Wrath of the Titans

Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, John Bell
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Returning to life as a fisherman, Perseus (Sam Worthington) lives a quiet life with his son (John Bell). However, trouble is brewing among the gods. The lack of prayers have weakened them, allowing for Kronos- father of Zeus and Hades- to attempt to escape his prison and unleash his wrath on the world.

Review:

Tim: I really do have a soft spot for these movies. I really enjoyed 2010's remake of Clash of the Titans, despite the poor critical reception it received. I was interested and a bit excited to see this sequel (although, not excited enough to actually see it in theaters). I didn't have high hopes for this movie, but like the remake, I'd hoped it would be a fun ride. Luckily, it very much is. I will certainly not attempt to claim this is a great movie. It's flawed and very often stupid. However, this is a perfect example of mindless entertainment. I know that gets a bad rap, but sometimes I just want to sit back and be entertained. This movie accomplishes that very well.

While the story is flawed, it's still extremely entertaining to watch half-god, half-mortal Perseus go from adventure to adventure. In this film, he fights a two-headed, fire-breathing monsters, giant cyclopses, a minotaur, Ares, the god of War, and the massive, lava-enfused Kronos. That is a lot of battles, and it's pretty entertaining to watch these all unfold on screen. The special effects aren't revolutionary, but they are fairly good. Kronos especially, with the volcanic eruption and the smoke billowing from him, is certainly a sight to see. I really enjoyed the hodgepodge of different Greek myths, all crammed together in this action movie.

Sam Worthington is once again fairly good as Perseus. I just really like him int his role, and it's fun watching him as he reluctantly saves the world again. This time, he has a son, but the script wisely keeps him in the background. This is a film about Perseus, and that's where we spend most of our time. I was glad to see Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes had a bit more screen time as Zeus and Hades, respectively. It's a miracle this franchise got two such terrific actors to show up twice, and it was fun watching these brothers and rivals battle it out on the big screen. I don't like when franchises recast roles, but Rosamund Pike made me forget whoever that other actress was who played Andromeda before. It's not a terrific performance, but it's quite strong.

For people who hate this movie, I am not going to try and defend it too much. It is very clearly mindless entertainment (read, pretty stupid). The script is a bit of a mess, and there's far too many cliches at work here. For some reason, I've just been able to forgive the film of its shortcomings. Trust me, this film is definitely a step down from Clash of the Titans. Jonathan Liebesman doesn't do as good of a job as Louis Leterrier (who isn't exactly a genius) with this franchise. And yet, despite the film's flaws, there aren't exactly a lot of movies like this coming out of Hollywood. I love how it borrows from Greek myths and legends and pulls in various elements to create this new mythology. The action, adventure, and special effects make Wrath of the Titans a fun ride. Hey, I know this film is not for everyone, but sometimes when you watch films, you like something that most people do not. It's hard to define why that is, but with this franchise, I've had a fun time watching. While this film isn't as good as the first one, I still enjoyed it. I wish they would make this a trilogy, but based on the critical reception and the box office, this is probably the end. That's too bad, but I will hold onto these two films as flawed but fun adventures.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Clash of the Titans (2010), Clash of the Titans (1981)