Immortel (ad vitam) (2004)

Director:

Enki Bilal

Writers:

Enki Bilal (comic books "La Foire aux immortels" and "La Femme piège")
Enki Bilal (scenario & adaptation and dialogue)

Release Date:

24 March 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

New York 2095. In a strange pyramid floating in the sky, the gods of ancient Egypt are judging Horus. In the city, a young women with blue hair and tears is arrested, but she has a secret power, even to herself...

Plot Keywords:

Mutant | Blue Hair | Pyramid | Election Campaign | Corrupt Politician

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Linda Hardy	...	Jill Bioskop
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Alcide Nikopol
Charlotte Rampling	...	Elma Turner
Yann Collette	...	Froebe
Frédéric Pierrot	...	John
Thomas M. Pollard	...	Horus
Joe Sheridan	...	Allgood
Corinne Jaber	...	Lily Liang
Olivier Achard	...	Checker
Jerry Di Giacomo	...	Jack Turner
Dominique Mahut	...	Hotel Receptionist
Gary Cowan	...	Tycho Barman
Augustin Legrand	...	Pusher / Salesman
Javon Constantin	...	Eugenics Little Boy
Owen Steketee	...	Horus's Baby

Also Known As:

Immortal (Ad Vitam) (International: English title) (Italy)
Immortal (USA) (video title)
Immortel (France) (short title)
La femme piège (France) (working title)
Trilogy (France) (working title)
Besmrtna (Serbia) [sr]
God Diva (Japan) [ja]
God Diva (Japan: English title) [en]
Gynaika pagida (Greece) [el]
Immortal (Finland) [fi]
Immortal (Sweden) [sv]
Immortal (Germany) [de]
Immortal - New York 2095: Die Rückkehr der Götter (Germany) (DVD box title) [de]
Immortals (Netherlands) (DVD title) [nl]
Immortals (Belgium: Flemish title) (DVD box title) [un]
Kadin tuzagi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Surematu (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

France | Italy | UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | UK:15 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R

Company:

Téléma

Trivia:

Nikopol's first name in the comics is Alcide.

Quotes:

Allgood: What a bitch! What A Bitch!
Lily Liang: A bitch, but a fast learner about politics.
Allgood: That's what I mean - a whore...

Movie Connections:

References Blade Runner (1982)

Soundtrack:

June in January

Artful, atmospheric and beautiful...

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