Film Review: IMMORTALS (2011)

Director: Tarsem Singh
Writers: Charley Parlapanides & Vlas Parlapanides
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Drama/Fantasy
UK Release date: 11^th November 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11^th November 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

The poster proudly boasts “From the makers of 300”; now I quite liked ‘300’ and so I thought I’d give this one a go. Made in the same style with a comic-book look and feel to the visuals it does very much grab you, in the visual sense at least. The trouble with a lot of Greek legends is that there’s an awful lot of back-story to get through before you can relax and enjoy the film. This is no exception; quite a lot of time is taken up with explaining just who is who and who’s a god and why this king wants that etc… It all can be a bit of a hard lump to swallow at the beginning of the film but once you’re past that it’s pretty straightforward stuff.

I must say I did enjoy the visual style of this one, with a large amount of CGI work that is all very well done, it’s a treat for the eye… if a little dark (in the visual sense). The plot is pretty complicated but here’s a very brief (spoiler free – I hope) synopsis: The brutal King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) wants the Epirus Bow, a mythical weapon that will enable him to release the Titans from their prison deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros. A young man, Theseus (Henry Cavill) has vowed vengeance on Hyperion after he murders his mother. A priestess, Phaedra (Freida Pinto) holds the key to the location of the bow but she manages to evade capture and escapes with Theseus. Add to this the gods, led by Zeus (Luke Evans) and a mysterious old man (John Hurt) who has been a friend to Theseus since birth and there, in a nut-shell, you have it.

The performances were all pretty good with Mickey Rourke standing out for me; he has such a great screen presence. A very violent film with plenty of claret on show, which will please all the splatter-fest fans. It’s all very well done but does rely heavily on the CGI to carry the story across. The question is, does the story have enough weight to come across through all the effects? Well, for me, it does… but only just.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (Just)

My score: 5.8/10

IMDb Score: 6.1/10 (based on 83,306 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1253864/

MetaScore: 46/100: (Based on 23 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 35/100 (based on 113 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 49/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 59,712 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/immortals_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Theseus: Stand your ground! Fight for order! Fight for the man beside you! Fight for those who bore you! Fight for your children! Fight for your future! Fight for your name to survive! Fight! For immortality!

Zeus: It's not living as such that's important, Theseus. It's living rightly.

Stavros: Good to see you're still alive. Worried that cow had gotten the best of you.
Theseus: It almost did. She saved my life.
Stavros: Looks like she did more than that.
Phaedra: [Looks down embarrassed]
Theseus: Careful.
Stavros: Just 'cause you have that bow doesn't mean I'm going to treat you any differently.
Theseus: Good. We march to the monastery.
[Turns and starts walking away]
Theseus: We have a war to fight.

Stavros: Hyperion's legions are gathering at Tartarus. That's where Hellenists will fall.
Phaedra: That future's not set.
Stavros: But likely. It'll be a slaughter.
Phaedra: You have no faith.
Dareios: Heathens.
Stavros: That is true, Dareios. But not always. When I was just a boy, I prayed to the Gods, for a horse. The Gods never answered me. So I stole one, instead.
Dareios: We're surrounded by heathens.
[Falls dead with a knife in his back]

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/immortals
Trailer:

Film Review: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) – Re-visited

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Writers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 11^th August 2011

Watched on DVD Wednesday 29^th August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I was totally engrossed by this one when I saw it in the cinema about a year ago. How did it fair this time? Well, maybe not quite the same impact, my TV screen can’t quite match the big one for scale, but it still packs a big punch. I still loved every minute of it and have no problem in recommending it to everyone. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Will Rodman is a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s. He is very driven in his work because his father, Charles, suffers from the disease. It affects the brain and so Will’s work revolves around a gene therapy that can re-connect pathways in the brain. They test it out on Chimpanzees and one of them, Bright Eyes, shows exceptional promise. Just as Will and his boss, Steven Jacobs, are asking for funding, Bright Eyes goes crazy and has to be shot. Jacobs orders all the apes put down, but they find that Bright Eyes had had a baby. Will takes him home and discovers that the effects of the drug have been passed on. They call the baby Caesar and, with the help of a primate expert, Caroline Aranha, he eventually grows big and strong. Will gives the drug to his father and, at first, it works but then the effects wear off. He discovers what was wrong and develops a stronger version of the drug. After an incident with a neighbour, Caesar is ordered to be put in a sanctuary, away from the public. It is here that he comes into his own and it is here, under the mistreatment of his handlers, John and Dodge Landon that sparks the beginnings of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I can’t say any more or the Spoiler Police will have me put in a cage next to Caesar.

The CGI in this film is truly stunning, and although you know most of it is computer generated, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. As far as performances go, well, for me, the star was definitely Andy Serkis who did the vast majority of the motion-capture work for Caesar, a really stunning performance. As far as the humans go, well, James Franco did a decent job as Will Rodman, as did Freida Pinto as Caroline Aranha, although I felt her character was never fully developed and consequently she was woefully underused. John Lithgow was excellent as Will’s father, Charles and Brian Cox was suitably sleazy as John Landon. Tom Felton did a good job as the evil handler, Dodge Landon and David Oyelowo was Will’s boss, Steven Jacobs.

I loved every minute of this film and I really hope any sequels that are made keep to the same standard. If I have one criticism, it’s that the human characters are not particularly well developed. I can forgive that to a large extent because it forces the audience to see things from Caesar’s perspective. There are plenty of references and nods to the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston (something to look out for). Certainly one of my favourite films of 2011 and I see nothing here to change my view. I have given it a slightly lower score than after my first viewing, mainly because the film does loose a little of its impact when scaled down for the small screen. Even so, well worth a look for any fan of the ‘Apes’ films and even those that haven’t seen them.

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My score: 8.8/10

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 176,850 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/

MetaScore: 68/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83/100 (based on 240 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 87/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 85,827 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes/

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Robert Franklin: [administering chimp intelligence test] Okay, okay. Here you go. And let's go again.
[gives Bright Eyes treat and clocks timer]
Will Rodman: Which one's this? Number nine?
Robert Franklin: Yeah, this is number nine. Bright Eyes, we call her. Are you watching this? This is unbelievable.
[Bright Eyes does the tower fast]
Robert Franklin: Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Bright Eyes: [grabs treat and eats it]
Will Rodman: How many moves was that?
Robert Franklin: 20.
[Will looks at them and starts to head out]
Robert Franklin: Yeah, a perfect score is 15. Doc, what are you giving her?
Will Rodman: [heads out] Hey, give that video!
[runs out the hallway and opens the door to Steven Jacobs' office]

Will Rodman: Why don't we begin? Meet Chimp Nine. We gave him a gene therapy that allows the brain to create it own cells in order to repair itself. We call it the Cure to Alzheimer's.

Party Boy: [at Caesar's cage] Hey, check out this guy.
Dodge Landon: Hey that one's a pain in the ass, man! He thinks he's special or something.
Party Boy: Freaky. Come here. Come on. It's like he's thinking or something.
Caesar: [grabs the man's throat and stares and growls]
Party Girl #2: Oh, my God! He has his throat!
Party Girl #1: Let him go!
Dodge Landon: [Dodge runs towards Caesar] Let go!
Caesar: [grunts and releases the man and leans towards Rocket's cage]
Rocket: [he jumps up, he growls and jumps down]
Dodge Landon: I told you not to get too close man.

Maurice: [to Caesar in sign language] Why coockie Rocket?
Caesar: [to Maurice in sign language and breaking and bundling sticks] Ape alone... weak. Apes together strong.
Maurice: [to Caesar in sign language as they observe chimps beating each other and stop] Apes stupid.

Linda: Mr. Jacobs, it's Linda from Will's team. Something horrible has happened. Franklin is dead - from a viral infection.
Steven Jacobs: What the hell are you talking about?
Linda: He was exposed to the 113. It does something to people that it doesn't do to apes.

LINKS:
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apeswillrise
Official Site: http://www.apeswillrise.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 11^th August 2011

Watched at the cinema Saturday 13^th August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This must be some kind of record… It’s the third week in a row that my local cinema is showing something I want to see! It is a very rare thing, and something that should be savoured… long may it continue. But I digress, we’re here to talk about Apes. It is seldom these days that I find myself so totally engrossed in a film that time doesn’t matter. This was one of those very rare occasions. I got so involved in the story that people going in and out of the theatre (as they do) didn’t even bother me. I loved every minute of it and have no problem in recommending it to everyone. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Will Rodman is a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s. He is very driven in his work because his father, Charles, suffers from the disease. It affects the brain and so Will’s work revolves around a gene therapy that can re-connect pathways in the brain. They test it out on Chimpanzees and one of them, Bright Eyes, shows exceptional promise. Just as Will and his boss, Steven Jacobs, are asking for funding, Bright Eyes goes crazy and has to be shot. Jacobs orders all the apes put down, but they find that Bright Eyes had a baby. Will takes him home and discovers that the effects of the drug have been passed on. They call the baby Caesar and, with the help of a primate expert, Caroline Aranha, he eventually grows big and strong. Will gives the drug to his father and, at first, it works but then the effects wear off. He discovers what was wrong and develops a stronger version of the drug. After an incident with a neighbour, Caesar is ordered to be put in a sanctuary, away from the public. It is here that he comes into his own and it is here, under the mistreatment of his handlers, John and Dodge Landon that sparks the beginnings of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I can’t say any more or the Spoiler Police will have me put in a cage next to Caesar.

The CGI in this film is truly stunning, although you know most of it is computer generated, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. As far as performances go, well, for me, the star was definitely Andy Serkis who did all the motion-capture work for Caesar, a really stunning performance. As far as the humans go, well, James Franco did a decent job as Will Rodman, as did Freida Pinto as Caroline Aranha, although I felt her character was never fully developed. John Lithgow was excellent as Charles Rodman and Brian Cox was suitably sleazy as John Landon. Tom Felton did a good job as the evil handler, Dodge Landon and David Oyelowo was Will’s boss, Steven Jacobs.

This is a film that will definitely be making my top ten come the end of the year. I loved every minute of it and I really hope any sequels that are made keep to the same standard. If I have one criticism, it’s that the human characters are not particularly well developed. I can forgive that to a large extent because it forces the audience to see things from Caesar’s perspective. This is certainly the best of the summer blockbusters so far this year and I can’t see anything coming up that will top it (I’m prepared to be proven wrong though). Without a doubt, this one comes very highly RECOMMENDED.

My score: 9.3/10

IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (16,160 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83/100 (199 reviews counted when this review was written).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes/

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.apeswillrise.com/
Trailer: