Full disclosure: I studied Greek and Roman mythology when I was in college, so I’m a sucker for these kinds of movies. Now that you can take this review with the appropriate grain of salt, I liked Immortals. It certainly won’t end up anywhere near my favorites of the year list, but it’s a pretty fantastic union of a director with a unique visual style to a script that desperately needs the distraction of that style.

A fusion of stories from Greek mythology, Immortals follows Theseus (Henry Cavill), a young peasant chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans), and Phaedra (Freida Pinto), an oracle priestess, as they lead humans against the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his legions of warriors. Snubbed by the gods, Hyperion plans to take vengeance on them by releasing the Titans, the gods’ archenemies who have remained trapped in the earth following an epic battle years prior. But Hyperion needs the Epirus Bow, a legendary weapon capable of producing powerful arrows out of thin air, to accomplish his goal.

The movie is being sold as a companion piece to Zack Snyder’s 300, and it’s clear that the studio had a huge influence on those comparisons, even down to the story level. The two films share many of the same plot points: a traitor defecting to the opposing army, warriors wearing masks, cheesy speeches, and one sequence involving a tunnel near the end that’s ripped directly from Snyder’s breakout film. To its credit, though, I actually liked Immortals a lot more than 300. Most Greek myth stories probably feel familiar from a story perspective, and if most feel cliche these days, it’s because these old myths are the basis of western storytelling as we know it. We’ve seen these stories told before in thousands of variations in movies and television shows over the years, so it makes sense that the only way audiences will find them interesting is attaching visionary directors to give us a fresh look at the material.

For me, it comes down to performance. Mickey Rourke owns this movie as King Hyperion, relishing every line and squeezing every dramatic drop out of his twisted villainy on screen. It’s a much more interesting performance than Gerard Butler’s constant bellowing in 300, and Rourke alone gives Immortals a higher likelihood of rewatchability for me. I also prefer Tarsem’s grandiose symmetrical visuals to Snyder’s speed-ramping; Tarsem’s predilection for eastern imagery and fascinating production design – on full display in his fantastic second film, The Fall - seems to fit well with this kind of storytelling.

Speaking of Snyder, he’s got a new Superman movie coming up called Man of Steel, and cast none other than Henry Cavill as the lead. While this role doesn’t demand much of anything from him, aside from running around shirtless and throwing the occasional spear, I saw flashes of both Clark Kent and Superman in his performance. (As of this writing, we haven’t seen any trailers or footage from Snyder’s film, so my gut feeling is that Cavill is going to be a really good Superman in a pretty terrible Superman movie.) Getting back to Immortals, the gods, played by young 20-somethings with chiseled bodies, wear insane headgear that would make even Tim Burton do a double take. One piece in particular looks like the head of a dragonfly. Why would Tarsem do this? The only answer I can think of: “because he’s Tarsem.”

The fight sequences are clearly depicted through the use of Brendan Galvin’s impressive cinematography (he reunites with Tarsem for their upcoming Snow White film, Mirror, Mirror), and if my only complaint with the action that it gets a little overdone by the film’s ludicrous ending, then I’d say that’s a compliment. After all, no one comes to movies like this for the dialogue. (Though there are some interesting religious points touched on here about faith and belief that I found surprisingly well-handled for a movie that’s otherwise brash and borders on garish at times.) The score is influenced heavily, as most action films seem to be now, by Hans Zimmer’s work on Inception, with quick strings highlighted by bursts of booming brass.

Immortals is a fluff piece with almost no real weight to it, but it’s also a beautifully shot film that marries a visionary director to the perfect subject matter for his tastes. If nothing else, it will expose people to Cavill, an actor best-known for a small role in The Count of Monte Cristo and the Showtime series “The Tudors,” and get them ready to see him take flight as Superman in 2013. Until next time…

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We got our first look at Henry Cavill as Superman earlier this month, but so far not a lot has been revealed/leaked about the plot. We know Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora, but that’s pretty much it.

Well ComicBookMovie recently came across an open casting call for Man of Steel looking for “local people to work as background artists” in Vancouver, and it contains what appears to be an official plot synopsis.

Here’s it is in full:

In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves

This seems to confirm Man of Steel will be an origins story. I’m not sure whether we need one, but Warner Bros. will be hoping to start a new trilogy will Henry Cavill, so starting at the beginning makes sense if they’re expecting more films.

What do Superman fans think of this (somewhat vague) synopsis?

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Relativity Media has released the third (and probably final) trailer for Tarsem Singh’s Immortals. In this trailer we get an explanation of the story via narration from John Hurt, and there are many new moneyshots showcasing Singh’s amazing visuals.

Watch below:

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.

Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders–including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff) — one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend.”

Immortals also stars Kellan Lutz as Poseidon and Luke Evans as Zeus. John Hurt will play the earthly manifestation of Zeus, who acts as a mentor and teacher to Theseus, and Isabel Lucas will play his daughter Athena.

Read similar posts to Third trailer for Immortals on Filmonic

Filming on Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is now under-way and some set images of Henry Cavill as Clark Kent appeared online earlier this week, so to reduce the risk of someone snapping Cavill in his red and blue costume Warner Bros. have released a polished image of the new Superman.

One noticeable change to the costume compared to previous films is the darker shade of blue, something which could hint at the tone of the reboot. They’ve also got rid of the red underwear, which I approve of. It is 2011 afterall.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from superhero costumes it’s that they always look better in motion, but as a ‘first look’ it looks pretty good.

The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Russell Crowe will take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, with Julia Ormond playing Superman’s Kryptonian mother. Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

Man of Steel‘s release date was recently pushed back to June 14, 2013. What do you think of the costume?

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According to Entertainment Weekly Laurence Fishburne, best known for his role as Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy, has been cast as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.

Perry White was previously played by Jackie Cooper in the 70s/80s, and Frank Langella took on the role in Superman Returns. The character is known for being a tough but fairminded boss, something Fishburne won’t have any problems pulling off.

The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Russell Crowe will take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, with Julia Ormond playing Superman’s Kryptonian mother. Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

Man of Steel‘s release date was recently pushed back to June 14, 2013, however filming is currently under-way.

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Warner Bros. had previously intended to release Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot in December 2012, but now the studio has pushed Man of Steel back to a June 14, 2013 release.

The decision could be a smart one, as December 2012 is already pretty crowded with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Lone Ranger and Django Unchained all taking key dates. However last week Znyder brought in his 300 writer Kurt Johnstad to re-write the script, so the release date change could be a sign things aren’t going so smoothly.

The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Russell Crowe will take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, with Julia Ormond playing Superman’s Kryptonian mother. Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

The June 2013 date means Superman will be joining Iron Man 3 (May 3) and Thor 2 (July 26) as the superheroes of the summer. So far Man of Steel has no major competition, but that will no doubt change as studios continue to adjust their summer 2013 slate.

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Relativity Media has released the second official trailer for Tarsem Singh’s Immortals via RyanSeacrest.com. The teaser trailer did a better job of telling the story, but this trailer showcases more of Tarsem Singh’s amazing visuals. It’s basically an epic battle with men, Gods, Minotaurs and Titans.

Watch below:

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.

Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders–including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff) — one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend.”

Immortals also stars Kellan Lutz as Poseidon and Luke Evans as Zeus. John Hurt will play the earthly manifestation of Zeus, who acts as a mentor and teacher to Theseus, and Isabel Lucas will play his daughter Athena.

Read similar posts to Second trailer for Immortals on Filmonic

Following the news that Russell Crowe had signed on to play the role of Superman’s biological father, Jor-El, in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, we heard Warner Bros. were also in the process of looking for Superman’s Kryptonian mother.

Well now according to Deadline British actress Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Temple Grandin) is in talks for the role.

Filming will begin next month, and the movie also stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Michael Shannon will take on the role of the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

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Here’s some interesting casting. According to Variety Russell Crowe is in negotiations to take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, previously played by Marlon Brando, in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.

Apparently producer Christopher Nolan wanted a well known actor to play the role, and Mr. Crowe certainly fits the bill. Variety also mentions that they are looking for an equally big name to play Superman’s biological mother.

Filming will begin next month, and the movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Michael Shannon will take on the role of the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

Read similar posts to Russell Crowe to play Jor-El in Man of Steel on Filmonic

Universal have released the first official trailer for Tarsem Singh’s Greek epic Immortals, which stars Mickey Rourke, Henry Cavill and Freida Pinto. The movie has similarities to Clash of the Titans, but visually looks closer to 300.

You can watch the trailer below:

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.

Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders–including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff) — one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend.”

Immortals also stars Kellan Lutz as Poseidon and Luke Evans as Zeus. John Hurt will play the earthly manifestation of Zeus, who acts as a mentor and teacher to Theseus, and Isabel Lucas will play his daughter Athena.

Read similar posts to First trailer for Immortals on Filmonic