Immortals is an unconvincingly terrible attempt at a worthwhile action flick. There is not one moment in the film where I feel remotely entertained. This 300 knock-off was worse than the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans (it’s not like they’re any different) and manages to butcher the good old spirit of the classic mythology tales – with a wide variety of ultra-violence and laughingly bad acting from Mickey Rourke. The only real redemption here are the so-so action scenes, which don’t come as often as you’d expect from a film directed by Tarsem Singh, who is widely known for favoring style over substance. Unfortunately, that doesn’t turn out quite well. Wondering about the Blu-ray presentation of Immortals? Read on to find out.

Even with such a muddled plot, I’ll try and break it down for you – Immortals is a tale of revenge and destiny that begins with the death of Theseus’ (Henry Cavill) mother, who was murdered by one of King Hyperion’s (Mickey Rourke) many henchmen. Hyperion is on a personal quest to obtain the world’s most powerful weapon known as the Epirus Bow that gives unanimous power which would unleash a war between the Heavens and the earth. Theseus goes to extremes to ensure that Hyperion doesn’t gain supreme power. Theseus recieves help from the supernatural oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) who is another key to stopping Hyperion.

I mentioned before that the film is reliant on style over substance – that does not mean the whole film goes to waste. The visuals in the film are excellent and highlight the film’s overall mood. Like John Carter, Immortals has a setting comprised almost completely of CG (except the characters, obviously). Some instances of the film take place in the Heavens, where the gods have their tea parties and spy on the little earthlings – while other moments show a scenery of something coming out of The Book of Eli, which has an overall decent look to the film. Even with gorgeous visuals, Immortals fails as a whole.

So we do have a redeeming quality here! Immortals looks absolutely gorgeous on the small screen. The film is presented in glorious 1080p (1.85:1). Because the film is obviously very reliant on its stunning visuals, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be quite the Blu-ray presentation. I originally viewed the film in theaters in a [surprisingly decent] 3D transfer – but viewed the Blu-ray on the preferred second-dimension format. The film is very colorful and at times bloody, as well as vibrant with little interference from lighting. Flesh tones are maxed out and serve nicely throughout the daytime scenes. Some parts of the film are balanced out with extreme darkness – implicating that the film should be viewed without outside light interfering with the television. Even if you don’t fancy the film, Immortals looks undeniably impressive.

The video/audio presentations go hand-in-hand here. Immortals is presented in 5.1 DTS-HD MA. The sound mixing comes into place usually during fight scenes, where all of the stabs, punches, kicks, and decapitations are vivid and sound horrific (in a good way). Additionally, the film has a superb soundtrack to shine during any of the exciting sequences. Ambience, dialogue, and all of the other technical terms are handled with solid dexterity. Nothing much to complain about here!

Chances are that you’ll enjoy the special features if you enjoyed the film. You won’t find much else otherwise.

It’s No Myth

Caravaggio Meets Fight Club: Tarsem’s Vision

Alternate Opening & Alternate Endings

Deleted Scenes

Immortals: Gods & Heroes Graphic Novel

Theatrical Trailers

iTunes Digital Copy 

I’ve never been too keen with mythology flicks based on my general taste in film. If you’re a die-hard fan of 300 or Clash of the Titans, go for it. If you’re looking for a smart, well-developed film – you will be surely disappointed. I think I’m being generous giving it this high of a rating.