Mad King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his army are seeking the legendary Epirus Bow, wiping out anyone or anything in their path. The bow was forged by the Gods and has the power to destroy humanity by releasing the Titans. Meanwhile, Theseus (Henry Cavill) is out to avenge his mother’s death at the hands of Hyperion. What he doesn’t know is that Zeus groomed him from an early age to take on this quest to stop Hyperion. Joining Theseus are the oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and former slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff). The gods watch the events unfold from the heavens trying not to to meddle in mortal affairs, until it becomes necessary.

If you are thinking that this sounds like a cross between “300” and “Clash of the Titans,” then you are correct. I wasn’t a fan of that washed-out, stylized look of “300”. Though, the look of this film wasn’t a problem for me–I thought it actually looked quite amazing. However, the film seems to favor artistic vision over a coherent story. The story is a mess that goes nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The film starts off with a narration that describes the battles between the Gods and the Titans. But this information doesn’t really apply to the events of the film. (Also, the narration by John Hurt sounds so much like his narration for the opening credits of Merlin that it’s a bit distracting.)

There are too many characters and Gods to keep track of, many of whom are never properly introduced, or only have one or two lines. And other elements of the story are glossed over or introduced and never resolved–a lot more time should have been spent tightening this script. Instead, there are lots of scenes that just seem to be there for artistic reasons rather than furthering the story, and just add confusion. For example, in Hyperion’s lair there is a giant metal cow over a fire pit, with steam coming from the nostrils. There are quite a few scenes of this cow, and plenty of close-ups, but why is it there?!

Finally, what did me in was the crazy costumes. Everyone on Team Hyperion is wearing a different headpiece–all of them elaborate and crazy looking. Hyperion himself wears a helmet that make him look like a cross between Donnie Darko and a shark. The Gods also each have his or her own unique, odd-looking helmet. Only the Roman soldiers and our heroes seem to have proper costumes, like what we’ve come to expect for the characters of the genre.

I think a lot of my negatives are probably due to the director, since his previous work (“The Cell”, “The Fall”), also seems to favor elaborate costumes and random close-ups of tree branches. However, all is not bad with this film. I watched the 3D version of “Immortals” and it looked really amazing. While there weren’t a whole lot of pop-out effects, it did make excellent use of 3D to add depth to the scenes. Even though this was a post-converted 3D title, I didn’t get any of that cardboard cutout feeling when looking at people in the foreground.

The battle scenes were also very well done, and reminiscent of films like “300” or TV shows like Spartacus–lots of blood and flying body parts. The second half of the film was certainly better than the first. I just wish that the film had had a better written story to go along with the well thought out battle scenes and visuals.

What’s Included on the Blu-Ray:

The Film (110 minutes):

• Disc 1 contains the 3D version of the film
• Disc 2 contains the 2D version (along with the bonus features)
• Disc 3 contains a digital copy (iTunes)
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD and French 5.1 DD, English SDH and Spanish subtitles

Extras:

• It’s No Myth (5:27)
  Interviews with historians talking about Greek Mythology
• Caravaggio Meets Fight Club: Tarsem’s Vision (20:29)
  Behind the scenes featurette with director Tarsem Singh and the cast and crew. It is broken down into discussions of Tarsem’s Vision, Visual Effects, Stunts, and Creating the Score.
• Alternate Opening: Young Theseus (11:34)
  This alternate opening follows Theseus as a child, meeting his mentor for the first time.
• Alternate Ending: This Is Our Last Embrace (8:38)
  Alternate ending that explores a different fate for Theseus
• Alternate Ending: Theseus Kills Hyperion (4:07)
  Alternate ending that with a different take on the final altercation between Hyperion and Theseus
• Deleted Scenes (8:10)
  A collection of 8 deleted scenes entitled “Lsyander Defects to the Heraklions”, “Hellenics Arrive at Mount Tartarus”, “Zeus Confronts Poseidon”, “Minotaur Tracks Our Heroes”, “The Young Gods Discuss the Epirus Bow”, “Mondragon and Beastmaster Report to Hyperion”, “Helios Reports to Cassander”, and “Hyperion Curses the Gods”
• Immortals: Gods & Heroes
  A look at stills from the graphic novel, broken down into chapters:  “Rise of the Olympians”, “The Pride of Prometheus”, “Dungeon of the Damned”, “The Bow Bearer”, and “The War of the Gods”
  (Almost impossible to read the text unless you are super close to the TV)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:28)
• Sneak Peek (7:23)
  Trailers for “Haywire”, “Machine Gun Preacher”, and “Act of Valor”

Final Thoughts:

The film looks and sounds excellent, and the 3D is very well done, adding depth to the shots. However, the story is very thin and incoherent, and it seems like the look/art of the film was more important than the substance. The extras are pretty solid and interesting, though it would have been nice to have a feature commentary from the director and/or cast, especially since so much of the look of the film was due to Singh.

Fans of “300” or Spartacus, or people who just enjoy a bloody gladiator-style fighting film would most likely want to pick this up. However for anyone on the fence, due to the less than stellar story, I would recommend a rental first. Also, for those with 3D TVs, it is worth checking this film’s stunning visuals and great use of 3D depth.