Wrath of the Titans is one of ‘those’ movies. The type of movie that we all know is going to do very well at the box office thanks in large part to its big budget special effects and sequel status, and the allure of that can be a bit overwhelming to some fence sitters who have an itch to go to the theater. With audience reviews coming in far more favorable than they did for Clash of the Titans, I went to see this movie despite my ill will towards its predecessor.
The acting chops displayed by the Zeus-Hades combination of Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes anchored this effort as they transcended performances from the rest of the cast. Perhaps Sam Worthington’s Perseus did not get the memo that this was a franchise redeeming effort that would only spawn additional outings if audiences were overwhelmed by an unexpected upgrade in regards to quality. He was certainly not awful, but the actor failed to make us care what happens to him which is a cardinal sin when leading an action film.
Even with that, Wrath of the Titans still would have been okay; however, the script was unbelievably bad. The main plot was rather intriguing, but the path from beginning to end was littered with nonsense. A 99-minute time frame for a feature that felt like it should have been longer seemed to be a major factor in the absence of key scenes required to bridge noticeable gaps in the film’s story. More specifically (without giving anything away), a few sequences that should have ‘made the movie’ emotionally bypass going from A to B to C in favor of a leap from A to Z that will undoubtedly leave many questioning the blockbuster’s sincerity.
You would think that would detour an elitist snob like me who proudly shares his love of quality scripted television, but no. I found the action sequences entertaining, the characters warm, and the scenery to be incredibly well-done to the point where the movie felt like a breeze rather than ‘clock watcher.’
In short, the Jonathan Liebesman-directed movie was a good time. I heard the 3D on this one was rather good (a rarity,) so I sprang for the glasses. Much to my surprise, it was a good call. Warner Bros. did a fantastic job on the post-production conversion this time around. Seeing movies in 3D usually leaves me indifferent, and I honestly cannot say I felt the same after my glasses-on experience with Wrath of the Titans.