Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Immortals Review

I know this one is coming a little late but here it is.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What You Need to Know:  The Immortals is the new action adventure film from director, Tarsem Singh. The story follows the Greek mythological hero, Theseus (played by future Superman, Henry Cavill), as he faces Hyperion (played by Mickey Rourke), an evil dictator seeking to conquer Greece. The film also features Frieda Pinto as the oracle Pheidra and Luke Evans as Zeus.

Technical Stuff: Tarsem Singh has an amazing talent at creating beautiful imagery in his films. Beginning with The Cell (2000) and followed by The Fall (2006), he has been inspired by paintings, and that is evident in The Immortals. Every scene is carefully framed to accentuate the awe and wonder of the environment as well as the scope of the story. While credit should be shared with Director of Photography, Brendan Galvin, a consistency in scope exists in Tarsem's work. The sets also share in amplifying the scale of this epic.

One of Tarsem's mainstays on his crew is costume designer, Eiko Ishioka. Her costume designs are awe-inspiring and exotic. While working within the constricts of the time period, certain costumes allow for character defining traits. For example, while Hyperion's army are all wearing an identical featureless mask modeled after Hyperion's own, his generals have added more to set themselves apart such as the Beast's bull head helm.

I am not a fan of 3D. 9 times out of 10 I will advise against choosing the 3D option, and more often than not that 10th option is animated. Most of the time, it is added as an after thought. Very few live-action films truly utilize it to its fullest potential. The Immortals is not one of these films. Despite being a post-converted film, Tarsem Singh's style of layered compositions and the incredible depth in his framing allows for the 3D to actually be a credible option for your viewing pleasure.

As for the story, this is where the film falls a little short. It is a well told story with interesting turns. However, as was the case with The Fall, story and pacing fall second to the aesthetic. While one can argue film is a visual medium and should thus look good, it also a narrative medium. The pacing suffers in part to the slow motion fight scenes popularized in 300. While Zack Snyder used it well to slow the adrenaline filled fight sequences, Tarsem's use slows down an already plodding pace. There are moments where it is successful. The primary example of this is the gods' fight sequences as it separates them from the human world and their way of fighting.

In Summary: If you are looking for an action movie along the lines of 300, you will not be utterly disappointed. However, it is a different beast. While 300 takes you to war, the Immortals is a struggle. The pacing is different. While I cite it as a fault, I don't think it should be reason to not watch the film. It is a truly well made film. The acting is wonderful. This film gives me confidence in Cavill's ability to play Clark Kent/Superman. The aesthetic is beautiful, and not often seen in films not made by Guillermo del Toro. Even if you wait until home release, you should watch this film!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Another Amazing Trailer

Today, I saw the trailer for the upcoming Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds film Safe House. Check it out.


It looks like an interesting betrayal and intrigue story with some straightforward action scenes. While it would be a cliche twist, I'm a little disappointed that they hint at the betrayal in the trailer. Ryan Reynold's appears to be his same old self in this. He's done this role a few times with slight twists. Denzel is in fine form. In this, he resembles his role in Training Day as the antagonistic mentor. I don't doubt by the end Ryan Reynolds will see eye-to-eye with Denzel's character. It should be a good movie.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Trailers Galore

So today was a day of trailer awesomeness. Three really caught my eye.

21 Jump Street





I was a little disappointed in the fact that 21 Jump Street was tagged as another in the long line of remakes. The original series was out in late 80's when I was just born. The concept never really clicked with me, but this trailer pokes fun at that and endears me to it. I'm curious about more info and trailers about the movie because this makes it look good.

Project X



It's The Hangover meets Super Bad. With a concept that unites two of the most popular comedies of the past five years. It's also done in a "found footage" style, which I think is interesting and works with the setting.

And a non-movie trailer...

Grand Theft Auto V

Unfortunately I can't embed the video properly, so I will link it to Collider.


From the trailer, you definitely get a Goodfellas feel to the Ray Liotta sound-alike. I have mixed feelings about the setting of Los Santos from San Andreas. LA Noire is still fairly fresh in my mind, and so to see another Los Angeles facsimile is a little disappointing. On the other hand, they do make it look good. It also appears as though the map is going to be expanded to include Vinewood (Hollywood), Las Puerte (Santa Monica), Little Seoul (Korea Town) and Downtown. Time and more trailers will tell, but this looks like another strong entry in the GTA franchise.