Immortal (2004)

Immortal is special because it doesn’t just show you a future—it drops you into a fever-dream New York where ancient Egyptian gods hover over a bruised, bureaucratic dystopia, and every frame looks like it was painted with neon and ash. Enki Bilal’s hybrid of live action and stylized CGI has the audacity of a graphic novel come to life: strange, tactile, and unapologetically unreal in a way that makes the world feel mythic rather than merely “sci-fi.” The tone is moody and sensual, equal parts noir mystery and cosmic fable, with Linda Hardy and Thomas Kretschmann grounding the spectacle in something human and yearning. It’s not for everyone—its storytelling can feel more like drifting through striking images than clicking through tidy plot points—but if you’re willing to surrender to its atmosphere, it’s the kind of singular, ambitious oddity you’ll remember long after the credits.

Immortal is clearly aiming for a bold, art-comic sci‑fi fever dream: ancient Egyptian gods hovering over a grim future city, identity-swapping, and a doomed romance wrapped in political paranoia. The problem is it often feels like you’re watching striking concept art desperately trying to masquerade as a coherent story, with character motivations and plot logic that can seem thin or outright baffling. If you need clear world-building rules, emotional grounding, or a narrative that actually connects its big ideas in a satisfying way, this will likely test your patience. Still, if you’re the type who can forgive clunky storytelling for unusual visuals, oddball atmosphere, and sheer ambition, there’s enough here to at least keep your eyes busy even when your brain checks out.