Immortal (2004)

This French made but English language sci-fi feature is certainly one of the most unusual films I've seen in recent months and that is really saying something.

For a start the story regards a futuristic world full of folks genetically modified while above them sits a floating pyramid full of Egyptian gods......for some reason!? It tells the story of a girl wanting to be human, not knowing exactly what she is but being targeted from all sides each person with their own agenda including a frisky Egyptian god.

The movie in many respects looks and reminded me of the television series Farscape (1999) but one thing sets it apart and it's one of the most damaging parts of the film.

Live action is merged with animation and by that I don't merely mean the sfx I mean half the characters are animated and animated poorly. The animation is that cheap horrible style you often see in kids cartoons and side by side with live action actors looked ridiculous! The premise of Immortal is solid and the cast were better than I expected but Roger Rabbit did a better job of merging live action and cartoon and that was back in the 1980's! Plus that actually explained why it was full of cartoons, this just looked terrible.

If you can get past this (Which I couldn't) you can do worse, but for me personally it made the film look shoddy.

The Good:

The concept

The cast

The Bad:

Poor animation

Holes in plot

Fmovies: alike other voters i found myself needing to register to vote on this movie. This movie deserves praise, an excellent blend of animation with reality, Comments i have heard from other people that have viewed this film, " its hard to tell who is a human character and who is not". The story is a believable, futuristic story combined with the mystery of mythology. The continuity is superb, holding the viewers gaze until the last moment. A story of love and hate, amnesia, unknown power, innate strength to fight for survival, with sparks flying between characters. The beautiful Linda Hardy plays the roll of Jill perfectly, captivating the audience from the first moment she hits the screen. Mysterious and mystical a magical journey into the future. I would love to see a sequel, and a prequel of this film.

Well, first of all this film is supposed to be a loose adaptation of the comics (almost more "inspired by"...). Second, I think that those who criticize the CGI graphics quality or even compare it to the horrific (!!) "Final Fantasy", are a bit besides the point.., While the Final Fantasy CGI graphics where technically amazing, the story (what story ?) was absolutely idiotic, and there was a total lack of poetry or atmosphere. Of course the CGI in "Immortals" could have been much better!... But the fact that you can make an accurate picture of a French landscape does not make it better than a Monet painting, does it ?... The use of computer imagery does not mean that everything has to be fully realistic... artful images are often created, as in painting, with a non photo-realistic depiction of reality. I think this concept worked well with this movie, creating a very moody atmosphere and adding weight to the story. Certainly "Immortals" is not a statement about creating photo-realistic computer graphics - it is simply art made with people and computers. That said, I agree that for those who are not familiar with the comics series this movie may not leave the same impression - I am biased by being a Bilal fan. However, I would recommend anyone with an interest in Science Fiction that goes a bit beyond point-and-shoot action and photo-realistic CGI to go and see this movie - they might enjoy it!...

7/10

Immortal fmovies. Metropolis, Brazil, Blade Runner, City of Lost Children, Fifth Element, Dark City... throw them all in a blender and you've got the dark futuristic look of Immortal (Ad Vitam). Along with "Moebius" (art designer for Fifth Element) and Alejandro Jodorowsky (director of El Topo), Enki Bilal is one of the master story-tellers from the original Metal Hurlant publication known to most American comic-book aficionados as Heavy Metal.

This is the film the original Heavy Metal should have been. There is sex and humor and action, but it is all thoroughly in service of a science-fiction plot gleefully drenched in Egyptian-mythological fantasy. The style is pure Bilal, textured and palpable.

The plot is cerebral in that all humor (and tension) relates to character development; much like Blade Runner, if you do not follow the dialog there may not be enough action to sustain interest throughout the story. As such, there is little I could reveal about plot particulars without spoiling enjoyment of the tale's unfolding... the sad business about the leg, the quest for a certain woman, experiments with consumption, bathroom services, an oddly-formed fish...

If you have a taste for science-fiction and fantasy, I highly recommend you take a little tour of New York 2095!

Enki Bilal's film version of his excellent comic from more than 20 years ago, is a more coherrent and better structured story than what we read in the graphic novels.

The same images are here, in the film, as in the comic. That's very good, and works well. Some scenes are almost taken directly from the comic, as when Horus help Nikopol for the first time in the subway.

The world is more detailed in the film and the story is now more tightly spun around Jill, Horus and Jill's friend John - plus of course Nikopol who serve as the spider in this web.

Many here complain over the computer animations. Especially when it comes to some of the cast. I can only say that it is was a sad decision to create the senator and his two friends as computer animations, since live actors would probably been a wiser decision. It had helped the movie flow a little bit more, and we hadn't been so hung up on that they actually were computer animated. However, after a while, it works and we don't care too much about it. They have so little screen time anyway.

Horus is also animated, but since he's a God, it doesn't matter. And he's better done too. All the other animations are just splendid and work wonders for this graphical and visually stunning film.

Immortel is a very nice film with a better story than I thought. I was expecting a difficult and completely un-logical version of the comic - since I've read the reviews - but what we have here is actually a nice and very good movie, told beautifully.

If you haven't read the graphic novels, I suggest you find a copy or two and read them. They are a good introduction to this weird sci-fi world, and it is probably easier to understand the overall theme if you have read them. However, don't get disappointed when some story elements don't show up in the film. (I especially missed the hockey-game!)

I sincerely hope that Enki Bilal makes more movies like this one, or even a sequel. I would really like to know what happens next... Enki Bilal's mind is beautiful - and this film will be a classic within a few decades. For now, it's just a little bit too before its time to be taken the way it should. But soon, people will discover it and see the nice little details that lay inside the world of future New York.

I give it a 7 of 10. I would have given it higher if it wasn't for some bad animations and that I didn't like the way they plotted the sharp-teethed alien that I never remember the name of. :-)

The story revolves around New York City in the late 21st Century (2090 or so). There is a contrast between the live action, the really stunning CG and the CG that looks like some PC game I played 5 years ago. I think the movie would have been better if it was all done in CG (ie. Final Fantasy). Nonetheless, it looks similar to other European sci-fi movies (think of the Fifth Element). The first 1/2 of the movie, I was wondering what was going on. There seemed to be events that were happening, with little explanation as to why or what. There was very little background provided for the world we are dropped in (I think reading the trilogy of the comic might help in watching this movie). We are given hints that people are now more cyborg than human, corruption has increased, there seems to be non-human class discrimination, and there is a pyramid hanging over the city. While this movie has an interesting storyline and is obviously deeper than movies like the Fifth Element, the lack of character/background development ultimately hurt this movie. I was left to interpret the majority of the movie based on my own background rather than what was happening before me. I am a little disappointed. I was so interested in seeing this movie after I saw the trailer. I am going to read the Nikopol trilogy to see if my understanding and appreciation of this movie improves.

-Celluloid Rehab