Two movies again this weekend. I'm getting back into a schedule and fitting in some lazy time!
Immortals (2011)
I had such high hopes for this film. I'm a huge Greek mythology buff. It's been a while since I've read the stories, but I remember most of them. I wasn't naive enough to think this film actually followed the true story of Theseus, but it still looked entertaining.
Don't you just hate it when you're disappointed? Visually, the movie was stunning. Great effects, the costumes were fantastic, the scenery was different and breathtaking (which would probably fall under the "great effects" category), and the bad guy was truly a bad guy. I really like Mickey Rourke, and no one can be as deliciously evil as he is.
Other than that, the movie was really slow and had several plot holes. First of all, the whole point of being immortal is that you can't die. The Greek gods can not figure out a way to kill each other. In the legends, they tried all the time. They hurt each other and beheaded one another, but they always came back! They were GODS for crying out loud!
Secondly, the Titans were not these tiny men-looking creatures with super human strength. They were GIANTS that COULD NOT BE KILLED! They were imprisoned in Mount Tartaros because they can't die. I can't wait for Wrath of the Titans. Those are what Titans are supposed to look like!
Thirdly, there were more than five gods. If I recall correctly, there were 12 major gods. It's possible they couldn't find actors to play all of the gods... I don't know. I wasn't overly impressed.
The film was also incredibly long and really slow. I understand the Greek story process of how a hero is created. They must go on a long journey filled with peril and fall before they can rise to their true potential. Got it. The film didn't need to draw it out so much. The battle scenes were pretty good, but there weren't very many of them.
I had several other issues with the film, but not enough space to get into them here. All in all, I'm very happy that I didn't pay to see the movie in the theater, and I won't be watching it again. It was such a let down after my high expectations.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
To be honest, I wasn't overly anxious to see this movie. I'm a DC girl, not a Marvel chick. However, X-Men are the only good superheroes to come out of Marvel. I'd heard the movie was good, but I still didn't have the desire to watch it. It came through Netflix, so we decided to watch it with the boys.
The movie was good. I enjoyed it immensely. Sometimes prequels like this fall flat. There were some issues with it, but all in all, it was entertaining. The fight scenes were great, the development of the characters was intriguing, and the effects were well done. The story line was great too, and there was just the right amount of humor sprinkled throughout.
Again, the film was super long (132 minutes!). Seriously, I have a very short attention span. Anything over an hour and a half without some type of blood letting or explosions wears on my nerves. I don't have a lot of free time, I can't be wasting it with talking and touchy feely crap. Give me action!
I enjoy the X-Men series, and this film really delivered. There wasn't a lot of blood and guts or scary parts, so the boys really enjoyed it too. I still think the best class is the one with Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, etc. I LOVED watching those cartoons when I was younger. And, no, Wolverine is not my favorite. I like Gambit and Nightcrawler.
