Wrath of the Titans

Synopsis: Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson star once again as gods at war in “Wrath of the Titans,” under the direction of Jonathan Liebesman.

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Worthington)-the demigod son of Zeus (Neeson)-is attempting to live quietly as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year-old son, Helius.

But unbeknownst to Perseus, a struggle for supremacy has been raging between the gods that will come to threaten his idyllic life. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing hold of their immortality, as well as control over the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades (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.

Now, Perseus cannot ignore his true calling as Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramirez), switches loyalties and makes a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titan’s strength grows 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 Agenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the Underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Release Date: March 30, 2012     MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Action, Fantasy

Film Review

In 2010, a re-make of the cult classic 1981 film Clash of the Titans was released in theatres. The critical praise did not measure up to the large box office pull the film made. When news that a sequel would be made eyes rolled. Now, in 2012, the sequel has arrived, Wrath of the Titans and it is clear the filmmakers learned from their previous mistakes. Wrath of the Titans is a more than decent mythological action film; one may even go so far as to say it is a great time to be had at the movies.

Beginning more than a decade after Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans finds leading Demi-God Perseus (Sam Worthington) living life as a simple fisherman, having vowed to not leave his son Helius (John Bell) after his wife passed away. Living life as a man is not in the cards for Perseus because Hades (Ralph Fiennes), ruler of the Underworld, and Ares (Edgar Ramirez), the God of War have made a deal with Hades, Zeus (Liam Neeson), and Poseidon’s (Danny Huston) father Kronos to release him from his prison in Tartaros. In order to do this they must capture Zeus so Kronos may drain him of his Godly powers to become strong again. Perseus is called into action to save his father Zeus, and save mankind from the total destruction Kronos will surely wage against the Earth.

Joined by Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike, also in Clash of the Titans), Poseidon’s possibly worthless son Agenor (Toby Kebbell), Perseus sets off on his quest. This quest takes them, and the viewer, to some of Greek mythology’s most spoken of places, including a trip to visit Hephaestus on his never-before-seen nor visited island home. The greatest of all the locations is of course the prison that is Tartaros, and the visual do not disappoint. Nor does the action that takes place continuously on their quest, be it against monsters, cyclops, or the God of War himself Ares whose relationship with Perseus is, to say the least, strained. With all of the visual stimulation, the full realization by the cast and filmmakers that this is not necessarily a “serious” picture, and the quick=paced storyline full of enough action to never let the mind wander, Wrath of the Titans is a mythological action film that shall not disappoint.

The stakes are much higher in Wrath of the Titans for Perseus, and the action has been kicked up tenfold from Clash if the Titans–thankfully. Just like a choreographed dance the film moves from one action scene to another, building up to the grand finale that will bring everyone together to fight the fire engulfed giant of a demon God Kronos. The first ten minutes offer a rousing fight between Perseus and a flying fire-breathing two-headed horned monster that is attacking his village. The scene sets the stage for the entire film, and immediately shows the audience this is an action-movie involving the mythological, and the enemies are going to be a great deal of fun to look at, and very difficult to defeat.

The action continues perfectly throughout Wrath of the Titans, between men and Gods, demi-Gods and monsters, and even between Gods themselves. There is no shortage of stimulation, and even the scenes where Perseus and his small army are feted against Hephaestus’ wild creation of a maze leading to the prison Kronos inhabits are thrilling. Adding to the thrills of the film are the weapons, and the Godly sounds they make crashing together–it is overtly loud and thunderous, just as weapons of a Godly nature should sound. Wrath of the Titans is not without the humor either in certain action scenes, as every character in the film (and in turn actor’s performance) is tinged with a small bit of sarcasm, is playfully witty, and it is quite obvious everyone wants to have fun with the legends that Wrath of the Titans are based upon. The inclusion of humor, even when death is surely coming for characters, lets the viewer and characters lighten up the mood of the film. Perseus has his comedic moments but the most memorable will surely come from Neeson’s Zeus and Fiennes’ Hades near the end of the film. These aging Gods are up for a fight, and they do it with plenty of old-God panache.

Cast and Crew

• Director(s): Jonathan Liebesman
• Producer(s): Dan MazeauDavid Leslie Johnson
• Screenwriter(s): Sam Worthington (Perseus)Liam Neeson (Zeus)Ralph Fiennes (Hades)
• Story: Edgar Ramirez (Ares)
• Cast: Toby Kebbell (Agenor)Rosamund Pike (Andromeda)Bill Nighy (Hephaestus) Danny Huston (Poseidon)John Bell (Helius)Freddy Drabble (Apollo)Kathryn Carpenter (Athena)Martin WalshBen DavisCharles Wood
• Editor(s):
• Cinematographer: Javier Navarrete
• Production Designer(s):
• Costume Designer: 
• Casting Director(s): 
• Music Score: 
• Music Performed By: 
• Country Of Origin: USA