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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. |
I’m not
sure anyone was asking for a sequel to 2010’s Clash of the Titans (itself a
remake of the hokey 1981 Harry Hamlin flick), but here we are. I wasn’t a big
fan of the first one, aside from the decent casting choices, a couple of cool
action sequences and better-than-average special effects. In fact, I barely
even remember anything about it.
The flick
was a worldwide hit all the same, so now we get a second installment. Luckily,
the filmmakers put a greater emphasis on the stuff that worked the first time
around and improve the quality of the post-conversion 3D. At this rate, maybe
by the third one they’ll have a decent script.
The story
picks up a decade after Perseus (a slightly more emotive Sam Worthington), the
demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), became a hero for defeating the humongous
Kraken. Now he lives a simple fisherman’s life with his son at the behest of
his late wife, but he’s quickly dragged back into action. He discovers Hades
(Ralph Fiennes) and demigod Ares (Edgar Ramirez) made a deal to deliver Zeus to
the evil Kronos. Their reasoning is complicated and full of daddy issues to say
the least.
If Perseus
is going to rescue his father and save the world, he’ll have to convince
warrior queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) and Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby
Kebbell, channeling Russell Brand) to travel with him to the underworld. Then they’ll
have to assemble a super-weapon and do battle with the most powerful gods in
existence. All in a day’s work, I suppose.
Director
Jonathan Liebesman (Battle Los Angeles) has a knack for incorporating CGI in
a relatively believable manner and he proves adept at staging the flick’s many
action sequences. He just doesn’t know what to do when the characters aren’t
running, fighting or screaming. Then again, the screenplay from Dan Mazeau and
David Johnson doesn’t give him much to work with in that department.
Fortunately,
Liebesman has a cast that knows how to chew some serious scenery when the
script is lacking, Neeson and Fiennes in particular. That doesn’t completely
make up for the absence of clever dialogue or interesting character
interactions, but at least it’s not boring.
Wrath of
the Titans isn’t a must-see, though hardcore action/mythology fans will
probably want to catch it on the big screen. Don’t worry about 3D though – it’s
decent, but not mind-blowing enough to justify the added expense.
Wrath of
the Titans is rated PG-13
for intense sequences of fantasy violence and action.
Grade: C
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