Enki Bilal's Immortal (Immortel)

So, this French sci-fi flick called "Immortal" just hit theaters here in the States.

Here’s the gist of what it's about:

The year is 2095 in New York City. From some massive pyramid hovering in the sky, ancient gods are basically dictating how everyone lives. Down on the streets, a young woman with blue hair and blue tears gets arrested. Turns out, she’s hiding some serious powers she doesn't even realize she has yet...

Check it out here: http://immortel-lefilm.com

I honestly think the more accurate translation would be "Immortal." The film was actually directed by the renowned comic book artist Enki Bilal (Enes Bilalovic), based on his own graphic novel.
From what I’ve gathered through the grapevine, the visuals are absolutely breathtaking—truly a spectacle—but the actual plot? Well, let's just say the story is a bit thin.

You know, I’ve always felt that Enka Bilal is a truly top-tier comic book artist, and I suppose you could look at this project as his little foray into cinema, where he attempted to translate that distinct graphic novel sensibility onto the big screen. I’ve heard some folks arguing that while the visuals are absolutely stunning, the story itself might lack a certain layer of depth. I haven't actually sat down to watch it yet, but I definitely plan to, as I've been a longtime admirer of Enki's work. 🙂

Honestly, there are so many foreign films out there that are easily five times better than anything Hollywood puts out.

I’ve honestly never been the type of person who feels the need to walk out of a movie theater while something is still playing*, at least not until I sat through 😠

*unless, you know, if it really makes you have to run for a bathroom break 😉

quietdriver3 said:I’ve never once felt the urge to walk out of a theater before the credits roll, until I sat through this one. 😠

*Unless, of course, you really have to hit the restroom. 😉

Funny enough, a friend of mine actually walked out halfway through this movie, too.

It’s not even about being stupid, it’s more like... yeah...
just awful... total waste of money! And the whole story? Makes zero sense—hardly even coherent.👎

The visuals? Absolutely stunning—it feels like a mashup of The Fifth Element and Blade Runner.

As for the plot—it’s pretty weird. A friend mentioned the graphic novel explains things much better, so I'm curious about that.

On a side note, I actually enjoy watching stuff that challenges my brain—even if the gaps in the story force me to fill in the blanks myself.
It definitely isn't for everyone.

I really liked the characters—the gods actually feel like gods (just with a totally different perspective and worldview) rather than some cheap imitations of humans.
The two leads don't really have any agency; they spend most of the movie acting like pawns... at least until near the end. 🙂
There are a few more characters who pop up, each with their own little arc that doesn't quite get fully fleshed out.

If nothing else, the film was a really interesting watch. 😁

The only real headache was a group of idiots in the theater who couldn't stop whispering and munching through most of it. Not to mention they were late and annoyed the whole crowd with stupid comments like, "Oh, look at that!" or "Did you hear that part?"... 😠

It is truly an exceptional piece of cinema, though I must admit, it proves to be an incredibly taxing and grueling experience to sit through. If I were to attempt a precise description, I would characterize the work as something quite phantasmagoric. The director makes absolutely no effort to provide explanations for the inherent strangeness of the circumstances; rather, one is required to witness the entire narrative arc in its entirety before any semblance of logic begins to coalesce. Or, at least, most of it.

The soundtrack is nothing short of magnificent.

And we simply must consider the lead actress. 😁

Robert Cooper41 said:I think a more accurate title would be "Immortal." The film was directed by the famous comic artist Enki Bilal (Enes Bilalovic)... based on his own graphic novel.
From what I've heard, it’s visually spectacular, but the plot is pretty "thin."

Extremely thin.
Even if it looks phenomenal, it gets repetitive. Once you experience that signature "plastic" look of his art style—which is gorgeous, don't get me wrong—you realize you don't necessarily want to stare at it for a full two hours.😁
Plus, from a directing standpoint, it relies way too heavily on comic book tropes. I honestly think it could have been so much more... I might have even overlooked some clunky pacing if the direction had actually been solid.

Regardless, it’s always a treat to see the comic books I love brought to life...🙂))

I’ve never actually read any comics, but I found the movie quite compelling. Sure, the plot gets a bit muddled at times, but the moment those floating pyramids appear hovering over cities that look straight out of Blade Runner, my imagination just takes flight, allowing me to fill in the narrative gaps myself. 😁
To truly appreciate this film, you have to let your imagination run wild; I suspect it will mostly appeal to those who prioritize visual storytelling. That said, it stands out as one of the most original pieces I’ve seen lately.

Visually, it’s incredibly imaginative, though I have to admit the CGI characters don't feel nearly as convincing as live actors—with the exception of the gods, who were actually rendered brilliantly. The dynamic between Horus and Nikopol felt genuinely unique to me, offering a great dose of unexpected humor... And, as previously mentioned... the lead actress is 😍

I'm feeling the same way. It’s strange, but it works. Though, I can't help but feel the plot could have used a bit more clarity.

Maybe I should just track down the graphic novels to get a better handle on the whole thing.🙂

Has anyone actually sat down and watched this movie yet?

It’s based on the graphic novels by Enki Bilal, and directed by... well, Enki Bilal himself! Apparently, he's
some highly regarded French comic artist who was born in New York City (his legal name is
Enes Bilalovic).

I haven't spent much time reading his work, but I've heard enough recommendations from various
sources to pique my curiosity, so I decided to check out the film. My takeaway: it's exactly what
Sam & Max would say: "Weird. Creepy."

The whole thing has this cyberpunk vibe—though, honestly, it’s less cyber and more bio-medic-punk—but then you have
this massive flying pyramid, and Horus, and some sort of portal opening up to nowhere right in the middle of
Central Park... it's intriguing, if a bit deeply strange...

I'm curious to hear what you all thought of it.

Those CGI characters really ruined the whole experience for me, because it was actually such an intriguing story designed as a sequel...

And honestly, that hitman is such a compelling character! But wait, a red mutated shark?????

You can tell he’s primarily a comic book artist; he tries way too hard to tell the story through visuals alone, which clearly didn't land with the audience, since half the people walked out right in the middle of the movie.

I’ve always had a massive soft spot for Bilal—his work is truly exceptional. I cannot recommend his graphic novels enough; you can usually find them in local libraries, and I actually just finished checking out *Dream of the Monster*
. As for the film, it looks promising to me. I have to admit, a few details felt a bit fuzzy, though that might just be because I missed the opening sequence—perhaps they cleared things up then.🙂
The whole thing is based on the *Nikopol* trilogy, which is something I’m dying to track down. I'm also on the hunt for his first two films, *Tykho Moon* and *Bunker Palace Hotel*. If anyone happens to own them, please let me know.🙂

I actually enjoyed the movie; it falls right into that category of films where you’re tossed straight into the thick of the action without much context, and even the bits of info you pick up along the way don't necessarily clear things up by the end.

I can't help but wonder how different the experience would be if we were kept completely in the dark about the gods and their business until maybe that final quarter of the film. Or perhaps what if we didn't see them at all, but were left with subtle hints that Nikopol wasn't quite himself the entire time. Then again, maybe that should have been obvious from the very first moment he stepped onto the screen. Who knows.

On another note, while those two gods are just idling away the time, they have this exchange along the lines of, "Should we cheat?" followed by, "Absolutely!" Does that dialogue carry some deeper weight regarding how the rest of the story unfolds? Or was it just included as flavor without any real connection to the plot?

silentharbor88 said:"Are we going to cheat?" "We certainly are!"

😍 well, they *are* the Game Masters, after all—I love that quote.

silentharbor88 said:So, while those two gods are just killing time, they have this exchange along the lines of "Should we cheat?" followed by an enthusiastic "Absolutely!" Does that actually carry some deeper weight regarding how the rest of the movie unfolds? Or was it just tossed in there for no particular reason?

It serves to establish their fundamental nature; they might be immortal, but they're also incredibly corrupt.

Can we compare this movie to anything else out there? That’s really the only way I'll decide if it's worth my time or not. 😕