watch. The parts where the gods comes down to intervene or just fight is very cool to watch and is some of the most entertaining parts of the movie. If the story was good as some of the sequences in this movie this could have easily been a must see movie of 2011. But still it's a entertaining flick that I didn't regret forking over few bucks to see in theater.

7.4/10

"The gods may be on your side, but tomorrow, I unleash the Titans."

With eternally-youthful, barely dressed gods thundering down from the heavens like golden super heroes, and really no connection to the myth of Theseus other than names and a vaguely minotaur-like enemy, Immortals plays fast and loose with Greek mythology. But in some ways, it works. 

The battle scenes are bloody and well-staged (and obviously influenced by 300), but the movie would have been improved by making them more frequent. This is a dark, violent flick and it's easily at its best when carnage covers the screen. 

The story serves, but it's pretty forgettable. Theseus, a peasant unknowingly trained in battle by Zeus himself, must stand against a vicious king who the gods are unable to touch and keep him from releasing the dreaded Titans. I don't predict many awards for best screenplay in Immortals' future, but there's enough story to keep the characters moving and motivated, as long as you don't think about it too hard.  

Despite the influence of 300 in the heavy use of slow-motion in the action scenes, Immortals has its own look and tone that helps it stand apart. Both the sets and the characters are visually memorable, and the movie never sinks to the generically dull depths of the recent Clash of the Titans remake, even during its slower moments.

Immortals never really rises above "decent", and won't topple 300 as the recent king of the genre, but it does manage to have an exciting, epic feel to it and it's entertaining enough to be worth a watch for fans of blood-soaked sword and sandals flicks. In the end it boils down to a bombastic orgy of killing with little substance behind it, but hey, that's actually kind of alright with me. 

Oh, and if you're somehow unfamiliar with how exquisitely gorgeous Freida Pinto is, prepare to have your eyes opened. In a movie full of beautiful people, she still stands out.

This film certainly has its flaws. Weak character development is the main one, but it's not nonexistent. The film's atmosphere and graphic bloodshed/torture is disturbing and captivating, accurately portraying what most people imagine of Greeks fighting. The story is interesting, definitely not accurately following the mythology but creating an alternate universe with the same characters. The direction, acting, and effects were all well done. Everyone who was present at the midnight showing thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not a perfect film, but it is undeniably enjoyable and much better than other similarly themed movies that have been made recently.

If you go to this looking for an accurate representation of Greek mythology, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you go to this looking for a decent, nice looking, 300-type action film you'll enjoy it. As someone who knows a bit about classical mythology I can choose to be unbelievably annoyed by them using it as a reference for this film, as it's ridiculously inaccurate, but I'm not.

Leave your smarts/knowledge at the door, enjoy the pretty action and people, the brutal violence and Freida Pinto in the buff, and you'll hopefully feel that you got your money's worth.

That's about it.