Immortals is a gorey good romp

A weak plot, but a decent historical warrior movie with good fight scenes.

Henry Cavill stars in Relativity Media's Immortals. Courtesy Jan Thijs

Director: Tarsem Singh
Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, Freida Pinto
***

The Greek myth of the young warrior Theseus gets a blood-splattered 3D update in the hands of the director Tarsem Singh, best known for the stylish yet empty The Cell. Here, with the help of the producers of 300, he delivers another impressive-looking yet uninvolving adventure that will appeal most to teenage boys (although the film's high head-smashing, decapitating and torturing count means it's not suitable for those under 18). Cavill - also known as the next Superman (he'll star in the 2013 movie Man Of Steel) - stars as young Theseus, who lives with his mother in a small village until the day Hyperion (Rourke, chewing the scenery with added relish) comes along and attacks the place, killing Theseus's mum in front of him. Hyperion, it seems, is after something called the Epirus Bow, a legendary weapon that will give him immense power, and it's up to Theseus, a few pals, and the oracle priestess Phaedra (Pinto) to stop him. It's really all an excuse for lots of 3D blood, battles and gore, with some dodgy dialogue thrown in. The fight scenes look great, and there's nice support from Hurt, Luke Evans (as Zeus), too, but it's ultimately let down by the sniggersome script and thin plot. It's still better than last year's Clash Of The Titans, though.