Immortals, 3D & 2D Blu-rays + Digital Copy Combo (2011)

by | Apr 19, 2012 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Immortals, 3D & 2D Blu-rays + Digital Copy Combo (2011)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, John Hurt, Mickey Rourke
Directed by: Tarsem Singh
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment  [3/6/12]
Video: 1.85:1 Widescreen; 1080p
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; French 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Extras: “It’s No Myth” featurette; “Caravaggio Meets Fight Club: Tarsem’s Vision” featurette; alternate opening; two alternate endings; Immortals: “Gods and Heroes” digital comic; deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; preview trailers
Length: 110 minutes
Movie Rating: ***     3D Video Rating: ***½
2D Video Rating: ****½   Audio Rating: *****    D-BOX Rating: ***
At the dawn of time, the Gods won an epic battle against the Titans and thereafter imprisoned them deep within the walls of Mount Tartarus.  A new evil now threatens the land in the person of King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) who has declared war against humanity.  With his army of soldiers, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power.  Whoever possesses this bow can release the Titans, who thirst for revenge against the Gods.  In Hyperion’s hands, the bow would decimate mankind and annihilate the Gods.  Ancient law dictates that the Gods may not intervene in the conflict of mortals, and as such, they are unable to stop Hyperion’s plan.  A peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill), whose mother was slain by Hyperion, comes forth as the lone hope of the Gods and the Greek people.  Theseus endeavors to save his people from Hyperion with the aid of a small band of fellow outcasts, including the visionary virgin priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning thief Stavros (Stephen Dorff).  The stakes are high for Theseus – defeat Hyperion and prevent him from acquiring the bow, or watch his homeland fall and his Gods be vanquished forever.  As a fan of Greek mythology-based films, I was hoping for more from “Immortals”.  It’s not a horrible movie; rather it just didn’t add anything new to the genre or outdo anything from other films of its type.  There was also much less action in it than I thought there would be and Theseus did little in the film to justify his hero or legend status.  On the plus side, the film has amazing picture quality and sound.  Fans of the movie will be most pleased with the top-notch audio and video presentation on this Blu-ray combo set.  All others should consider renting “Immortals” before committing to a purchase.
The overall high-definition video quality of the 2D Blu-ray disc is excellent.  Images are pristine with exquisite detail.  Black levels are consistently dark throughout the picture.  Colors are vivid and bold with well-saturated hues.  Picture defect mastering is perfect with no major flaws or compression artifacts.  The 3D video is of the post-conversion variety.  Colors and black levels aren’t quite as stellar as the 2D presentation, but nonetheless still pretty good.  Dimensionality and depth are decent but not outstanding.  Pop-out effects that I can recall are limited to one very small one that takes place just before the end credits roll.
The overall audio quality is also excellent with the English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track serving as the basis for this review.  The soundtrack actively incorporates all of the discrete channels into its mix.  Dialogue is natural sounding and properly positioned.  The surround channels are aggressively utilized for sound effects and music score, plus include several split rear effects.  The low frequency effects channel disperses powerful rumblings during the action sequences.
Immortals is compatible with the D-BOX Motion Code™ System, meaning that if you have the necessary D-BOX equipment, your movie viewing experience will be enhanced by adding both motion and vibration to your chosen seating.  Motion effects and vibration are scattered throughout this entire movie.  Up-and-down and side-to-side movements are used to simulate flying/floating and the force of impacts received in the various battles being waged.
-Calvin Harding Jr.

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