Immortals

[Zeitgeist]

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Early on I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that this would be terrible. It got much better though as it went on. The Greek myths are a great love of mine, and I have a very much preconceived notion of what the gods should look like. Athena should be tall and regal like a queen, not soft and willowy. Zeus should appear as an older man, with a great beard, barrel chested, not young, or at least just a few span of years older than his 'children'.

All in all though I liked it. Mickey Rourke is my go to villain, he's always fantastic!

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Oh, and the scene with the Oracle's sisters being cooked in the cast iron bull? That, that was horrific! I knew before it was tipped over and opened what was in there, and even still I was shocked. Anyone not expecting that had to be blown away.

[Capone]

MovieBob gave it overall positive ratings on The Escapist, so a friend of mine and I plan to check it out. My first thought of the trailers was that it'd be 300 meets Clash of the Titans, and perhaps be an even better Clash of the Titans than, well, Clash of the Titans.

I'm usually not one for excessive gore, though. I don't mind it, but his description sounded as if this may be hitting my limit in terms of brutality, depending on how it's done. I started to squirm a bit when bodies and limbs and people were flying to and fro towards the end of Daybreakers.

You know. That scene. With the blood. Everywhere.

[Zeitgeist]

MovieBob gave it overall positive ratings on The Escapist, so a friend of mine and I plan to check it out. My first thought of the trailers was that it'd be 300 meets Clash of the Titans, and perhaps be an even better Clash of the Titans than, well, Clash of the Titans.

I'm usually not one for excessive gore, though. I don't mind it, but his description sounded as if this may be hitting my limit in terms of brutality, depending on how it's done. I started to squirm a bit when bodies and limbs and people were flying to and fro towards the end of Daybreakers.

You know. That scene. With the blood. Everywhere.

It is bloody, but no more than 300, not markedly. The story seems vague and disjointed at first, but firms up the more you get into it. It could have been much worse, and it could have also been much better, IMHO.

[Aiden]

Movie was pretty wicked, Rourke was amazing. So much I plan on using him as my villain to a Greek/Roman based group game I run here on E.

[Zeitgeist]

Movie was pretty wicked, Rourke was amazing. So much I plan on using him as my villain to a Greek/Roman based group game I run here on E.

For sure, he's all kinds of awesome wicked. Great villain. That brazen bull, wow. Macabre.

[Aiden]

The worst scene of the movie...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

When King Hyperion has the traitor sterilized...
Every guy in that theater crossed their legs and let out a collective cringe

[Capone]

Just got back from seeing it. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's nice to see an action film where you can actually tell what's going on because the camera is steady, it is placed and moved with purpose and precision (as in, real cinematography), and the choreography isn't the most fake looking jujitsu.

I liked it.

[Jag]

The worst scene of the movie...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

When King Hyperion has the traitor sterilized...
Every guy in that theater crossed their legs and let out a collective cringe

Even better is when King Hyperion gives the guy a walnut towards the end. I saw that little smirk on his face as he gave it to him. I turned to my friend and said, "Well, he must have done something good to earn a nut back."

Overall, awesome movie. Highly recommend it.

[Zeitgeist]

Michi, Capone, and Aiden (Or anyone else who wants to chime in): Did you find the imagining of the different gods/goddesses on the mark? It is difficult to imagine such symbolic entities or mythology, but I wasn't much impressed with them. Athena for one I thought seemed far too soft, even meek.

[Jag]

I liked the way the Gods looked. They looked regal. Athena might have seemed soft, but she was one of the last...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

...of the gods to get killed. She fought pretty damn hard.

I loved the costumes for the Gods. I did notice, though, that their 'powers' weren't that godly. Other than Poseidon and Ares, none of them really displayed much more than super strength and speed. I would have liked to see more of the Gods. I think the final fight shows Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Apollo, and Heracles. It would have been nice to see someone like Hermes, Hephaestus, or Aphrodite involved.

[Capone]

Michi, Capone, and Aiden (Or anyone else who wants to chime in): Did you find the imagining of the different gods/goddesses on the mark? It is difficult to imagine such symbolic entities or mythology, but I wasn't much impressed with them. Athena for one I thought seemed far too soft, even meek.

I actually found it rather humorous, as the Gods presented in the film were all, for the most part, good. As such, they were highly inaccurate as the Greek Gods were all mostly vain, prideful, scheming and back-stabbing sons of bitches. It's like high school, only with greatly immortal beings. The ancient Gods were always fighting and bickering, and somehow humans always got caught up in the middle.

Here, the Gods were definitely represented in a much more noble light. But, considering the film was retelling the story of Theseus in a different manner than the myth tells it, I figure I can let it slide. Besides, it was entertaining.

I'm still impressed by the cast in this film. They didn't really have anyone that stood out as "zomg amazing actor" for the masses, but they had Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, Lance Hendrickson (I'm pretty sure, at least. He was the guy at the end who lost his head), the dude who played Leto Atreides in the Children of Dune mini-series, and the actor for Theseus is going to be the next Superman. So yeah, pretty decent cast of actors.

[Zeitgeist]

Yeah I'm kind of with you Capone, even if it was ultimately enjoyable. There were great artistic licenses took with the Greek Myths, principally the Eprius Bow, which was a complete fabrication; not something drawn from established myth.

And Zeus? Far too young looking. I get it though, the intention was to contrast these young Olympian deities to the dark and fearsome Titans. In that they accomplished their goal. 

[Capone]

I have no problem re-imagining the age of the Gods, truth told. The primary reason we imagine Gods like Zeus to be old is because, well, he's an old God and he has fathered other Gods and Goddesses. Therefore, he must naturally be old, right?

But why would an immortal being become old? In addition, a lot of Greek art used actual rules and calculations to depict the human form, creating a "perfect body". Why wouldn't the Gods, in contrast, always have the perfect sort of form? So casting young actors in the role of the different Gods didn't quite bother me.

Plus, I'm pretty much a fan of the guy who played Zeus. He keeps getting roles that appeal to my geeky heart and he executes them well. Leto Atreides in Children of Dune, Mr. Tumnus in Narnia, Professor Xavier in X-Men: First Class...yeah, he's good in my book.

[Jag]

Plus, I'm pretty much a fan of the guy who played Zeus. He keeps getting roles that appeal to my geeky heart and he executes them well. Leto Atreides in Children of Dune, Mr. Tumnus in Narnia, Professor Xavier in X-Men: First Class...yeah, he's good in my book.

Luke Evans (Zeus) wasn't in X-Men First Class, but he was in Clash of the Titans. James McAvoy played Xavier in First Class. They do look a lot alike though, but I thought it was Orlando Bloom at first. It looked a lot like him in Troy. :P

[Capone]

Luke Evans (Zeus) wasn't in X-Men First Class, but he was in Clash of the Titans. James McAvoy played Xavier in First Class. They do look a lot alike though, but I thought it was Orlando Bloom at first. It looked a lot like him in Troy. :P

Are you serious? Holy crap, they look like clones when you compare his role as Zeus. Even sounded like him, unless I was just convinced it was the same actor. Which is funny, as any other photo of him looks nothing like McAvoy.

Don't I feel a fool, now.

[Belle33]

Oh crap - make that two fools.  I thought they were one and the same.  Had to google Wanted to see which of the two starred in that one. 

This reminds me of Michael Fassbender and Jon Hamm - I thought they were the same guy before I actually read the credits of Inglorious Basterds.

Michael and Jon

[Kendra]

I have to say I loved the movie. I didn't mind at all how the gods were portrayed visually, thought pretty much as Capone did, if a god why appear old? I guess I was more let down by the state of the Titans. I wanted big, I wanted awesome and all I got were charred grey looking guys. In the box there seemed to be just a set amount but yet no matter how many of them the gods slew there were just more and more and more. I did want to see more of their abilities / powers though. Poseidon diving down into the sea was so cool and I thought for sure that we were going to have some of the gods show off like that through out but was left disappointed when Zeus killed Ares. I mean the god of War!! I was expecting to see something awesome from him but nada ... that was disappointing.

The oracles in the bull made me gasp a little alright, when the monk ran down the slope towards it I seriously wasn't expecting that. It was only when the virgin oracle got close to it and realised what was in there that I went 'OH crap!'

The fighting was brilliantly executed, awesomely choreographed. The costumes were awesome and I totally loved Hyperions army looking like orcs. Joseph Morgan played a great part, I really did like him as the traitor and flinched when he got his balls rammed back inside of himself - the collective groan of 'ouch' was heard through the room and I have to say some sadistic woman giggled or maybe it was a eunuch  ;D

No one would have won any awards for their acting skills, the only one to  truly stand out for me was Mickey Rourke but he is larger than life any how and John Hurt is always good no matter what small part he plays in anything.

I mistook Evans for McAvoy at the beginning as well but copped by mid movie that it most definitely wasn't spiderman lol waited for the credits to make sure though.
OMG Belle - now those two I could never mistake - Jon Hamm is good looking with a retro vibe but Michael Fassbender is just HOT! He gets a royal 'squeee' from me no matter what he's in ;)   ;D

[Capone]

In the box there seemed to be just a set amount but yet no matter how many of them the gods slew there were just more and more and more.

There was a shot of the box interior at one point, a hole in the floor of it where more Titans began crawling from. It was easy to miss, though.

[Kendra]

Must of been opening my chocolate m&m's then  ;D

[Jacqueline]

Sorry to disagree but I watched this movie yesterday night and I found it rather terrible. It is way too violent and gory and with a very confusing and boring storytelling. The good thing is that I will forget it in no time!

[Capone]

Maybe part of it is that I checked MovieBob's review first, and as such went into it thinking of it as an action film. In that regard, it's really good, even the attempts at characterization. That doesn't mean it's perfect in every way, but the main draw of an action film is the action first.

And in that regard, I was left pleased! :D

But, if I went in expecting something different, then I might not have been so happy.

[Jacqueline]

Yes... that makes sense. You go to cinema expecting something and you leave disappointed. And when you go to the cinema not expecting much, sometimes, you think that it was good enough. I didn't expect much of this one but what little I expected was totally not what I watched!

I hope that I'm making sense!

At least I was invited, almost forced I swear, to watch it and didn't pay anything, so that's a good thing!

[Jag]

So...when Ares came down and kicked that guy in the chest, did anyone else want to yell "This. Is. Sparta!" or was that just me? >.>

[Capone]

I'm a pretentious bastard, so once Internet memes reach a certain point I do my best to delete them from my brain.

Unfortunately, while "The Cake is a Lie" is uttered all the time as if it's somehow still funny, it has yet to be used in mainstream entertainment. So it has not yet joined the status of things like This Is Sparta and The Rick Roll. Judging by Sprint commercials, though, I'm already waaaaay over Nyan Cat (not that I got it to begin with).