I wrote this several years ago and thought it was lost but I found it the other day so I figured I would repost it.
300 is one of the most iconic action movies of this century and it remains Zack Snyder’s finest hour; Immortals is also a visually stunning and hilariously violent opus so let’s take a look and see which is the best.
300 (2006)
Plot: In 480 B.C. a state of war exists between Persia, led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Greece. At the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas (Gerard Butler), king of the Greek city state of Sparta, leads his badly outnumbered warriors against the massive Persian army. Though certain death awaits the Spartans, their sacrifice inspires all of Greece to unite against their common enemy.
PROS
- Stunning visuals and frankly amazing direction from Zack Snyder; this film is a lesson in style.
- Fantastic score with a mixture of orchestra and even electric guitar. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
- Gerard Butler gives a career best performance as King Leonidas. Shouting as only a Scot can.
- David Wenham from LOTR is in it. I love that guy.
- Well paced with plenty of action.
- Plenty of quotable lines and even more blood n’ guts.
CONS
- There’s a really crap looking CGI wolf in it.
- Despite the quotable lines, some of the dialogue/acting is really over the top and cheesy, even by my standards.
- Some scenes really feel like a rip-off of Gladiator.
IMMORTALS (2011)
Plot: Power-hungry King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his ruthless army march across Greece, leaving burned-out villages and the corpses of the innocent in their wake. Hyperion’s goal is to find the long-lost Bow of Epirus; with this invincible weapon, he can cast the gods out of Mount Olympus and become master of the world. A stonemason named Theseus (Henry Cavill) heeds the words of the sibylline oracle (Freida Pinto), who convinces him that he is the key to stopping the bloodthirsty king.
PROS
- Stunning visuals, especially the final shot of the movie with the battle in the heavens, it was that visual from the trailers that sold me on it.
- Mickey Rourke is the bad guy, any film is better with Mickey Rourke in it. He oozes menace in this movie.
- Even more blood n’ guts than 300; the violence in this movie is brutal.
- Astounding soundtrack with fantastic choral music which work so well with the visuals.
- Freida Pinto looks stunning in it.
- Real imagination used in some of the set-pieces.
- The 3D was fantastic in the cinema.
CONS
- Some of the costumes are hilarious; why do the gods look like they are wearing lampshades?
- When Theseus is giving his speech at the end and everyone is banging their shields, I keep expecting everyone to start singing/dancing.
- Lacks the quotable dialogue of 300.
VERDICT
So there you have it, I’ve dissected both movies, but which is my personal favourite? I think 300 remains the true king as it has become so iconic with some classic dialogue, Gerard Butler at his shouty best and some innovative visuals. Immortals also has some amazing sequences but lacks the memorable script.
