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Clash of the Titans was a shocking movie. It was simply terrible. As an adventure movie, it sucked as the characters were bland, and the story was thin. Even as an action film, it was mediocre - the sword fights in particular were shot and edited awfully. I never saw the film in 3D, so I wouldn't know how bad the 3D looked. Now, the director of Battle: Los Angeles (Unlike most movie-goers, I actually don't mind that film), Jonathan Liebesman helms the sequel. Wrath of the Titans is infinitely better than Clash. As a sequel, it doesn't improve or develop the story of this franchise, but the film succeeds on the element that is vital - the visuals. I'll be honest, I dug the hell out of this film, and even if you hated the first movie, I still think you'll enjoy Wrath of the Titans. The positives, in my opinion, outweigh the negatives, which are - surprise, surprise - in the scripting department.
A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington) the demigod son of Zeus, is living a peaceful life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius (John Bell). Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus (Liam Neeson), Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston). The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus.
Alright, the first film had a bad script, so it's really no surprise that Wrath of the Titans is no different. However, since it's a sequel, I really didn't care. My issue with the first film is that Perseus as a character was never established well, and he never particularly developed over the course of his journey. In Wrath, we can at least suspect that he's developed into a stronger man during his years as a fisherman - weirdly enough, his new haircut really adds to his character, he actually looks like Perseus now. Obviously the stories nothing great, and it plays out like a video game. Still, it allows for the filmmakers set up better action sequences than the first film, and for the first time, we see Zeus in action. My biggest issue with the script is the ending. It felt extremely abrupt and the climax just happened way too quick.
This leads us to the characters. I don't get too upset when the plot is terrible in mindless action movies, but at least give us decent characters. All the new characters introduced are bland as they don't develop in any way, and you don't care about them at all. The same goes with the hero, Perseus. Although he acts like a badass now, we don't care about him, and there's no tension when something dangerous approaches him. The relationship he shares with his son is established briefly, so there's no emotional value there, and the some-what romance he has with Andromeda is also weak. This ain't really a spoiler, but towards the end, Perseus just kisses her - where did this come from? Before the kiss, they never shared any sort of romantic moment, though we could tell that Andromeda had feelings for Perseus. I would've also liked to have seen some form of a relationship between Perseus and Ares - after all they are brothers. The film just spends too much time with its action for there to be any sort of character interplay.
I've always thought Sam Worthington was a great action hero - he's a badass. Being an Aussie myself, his accent doesn't bother as much as most movie-goers, but it's a shame he doesn't have a lot to work with here. His performance as Perseus in Wrath of the Titans has definitely been an improvement over his in Clash of the Titans (it's definitely the haircut), but it's still nothing special. Meanwhile, Rosamund Pike proves she can still bring that badass girl attitude that was so amazing in Die Another Day. Like Worthington, her character's bland, and she doesn't have a lot to do here in terms of acting. But she's still awesome - how she doesn't have more roles in action movies, I'll never know. Liam Neeson finally gets to do more as Zeus, and I actually thought he did well. He's at least trying, and like I said earlier, we get to see him bring the hurt this time during the action scenes. Likewise, Ralph Fiennes also gets a lot more involved in the action, and he brings a convincing performance as well. Bill Nighy has heaps of fun with his role, but his screen time is quite limited.
In terms of action, Wrath of the Titans certainly delivers. This was what I went into this movie for - the action, not the script. Liebesman set up some really breathtaking set-pieces, which surprised me as his last action movie focuses so much on shaky-camera work. But alas, the action was shot perfectly in Wrath of the Titans. Even the sword fights are stunning - I couldn't stand the ones in Clash - and the battle sequence between Perseus and Ares is riveting stuff. The visual effects are top notch as expected - the creation of the monsters is superb. From the Chimera to the Kronus himself, the detail and design of these creatures is to commended. Also, the 3D actually adds to the experience. I was shocked, considering the film was converted in post-production. The film also looks beautiful, with gorgeous production design by Charles Wood, which has been shot with skill by Ben Davis. The score by Javier Navarrete was epic, and praise should be handed to Liebesman for keeping pacing brisk.
I've surprisingly met people who actually liked the first film, and if that's the case with you, then I can't recommend Wrath of the Titans enough to you. Yes, there's been no change with the script, and the characters are bland, but the action has been improved to such an amazing level. I went in for action alone, and I got it. Since the film is paced so well, you're never bored as the characters are always thrown into battle after short moments of conversation. With the 3D working well, and spectacular action set-pieces, Wrath of the Titans should entertain those who don't ask too much from their movies. Bottom line, check your brain at the door and enjoy the ride.
7/10
