4 stars (out of 5)
Director: Tarsem Singh
Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan, Greg Bryk, Isabel Lucas
Rating: (R16)
Ancient mythology has been baffling youngsters for generations.
The funny names, who slept with whom, who slew who and also making sense of the motivations is a Herculean task. Keeping the ancient sources straight is bad enough without Hollywood's genius for shaking things up into strange new configurations.
Immortals (Rialto and Hoyts) is based on the legend of Theseus, famed for killing the Minotaur. This Theseus (Henry Cavill) is not a carefree young king but a surly peasant.
King of the gods Zeus (Luke Evans) has been keeping watch over the lad but rules mean that he can only appear to him as a mortal. In fact, Theseus often boasts that he does not believe in that god rubbish. He is forced to rethink when King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) turns up looking for the Epirus Bow to free the Titans with.
All sorts of strange things start happening and they all point to the awe-inspiring truth that attractive, golden-clad beings are hanging around Mount Olympus waiting for Zeus to turn his back so they can nip down to Earth and interfere the heck out of events.
Best thing: The acting steadies the story so you can take those lounging gods in your stride.
Worst thing: This is a R16 for extreme violence which is a pity because with its interest in class conflict and the position of women it could have been a useful jumping-off point for youngsters interested in the ancient world.
See it with: A classics scholar and a flask of dry sherry for when it all gets too much.
- Christine Powley
