Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle Los Angeles), Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to the remake of one of the most well known Greek mythology films, Clash of the Titans.
10 years have passed since Perseus (Sam Worthington) defeated the mighty Kraken, instead of living amongst the Gods he resorted to a simple life as a fisherman, was married and is now raising his son. With mortals not praying to the Gods anymore, they have begun to lose their power and the “good” Gods can no longer keep control over the monsters in Mount Tartarus. One night Zeus (Liam Neeson) visits Perseus asking for his help, after declining he zaps to the Underworld with his brother Poseidon (Danny Huston) and pays Hades (Ralph Fiennes) a visit, bringing along Ares (Edgar Ramirez). In a twist of events, Ares and Hades capture Zeus and declare that they will be transferring his power to Kronos, their imprisoned titan father. Poseidon is luckily able to escape and passes his trident to Perseus, letting him know that his father is in danger and that he must seek out the fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) if they want to rescue Zeus. Recruiting Poseidon’s son Agenor (Toby Kebbell) and Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), they all set sail on an adventure to save Zeus, defeat the titans and save all of mankind from total destruction.
First and foremost, Wrath is definitely better than Clash of the Titans and for me it has to do with the inclusion of cool mythological creatures and bringing in the Greek God of all Gods, Kronos, the father of Hades, Zeus and Poseidon. That specifically is what sold me when I decided to see this film. If a Greek mythology feature states that Titans will be in the film and that Mount Tartarus is being unlocked, then you have to show the titans and creatures in their unique and awesome form. This is what sets Wrath of the Titans apart from that eye candy, artsy blockbuster Immortals. Plus, this one has Cyclops, Chimeras and an insane Bill Nighy.
The reason you are going to see this movie is for the large scale action sequences. Don’t get yourself too psyched because I went in with the idea that there would be a massive battle at the end of the film, something in the vein of any of the Lord of the Rings battles, only it would be with Greek mythological characters. Some of the action is quite good and very fun to watch but, like many films of this caliber, they fail to capitalize on an amazing villain and push it to the limit. Had the film been darker in tone maybe this would have happened. If all the major Gods battled Kronos, Ares, and an underworld army of creatures this would have made the film an epic success but unfortunately that is not the case. Maybe I just have high standards for mythological features as they are one of my favorites but hey, at least they made Kronos look exactly how he should appear, a massive body of rock and hot lava.
As with the first film and against the better judgment of the studio, Wrath of the Titans was post converted into 3D and another movie you can check off that doesn’t need the 3D treatment. I never saw the first one in 3D but I’ve heard 
the horror stories from those who witnessed the Clash on the big screen and I’m glad I avoided it. The 3D was almost useless in this and was only effective when there was fire on the screen, but only fire smoke and flairs, not full on Chimera fire breath. Unless you’re seeing it in IMAX, avoid the 3D gimmick like the plague and save your money.
One of the other chief complaints of the first film was the flat acting and this film isn’t so much able to remedy that issue, rather it improves on it with the presence of good actors who aren’t meant to look good. Liam Neeson, Ralph Fienes, and Bill Nighy control every scene they are in and since Toby Kebbell brings in a few laughs you’re able to look past the staleness of Worthington and Rosamund Pike’s dramatic portions. I must say though, Danny Huston as Poseidon and Edgar Ramirez as Ares were very odd casting choices for those Gods even if they weren’t necessarily bad.
Overall, Wrath of the Titans is an improvement in the Greek mythology action genre but still fails to maximize its true potential. Certain characters are underused and others get too much attention as it tries too hard to be a pop oriented blockbuster rather than something that should get the darker treatment, making it bigger and more badass. It has some fun action, a few laughs, and pretty good effects, I geuss what I’m saying is that its decent at the moment but easily forgettable afterwards.
Rating: A step in the right direction but it’s not what you would have hoped for (5.5/10)
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