‘Immortal’ is a Realistic Perspective on Discovering What You Would Do if You Learned You Could Not Die
*SPOILER FREE
Immortal is a 4-story horror anthology written, directed and produced by Rob Margolies. An impressive cast completes this movie, consisting of Tony Todd, Dylan Baker, Robin Bartlett, Samm Levine, Venessa Lengles and Agnes Bruckner. Each story surprises one individual with the reality that when killed they never truly die. They emerge from death shocked, frighten or confused by the prospect.
I will tell you up front that the first two stories were my favorite and I would have enjoyed watching a movie about them. The strongest story was first out of the gate, titled Chelsea. We have a beautiful high school track star who lost her father and needs her scholarship. When it quickly becomes clear that her track coach is making unwanted advances that is seen by the amazing English teacher played by Dylan Baker. This character is the modern O’Captain My Captain. We learn that Lord of the Flies being taught in class has influence someone other than the students and a game of cat and mouse ensues.
The second story is titled Gary and Venessa, a married pregnant couple living a luxurious life that they can no longer afford. So, Gary has hatched a plan to make sure his wife and baby are taken care of, however things do not go as hoped. A stunning twist of events leads to an accidental picturesque blood bath. There is one scene in here that was so realistic it even made me gasp.
The third story is a love story of a married couple Ted and Mary. Mary has a terminal illness and has agrred to be interviewed in support of assisted suicide. Tony Todd plays a devoted husband in this dramatic role, who would do anything for his wife. It is heartwarming and sad as we learn how much he has educated himself and prepared to help his wife die. A modern-day Romeo and Juliet ending with a twist.
The final story is called Warren. It is Warren’s (Samm Levine’s) birthday and he is on the phone with his mother when he is run over by a wealthy lady driving a Lexus SUV. After seeing Warren’s mangled neck, she speeds away from the scene leaving him for dead. As Warren wakes up in extreme pain he begins to heal and tests the theory that he may not be able to die. Spending sleepless nights, unable to eat and losing all desire for life, he seeks revenge and balance.
Before selecting play, I thought I was going to get a vampire movie. I did not expect an anthology film and found myself being pulled into each story. Unfortunately, you get a sense of being left hanging before moving onto the next story. I was hoping that somehow, they would have tied the stories into one another, but they share one common theme, someone discovering they are immortal. The cast in each story pulled their weight, I was surprised to see the actors used so well as appose to just tossing in names for a brief cameo. I was impressed with what I received in visuals and acting. I felt a little short changed when the movie was over, but I think most anthologies leave me feeling this way. This is not an insult to this film. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted a tie in to keep it going. Either way, this is a movie that I would recommend as it takes more of a realistic original approach
