From the producers of 300 comes....well....300...Two? 301? What comes next? Whatever. It's better. And I don't say that lightly. I saw 300 in theaters about 6 times. Granted I had plenty of ins at my local cinemaplex so I didn't have to pay for most of my viewings but my point is, I was REALLY into 300. And it's been ousted. Immortals comes on the scene boasting an R rating but not much else. At least to the untrained eye. The trailers showed off a lot of the film's visual beauty (a trademark of helmer Tarsem) but very little violence is promised in the previews. That was the first mistake the marketing folks decided to make.
This movie is violent. Really violent. Granted most of it is digital blood and guts but since 95% of the flick is digital anyway, it doesn't ever stand out or seem wrong. In fact, Tarsem has managed to make a very digital film and still manages to fit in a ton of the incredible art direction that make his films worth watching. There's plenty of crazy set pieces and insane costumes to beat the band. The Gods' outfits in particular would make fashionistas around the world drop to their knees in anguish. Not because they're bad but because Tarsem fuckin pulled it off. He pulled off solid gold costumes.
The Gods are responsible for most of the over the top wardrobe. But thats okay. Their overdramatic demeanor and fuckin ridiculous combat skills allow them to dress a tad nutty. It ends up just making them even cooler once you reach the point in the film where you see what they can do.
Now I threw babes in the title which is a little misleading. This isn't a Zak Snyder film we're talking about. But come on. If you're going to cast an oracle in a movie like this it'd better be Freida Pinto. She's easily one of the most beautiful human beings walking the Earth and so Tarsem shows off that he knows his audience. When everybody (and by that I mean men) watches this movie they're fairly swept up in the action. And when thats not happening, what should they be paying attention to? The story? Yeah okay. No. You pay attention to Freida. And you're fine with the fact that she isn't stabbing people or even running around topless. It doesn't matter. Her friggin face is quite enough. Anymore and men watching might overload from her angelic presence.
At the end of the day this movie wouldn't be a movie without 300 coming first. Much of the styles are incredibly similar. That said, I really do believe Tarsem took what 300 did well and copied it. And what it didn't do well, he improved. It's not a perfect movie. It's got plenty of dumb things happening for that kind of label. But it is incredibly enjoyable. And with all the ways to spend 12 dollars these days, why not spend it on something that'll leave you grinning all the way home?
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