Wrath of the Titans

Family dysfunction runs rampant among the Greek gods in Wrath of the Titans. Zeus (Liam Neesom) and his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) are barely on speaking terms since Hades was banished to the dark depths of the world to guard the pair’s imprisoned father. Above ground family squabbles also crop up between siblings and cousins. Meanwhile Zeus and the other gods watch their power weaken as humans forgo praying.

Content to be removed from the politics of Mount Olympus, Perseus (Sam Worthington), the illegitimate son of Zeus and a single father, lives as a human in a humble fishing village with his son Helius (John Bell). Then Zeus’ son Ares (Édgar Ramírez) joins forces with his uncle Hades to take down the mighty deity and release Cronus, the leader of the Titans. When Perseus discovers his father is being held captive in Hades’ domain, he is compelled to journey to the netherworld to free him. Unable to do it alone, he seeks help from Poseidon’s recalcitrant offspring Agenor (Toby Kebbell) and the warrior queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike). The latter goes into battle wearing body-hugging leather armor and no helmet to cover her long, blonde locks.

A little refresher course on Greek mythology might help audiences keep these characters straight and turning down the volume on the musical score, which is full of thundering horns, would certainly contribute to viewers being able to hear what is said. Still, the film also suffers from moments of clumsy dialogue and exaggerated acting—to say nothing of the stars’ brilliantly white teeth that seem to stand out even more on their dirt covered faces.

True to the genre, the production is replete with strange and mythical beasts, many of which experience excessive mucus issues as well as an uninhibited desire to maim and kill. However the filmmakers have ensured the graphics involving these creatures, along with the scenic vistas, are much better than those in the prequel to this film, Clash of the Titans. (It suffered from a last minute conversion to a 3D format). Yet the frequent use of 3D effects and digitally enhanced battle scenes ups the amount of graphic violent depictions seen in this movie, including an impaling, burning bodies and decomposing deities. There is never really any question that Perseus will prevail. The question is only how many soldiers will fall in the interim.