Fantasy Flix

Friday, March 9, 2012

Immortals (2011)

Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge. In the king's hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man's conflict. They remain powerless to stop Hyperion...until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope. Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes.

Director: Tarsem Singh
Writers: Charley Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides

There's no mistaking that Immortals is a film from the producers of 300. The visual style is very similar. But, that doesn't mean that this film is as good as 300. In fact, it really doesn't come close.

Yes, there's plenty of CGI action to be had, with lots of CGI blood affects. The action is great, but not quite on par with the over-the-top action of 300.

Yes, there are gorgeous women in this movie. But, frankly not enough of them (really only one), and there is no nudity in this film. I don't consider a butt shot nudity.

The acting is very good. This movie is filled with excellent actors like Mickey Rourke, Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, John Hurt, Luke Evans, and Stephen McHattie. No complaints here.

I suppose the biggest complaint I have here is the story. It just seemed rushed and not fleshed out at all. Even 300 had a better story than this. The characters are very two dimensional, and there is little emotion shown.

Another issue I had were the sets. While they looked really nice, all I could think was green screen. The cliff set of their home just seemed off to me. If Theseus and his mom are such poor peasants, why are they the only ones who live out on the cliff with an ocean-side view? Where does that tunnel go? Why are they living on a dangerous cliff anyway?

Overall, of course I enjoyed this movie. It was fun and exciting, even though it was sometimes quite silly. This is simple popcorn action-porn and there is nothing wrong with that. Check this one out if you haven't seen it and turn your brain off.

Verdict: Slightly-recommended

The Cast

Henry Cavill ... Theseus

Mickey Rourke ... King Hyperion

Freida Pinto ... Phaedra

Stephen Dorff ... Stavros

Luke Evans ... Zeus

Alan Van Sprang ... Dareios

Joseph Morgan ... Lysander

Kellan Lutz ... Poseidon

Isabel Lucas ... Athena

John Hurt ... Old Man

Anne Day-Jones ... Aethra

Greg Bryk ... The Monk

Peter Stebbings ... Helios

Stephen McHattie ... Cassander

Mercedes Leggett ... High Priestess #2

Kaniehtiio Horn ... High Priestess #3

Ayisha Issa ... High Priestess #4

Friday, March 2, 2012

The Barbarians (1987)

Director: Ruggero Deodato
Writer: James R. Silke

The young orphans Kutchek and Gore have been adopted by a tribe of clowns, jugglers, and entertainers. The tribe is led by the queen Canary and its wealth stems from her magical belly stone. The evil ruler Kadar desires Canary and her stone, and attacks her clan's caravan to gain possession of them. Before the clan's defeat one of the clansmen sneak away to hide the stone. Canary is locked up in Kadar's harem, Kutchek and Gore in his quarry to be trained as gladiators, and the rest of the clan is to live as outlaws in the woods. When Kutchek and Gore have grown up to VERY big gladiators, they run away and break into Kadar's harem with the aid of the young woman Lemone. Canary quests them to find "The Old King's Weapons" and with these kill the dragon that guards the hidden belly stone. Afterwards they should find a new queen and give her the stone, to restore the tribe to its former glory.

So, here's another "classic" from the 80's trying to feed off the success of Conan The Barbarian. As you know, there are a number of these, and most of them I quite enjoy. The Barbarians is one that I know I saw as a young kid, but didn't quite remember alot of it. I do remember enjoying it as well, but the details were quite sketchy.

Does this one hold up at all? Well, first of all, this doesn't seem to be available on DVD, at least not one I can find. So, my copy of this movie is pretty damn crappy. I would love to see this cleaned up with a proper release.

The production value is along the lines of other movies from this time period, not too terrible, but not great either. This one comes out of Italy and has quite a few Italian actors in it.

The acting of course is pretty terrible. The barbarian brothers are not good actors at all, however, I found myself enjoying them. I chuckled quite a few times. This movie is very tongue in cheek and doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, which in my opinion makes the movie more enjoyable. I do think that the gorgeous and adorable Eva La Rue is excellent. She would go on to a prosperous career. You probably know her from CSI: Miami.

The action is awful, and there's not much nudity to be had here. However, there is plenty of eye candy to go around.

The fact that The Barbarians doesn't take itself seriously makes this a better movie that what it is. I didn't think I'd enjoy this on my recent watch, but found myself smiling through the movie.

Verdict: Recommended

The Cast

Peter Paul ... Kutchek

David Paul ... Gore

Eva La Rue ... Kara

Richard Lynch ... Kadar

Virginia Bryant ... Canary

Sheeba Alahani ... China

Michael Berryman ... Dirtmaster

Franco Pistoni ... Ibar

George Eastman ... Jacko

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Xena: Warrior Princess (TV Series 1995–2001)

Creators: John Schulian, Robert G. Tapert

In ancient Greece, a time of mythical legends. Xena was a mighty female warrior, Xena once left her village and led a army of outlaws that terrorized the lands, and was a former enemy of the legendary hero Hercules. Xena began to regret what she had done and embarked on a quest for redemption. Joined by a young woman named Gabrille, Xena travels across the lands as she battles forces of evil, and would often do battle with her evil foes, the ruthless and charming Ares and Callisto, a warrior woman out to get her revenge on Xena for the death of her family and burning her village when she was a child. And Xena and Gabrille were on occasions joined by trusted friends wannabe warrior, Joxer and thief Autolycus. Seeking adventure and helping people, Xena's courage will change the world.

I won't spend too much time discussing Xena: Warrior Princess. Most of you know all about Xena and her little friend. Xena was another syndicated fantasy show from the 90's that was a spinoff of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

There are many of you out there that will say that this was superior to Hercules. In alot of ways I agree, but I'll stick with my opinion of enjoying Hercules a bit more. See my review of Hercules a few weeks back for more info there. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Xena too. It did get really good towards the end of the run, and who didn't fall in love with Hudson Leick as Callisto?

Xena is a hot warrior chick, and that's always awesome, but to be honest, I was always partial to her little friend Gabrielle. So, I recommend Xena if you've never seen it, though I doubt anyone out there hasn't seen it by now.

Verdict: Recommended

The Cast