Business rating: 1.5 / 5 stars
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Star cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Stephen Dorff.
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What’s Bad: The rather boring first half; the lack of emotions.
Verdict: Immortals is only for action-lovers and it’ll not do much at the Indian box-office.
Loo break: None.
Watch or Not?: Watch Immortals if you are a fan of action flicks.
Relativity Media’s Immortals is the story of a peasant-warrior’s fight against an evil king who wants to unleash terror upon medieval Greece by releasing Gods’ enemies, the Titans.
Theseus (Henry Cavill) is a peasant. His mother is God-fearing and wants him to get married soon. But Theseus, who has been trained to be a courageous warrior by an old man (John Hurt) in his village, is a non-believer.
On the other hand, the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) is raiding village after village in Greece, looking for the secret location of the Titans – Gods’ enemies who have been locked up inside a mountain – for, the Titans will then help him rule with unlimited power. Hyperion, who leads a large and ruthless army of well-trained humans, is also hunting down the virgin Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), who can tell him where a powerful bow is hidden.
It is revealed that the old man trainer is actually Zeus (Luke Evans), the God, in disguise, who has come down to earth in human form to train Theseus to fight against king Hyperion. The audience is also told that the Gods are not allowed to break the law that they cannot interfere in life on Earth.
Soon, Hyperion’s army invades Phaedra’s monastery, and Phaedra and the other Oracles are forced to flee. However, they are soon captured by Hyperion’s men. Hyperion also invades Theseus’ village and kills his mother in front of Theseus, and then holds the young peasant captive as a slave. So, Phaedra and Theseus finally meet as captives. Phaedra foresees Theseus’ future and she decides to save him. From here, Phaedra, Theseus and other men (all of who have escaped) cross paths with Hyperion’s soldiers as they go back to Theseus’ village (to bury his mother). At the village, Theseus also finds the powerful bow, using which he is able to resist Hyperion’s soldiers.
However, the bow is taken away by Hyperion’s men from Theseus when he visits Phaedra’s captured monastery. When Theseus is under grave danger and just about to be killed by Hyperion’s soldiers, one of the Gods appears, and saves Theseus. Zeus, the God who had forbidden any such interference on Earth, comes down and kills the errant God. He tells Theseus that he is on his own from now, against the mighty Hyperion, who, with the powerful bow, and his huge army, is about to break into the mountain which holds the Titans (enemies of the Gods). What happens next? Is Theseus able to do what has been foreseen by Phaedra for him? Or does he join hands with Hyperion? Is Greece able to hold its own against Hyperion’s army? Or does it accept defeat? Is Hyperion able to unleash the Titans? The rest of the film and the climax reveal the rest.
First and foremost, it must be said that Immortals is a good attempt because of its unprecedented scale. The canvas of the film, the locations, the action sequences are all very grand. However, the screenplay, written by Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, leaves a lot to be desired. Once the audience is made aware of the basic plot of the story, there isn’t much to look forward to. The narrative spirals into the climax in a predictable manner and although the myriad action sequences and fights towards the end are quiet magnificent and entertaining, there is little else that works. For instance, the chemistry between Theseus and Phaedra, and the angle of the revenge that Theseus seeks for his mother’s murder do not work. Besides this and the slow pace of the first half, there are a few loopholes in the narrative – why is Hyperion, who has been looking for Phaedra and the bow, suddenly decide on focusing his energies on the Titans?; why do the Titans do not flee when they have a chance to do so in the climax?; and some more.
However, the film’s concluding reels do make for an engaging watch, with many well-executed and well-choreographed action sequences. The scene where Theseus takes control of the army after he confronts Hyperion is also very good. So is the last scene of the film, where the Gods and the Titans are shown to be fighting in the heavens. The dialogues are alright.
Henry Cavill looks the part and does a competent job but his character, in the end, does not come across as very heroic. He is very good in the action sequences. Mickey Rourke is his usual self and inspires spite from the audience. Freida Pinto adds little value. Luke Evans is alright. John Hurt is remarkable in a bit role. Stephen Dorff ( as Stavros) and the others support well.
Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s direction is appropriate but he fails in making the film a fast-paced action drama as the first half is rather boring. He also focusses on too many tracks, ultimately confusing the audience about what the film is really about – a son’s revenge; Hyperion’s quest; or about Gods versus the Titans? Trevor Morris’ background score is effective. Brendan Galvin’s cinematography is of an excellent standard. Certain sequences are a delight to watch. The visual effects and the action choreography are top-notch and thrill the audience. Editing, by Wyatt Jones and Stuart Levy, could have been a lot sharper.
On the whole, Immortals is an average fare at best which will find some favour with fans of action films only. It will do below-average business at the Indian box-office.
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