Despite brilliant special effects and the occasional moment of clarity from the supporting cast, “Wrath of the Titans” provided about as much lasting entertainment for the audience as a paddle-ball, yet utilized many more explosions to make its mark.
The story picks up ten years after its 2010 predecessor left off: Perseus (Sam Worthington), legendary son of Zeus, has moved into a quiet fishing village with his son, Helius. The first ten minutes is devoted to quiet scenes of the family fishing, going to school, and sleeping peacefully in a lovely little shack.
The next ten minutes is devoted to Zeus telling Perseus that the Titan lord Kronos is rising from his prison in Tartarus, intent on destroying the world in an explosion of fire, brimstone, and other equally bad things. Then the entire village is burned to the ground by a Chimera, which is killed by Perseus through self-combustion. Quite a jump, no?
This entails the entire problem of the movie: the entire film feels as though it was pulled together at the last minute, and comprised of scenes that didn’t make it into the 2010 film. The pace is jilted, comprising of lengthy, dramatic action sequences so long and drawn out that any scene NOT filled with blood and fire becomes boring in under a minute. The dialogue is wooden, and every so often a phrase is uttered that would never have been said in real ancient Greece. Whether it’s Perseus making a pun about “hanging in there”, or even his son referring to him as “Dad”, the audience is brought out of the scene too often to ever get fully involved in the story.
The cast is bearable (highlights include Toby Kebbell as Agenor, the son of Posideon, and the always-charming Bill Nighy as Hephaestus), but it’s hard to enjoy a movie when the protagonist is about as exciting to watch as a plank of wood with a face painted on it. Sam Worthington makes even the loudest and most manic fight scenes seem like a chore, trudging through the set as though it’s a pain to even ACT in the movie, let alone carry it. Liam Neeson is less enjoyable this go-round as Zeus, but still manages to retain some dignity despite walking around in an armored skirt for ninety minutes- more than you could say for the average actor.
This is not to say that “Wrath” is a TERRIBLE movie- the special effects are mind-blowing, and every so often the audience starts to enjoy itself. It accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish: an ancient Greek epic with more explosions and screaming than a monster-truck rally. The problem is that it aimed so low to begin with that even if it hit the mark, it never goes beyond just a decent movie. Nothing to be gained from seeing it; nothing to be lost from missing it.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
