“Wrath of the Titans” is mixed business: Equal parts clunky storytelling, epic adventure and amazing hairdos. No joke about the hair, Sam Worthington’s curly locks are a marvel and make him look like a young Estelle Getty from “Golden Girls”.
A sequel to the forgettable “Clash of the Titans” remake, this go around shines in comparison and, while it stumbles over its own flaws at times, “Wrath of the Titans” ultimately delivers a huge dose of sword and sandal action.
You may remember that at the end of “Clash,” Perseus (Sam Worthington) had decided to live as a man and forget that he is the half-god son of Zeus. Then again, you may not remember this little factoid as I used the word “forgettable” on purpose when I described “Clash of the Titans” in the last paragraph. I myself remember nothing of the first film. I was going to Google a bit on it but I’ve decided that it doesn’t really matter and you will be able to follow along with “Wrath” without much issue if you don’t have the back-story.
In the years that have passed, Perseus has lost his wife (someone from the first film, I’m sure, but women don’t usually make it from film-to-film in action movies. Even the pretty lady who plays Andromeda [now Rosamund Pike] has been recast) and has a son, Helios (John Bell). Perseus will do anything for his child and when Zeus (Liam Neeson), comes to share the horrible news that the great Titan Kronos is breaking down the prison walls of Tartarus, Perseus knows that he must take up arms and save the world for his child sake and his own honor.
Perseus’ journey pits him against all sorts of lovely creatures and baddies; from a two-headed, fire-breathing Chimera to a labyrinth prowling Minotaur. The adventure is what “Wrath of the Titans” gets right and the film harkens back to the stop motion Ray Harryhausen films in a way that “Clash of the Titans” never came close to touching. “Wrath” is essentially a series of sword and sorcery scenes and never worries too much about connecting the dots in between. While it is not clear who everybody is at times or why Hades (Ralph Fiennes) would ever release Kronos from his cage only to decide otherwise almost immediately. It is silly but I think all this movie looks to deliver are cool looking monsters delivered with the proper “oohs and aahs”. And believe me, Kronos makes the Kraken look like an Amazing Sea Monkey.
Back in 2010,“Clash of the Titans” was the initial chink in 3-D’s armor as it was rushed to make the theaters and the hasty conversion was noticed. People began wondering why they were paying an extra $3 bucks if the product was crap. This time around director Jonathan Liebesman seems to be going to great lengths to redeem the franchise as he constantly pokes spears at you while weaving the camera through caves and over mountaintops. With the camera spinning around trying to make the opening of “Hugo” seem mundane, Liebesman is overcompensating and the image is still a touch murky. Also some of the action is too hectic and it is hard to follow along and see the action. The Minotaur scene is nearly impossible to follow and this is a shame. They used an actual man in makeup to bring the beast to life and it would have been nice if it was showcased better. But still, this is an improvement over the lackluster “everything” found in its predecessor.
One last note: Bill Nighy makes an appearance and he is awesome!!! That’s it. I just love him.