Wrath of the Titans review

Make no mistake, I HATED Clash of the Titans. Not the original -of course- just the shitty remake that serves as the first installment to Wrath.

I had zero intention of giving this movie a shot. But it looked like so much fun...and what can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic and optimist. So I gave it a shot.

Good thing too...

I try NOT to tell myself this too many times a day...bad things happen when I do...

While this movie isn't THAT awesome...it's a lot of fun.

I was seriously shocked at how much I enjoyed it.

Forget Clash...I went in acting like the events of the first film were just vague notions. I looked at Wrath as a stand alone flick. While many of the characters reference some of the happenings of the first film, I feel like the way I went in was perfect because had you never watched Clash, you'd really never suffer while watching this movie. I honestly they made this movie so that you'd never have to watch the atrocious first installment and be none the wiser for it.

When the movie opens, Perseus has been a normal guy for years, raising a son and making his living as a fisherman. His father, Zeus comes to ask for his help because all Hell is about to break loose. The Gods are losing their power because mankind has basically forgotten them. As a consequence, the Titans, namely Kronos (father to Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus) are about to gain their freedom. Perseus just wants to go on being a normal guy, Zeus respects this and moves on...well, all Hell breaks loose.

Perseus is forced to step up to not only save his son but his father as well. Thus, the adventure continues...

What ensues is a fun romp...so why is this any different than Clash of the Titans?

Well for one, right off the bat - the CGI is LOADS better. The CGI for Clash was notoriously bad...this mostly having to do with the film having a release date before filming was finished. Sure, the Kraken looked great, but the Scorpions and Medusa looked awful.

Ugh...

 

Secondly, the storyline is more streamlined. The Gods are losing their powers, Kronos (father to the Gods)  is gaining strength...our heroes have to stop him or else...THE END.

Thirdly, the characters are more interesting - or at least the characters that we invest time in are more interesting.

One of the major problems with Clash of the Titans was that time was invested in characters that went absolutely NOWHERE. They introduced a large cast of characters and proceeded to kill them off without any regard for their substance.

I have no problem with killing off characters (fan of Joss Whedon here). However, when you hint at substance and then do nothing with it, well that makes ZERO impact. It's like having a single bite of a donut. For one thing, WHO could have just ONE bite of a donut? You gotta finish that bitch. Because while it may not have any substance, it's fucking tasty like a mother fucker. Everyone wants to finish the donut. We know it's not good for us, but we'll eat it.

Simple, broad, and easy characterizations (or bad) are comparable to donuts. And in most action flicks, this works. There is nothing wrong with broad strokes like this - for some and maybe a lot of films (I'm looking at you, Armageddon). The problem is when you introduce a ton of different characters (or flavors) and then get rid of them immediately. Clash of the Titans tried to have it's donut and eat it too. It was a movie with a large cast of characters that were killed off like nothing while focusing on the main action star of the piece. How can the audience care for so many random characters that are getting half-assed backgrounds and characterizations? Especially when they are just fodder for the crappy CGI-monsters?

Wrath changes the scenario. It maintains it's focus on a handful of characters and delegates MOST of the fodder to characters that we haven't gotten to know. And let's be honest, in stories about giant monsters and Titans, you gotta know that many, if not, all of the LEADS are gonna make it through. AS THEY SHOULD. This is a story about the FEW, after all. But that's not to say that Wrath is without it's casualties. The main difference is that while Clash tried to have a ton of varying and interesting characters that allowed the film to remain unfocused and indifferent when a character died, Wrath allows that fodder to exist and puts a few main characters in stark contrast and therefore makes their fates THAT much more interesting and retains our investment.

Not only this, but Rosamund Pike is in the movie. I've loved her for years. She's gorgeous and while I felt that they had needlessly recasted her role as Andromeda, she only adds to the value of the movie. She's a good, strong actress and just gorgeous...I know, I've said that already.

EVERYTHING about her shooting is wrong here - seriously - EVERYTHING - Still HOT

Hot enough to forgive anything...

8 / 10