There are a lot of haters out there for The Expendables, which I don’t understand. Out of any movie franchise out there right now, it clearly knows what kind of movie it wants to make, and packs it full of the actors who are going to do that well. It was a star-studded action movie that provided action and stars. Great success. So believe me when I tell you how excited I am for the second one. The cast list has expanded to include almost every possible action star from the 80’s on including some new faces and a hell of a lot more action.
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Grizzly Review: Immortals
I’m not the only one who sensed a little bit of homo eroticism in 300 right? I mean, I can’t be the only one who thought that men jumping around in a cup and a cape is just a little indulgent, right? Don’t get me wrong, 300 is an awesome movie, it’s just an observation.
Much like 300, the new Greek mythology action flick, Immortals, offers us men with barely any clothes on who are pretty much ripped. Immortals, which is about a peasant named Theseus who ends up leading a small army against the much larger army of King Hyperion, the man who killed his mother.
I’ll be honest, Immortals really isn’t a film packed with great plotting, but it doesn’t have to be. It offers us the right amount of story, a good amount of action, and enough characterization to make us care about what happens to our heroes and heroines. It’s an old school action flick with state of the art effects and top-notch fight choreography.
Henry Cavill, who plays Theseus, gives a more than acceptable performance, and has a very bright future in action films, with his next role being Superman in the upcoming film Man of Steel. Mickey Rourke also gives it his all as King Hyperion, a truly evil man. Stephen Dorff has an important and frankly awesome supporting role as Stavros, a fast-talking slave who helps Theseus and his band of Greek slaves break free. Frieda Pinto plays the ridiculously gorgeous Phaedra, the virgin Oracle who is also freed by Stavros and Theseus.
Above all the acting, plotting, and writing, though, are the visuals. Tarsem Singh, the director of Immortals, makes the film look perfect, and shoots some of the most gorgeous action sequences that you’ll probably ever see in a movie. Decapitations and disembowelments never looked so good. The visual effects are seamlessly intertwined with the real sets to create a truly breathtaking amount of scenery.
If Immortals has one thing going for it besides its visuals, it’s the action. The build-up to the final 35 minute epic battle is classic, familiar, but at the same time fresh and inviting. The action is leveled out very well between all the characters, giving each one a good amount of brawling to do. Out of all the exceptional sequences, though, one stands out from all of them; the fight between the Gods and the Titans, which are the Greek mythology equivalent of zombies, except zombies never kicked ass like the Titans.
For those of you saying, “Oh, it’s not historically accurate”, or “That’s not what the original myth was about.” All I can say is, I don’t care at all. Immortals is creative, beautiful, brutal, violent, and intriguing in its ability to tell a story through the simple sweep of a knife. It’s the most unpretentious movie of the year, and also the coolest looking one. How audiences did not embrace this more, I’ll never know. It out-300s, 300, which is saying a lot considering the bad-assery that was 300. Do yourself a favor, go veg out with Immortals. It’s not meant to be taken too seriously, and it really is just a good time at the theater.
4/5 Bears
More News on THE EXPENDABLES 2 – Jet Li and Tom Arnold?
As my dear friend Darth Saeris informed us quite recently, Willis and Schwarzenegger are not only coming back for the Expendables sequel, but they are going to have much larger roles. He also told us that Jet Li would not be returning, and there were rumors that Donnie Yen (Ip Man) would replace him, but that now appears as though Jet Li might appear after all, just in a smaller capacity. And that’s good news. Not because I don’t like Yen, who I actually have the utmost respect for, but because – though sorely underused in the first movie – Li was my favorite character. In addition to Li, it seems Schwarzenegger’s True Lies co-star Tom Arnold might also be popping up, no doubt as comic relief. There is no conformation there yet, but Movieweb recently posted a video where Arnold says he was sent a script by Sly and wants to be involved. In addition to doing True Lies with Schwarzenegger, Arnold also worked with Jet Li before in Cradle 2 The Grave.
The basic plot is as follows:
Plot: After Tool (Mickey Rourke) is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They’re not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a ruthless dictator plotting to destroy a resistance movement. Now Barney (Sylvester Stallone) and the Expendables must risk everything to save her and humanity.
Van Damme is rumored to play a former colleague, who becomes the villain in the film. He’ll be completely covered in tattoos and have his own gang of mercenaries. Adkins is in talks to play one of the mercenaries.
The additions of Chuck Norris and Van Damme to the cast seem only logical. The big surprise is that they weren’t in the first one…
No word yet as to if Veronica Mars alum Cordelia Chase Charisma Carpenter will return. But my guess is no…
New Trailer: ‘Immortals’
If you have by happenstance ever wondered what the movies 300 and Clash of the Titans (2010) would look like mashed together, then it would appear that The Immortals will show us.
Here is a plot description before you dive into the movie trailer:
Years after the Titanomachy, the Titan Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) declares war on humanity. He searches for the Epirus Bow, a legendary weapon created by the war god Ares, which will allow him to free the rest of the Titans from Tartarus and take revenge on the Olympians who brought about their downfall. In accordance with ancient laws, the gods are unable to take a side in the war between Hyperion and humanity. It is left to a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill), chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans) and accompanied by the priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and a slave (Stephen Dorff), to protect his homeland and save the gods.
For me this movie will serve two purposes:
The first is to be a popcorn action flick, keep me entertained for a couple hours, then I can leave the theater and forget it entirely while I wait for Clash of the Titans 2 so the process can repeat itself.
The second purpose would be so I can see Henry Cavill in something that will help clarify how good or bad of an actor he is before Man of Steel comes out. I’ve only ever seen Cavill in the Count of Monte Cristo as Albert, the son of Count Montego. He was fine in the role, but I need to see him in something like Immortals before I can accept him as a possible successor to the Last Son of Krypton.
The movie seems to have a decent supporting cast. Mickey Rourke looks fittingly hardcore and evil as Hyperion, wearing what almost looks like a Vega mask in parts of the trailer. Also, up and comer Freida Pinto plays Phaedra, probably one of the only female roles in the movie that will matter. She will be appearing in this movie fresh off of her involvment from the potential heavy hitter Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
I will be seeing this movie when it comes out on November 11th, 2011…. wait! 11-11-11? How could the movie not be awesome!
Grizzly Bomb 