Henry Cavill Starred In An Epic Fantasy Movie Before Superman

With now-former DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran’s version of the DC Universe coming to a premature end, it’s times like these when we would do well to look back at what has worked, and what hasn’t worked, when it comes to DC’s films. One thing that kinda worked was Henry Cavill, a great Superman who never got a great Superman movie during his run in the DC Extended Universe. Without doubt, the actor had both the charisma and physicality to make you believe a man can fly.

And yet, just two years before debuting as Superman in “Man of Steel,” Cavill made audiences believe a man could battle gods with a sword. It was November 11, 2011, and Indian director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar had just released his film “Immortals,” an epic fantasy movie inspired by Greek mythology.

In the film, Henry Cavill plays Theseus, a humble stonemason with the physique of a Kryptonian who is chosen by Zeus himself (Luke Evans) to lead humanity in their resistance against Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), a tyrant king wreaking havoc on Greece in search of a mythical bow that would allow him to free the Titans and overthrow the gods of Olympus. No, this movie isn’t really based on any particular myth. Rather, it borrows from a number of legends and blends them together in a nonsensical yet very cool tale full of superhero-like action, incredible costumes, and some of the most stunning imagery in any fantasy movie out there.

Back in its day, critics generally praised “Immortals” for its stunning visuals while admitting its story left a lot to be desired. Nowadays, though, the movie represents an underrated entry in Cavill’s body of work, as it showed he was ready to be a star and lead a franchise (or two).

“Immortals” is, admittedly, not a well-written movie. And yet, Tarsem Singh Dhandwar went about crafting this movie like it was going to mark the last time he ever set foot on a film set, leaving it all on the screen. Case in point, he tapped Eiko Ishioka (“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”) to design the movie’s impossibly flamboyant costumes, which make the human characters look so extravagant that they almost overshadow the literal gods around them.

Then there’s the film’s visual style, which Singh once described as “Caravaggio meets ‘Fight Club.'” He wanted to make a hardcore action flick in the manner of a Renaissance painting, and it shows, resulting in a movie that blends the desaturated colors and slow motion of something like “300” with a striking painterly aesthetic. When it comes to its spectacle, “Immortals” similarly combines gods with mythical weapons that tear down city walls and intimate, grounded sword clashes, making its violence feel huge in its scope and scale. Indeed, the first scenes involving gods are especially stunning, as they move at full speed while the humans they’re reducing to smithereens are slowed way down. It’s a great way to illustrate the awesome powers of these deities.

Speaking of awesome powers, “Immortals” is further bolstered by Henry Cavill, who very much proves his ability to carry a big-budget movie ihere. To be sure, his performance matches the wild tone of everything else around him, all while bringing some needed humanity to Theseus. It’s enough to make you more than a little excited for Cavill’s return to the realm of outlandish fantasy movie adventures with his upcoming “Highlander” reboot.