Wrath of the Titans

I’ve put off writing this movie review for over a week, mainly because I was so disappointed by Wrath of the Titans that I didn't want to waste any more time on thinking about it. Alas, I’d be remiss if I didn’t warn you to avoid this piece of crap.

I actually saw the movie on opening night and admit that I harbored high hopes. For whatever reason, I thought the filmmakers might have learned their lesson from Clash of the Titans, which I hated, and made the necessary corrections to make this a great action flick. The subject material is great (I love Greek mythology) and the cast is second to none; even so, they still found a way to botch this movie. How did they do it? Easy, they produced a cookie-cutter copy of the first.

For those who don’t know the premise, IMDb explains: “Perseus braves the treacherous underworld to rescue his father, Zeus, captured by his son, Ares, and brother Hades who unleash the ancient Titans upon the world.”

Now let’s compare that to IMDb’s premise for 2010’s Clashof the Titans: “Perseus, mortal son of Zeus, battles the minions of the underworld to stop them from conquering the Earth and the heavens.”

Slightly different I suppose, but the story for both is essentially the same: “Half man, half god battles crazy monsters, creatures and gods with the help of mortals to help stop a giant villain from destroying the earth. The villain ends up getting unleashed in both films, and then subsequently stopped by Perseus.” It didn’t work in the first film and it doesn’t work in the sequel.

If you told me a movie had Liam Neeson, Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy and Danny Huston, I would tell you it would be a guaranteed hit. Well, I’d be wrong because all of them were in this film and it still didn’t work. Huston was underutilized and quickly dismissed as Poseidon, while Nighy’s character, Hephaestus, was trivial. On the other hand, Worthington made a good action star, but it seemed like his heart wasn’t in it.

In my opinion, Fiennes’ performance as Hades was the best in the film, as it was in the first, while Neeson as Zeus came a close second. Even so, the performances weren’t that great. Like Worthington, it seemed like the cast had a laid-back approach to their performances, almost as if they expected the special effects and 3D graphics to carry the film.

Speaking of the special effects, they were great. The creatures were awesome, and there were some decent action sequences. The film even managed to pull off some realistic looking Cyclopes, which isn’t easy to do. Unfortunately, the special effects alone couldn't carry the film.

Wrath of the Titans was like looking forward to a delicious birthday cake. All of the ingredients have been combined, baked, and the finished product looks like a real pleasure to eat. Then, when it comes time to take a bit, you discover someone used salt instead of sugar. You’d no doubt be left with a bad taste in your mouth, just like you will if you see this film.

Buddies Forever Movie Club Rating: 15%

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