Wrath of the Titans

The Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to the Clash of the Titans sequel, and all the mainstays are back: Sam Worthington portrays Perseus, Liam Neeson is his father, Zeus, and Ralph Fiennes is Hades. The difference here, however, is that the writing is slightly better, and Sam Worthington has figured out how to handle this period piece with a bit of good acting balanced with a little humor.

When it turns out that his father, Zeus, is dying -- all the gods are dying because people stopped believing in them -- Perseus goes to the Underworld to rescue his father from Zeus' brother Hades and God of War Ares.

The first 15 minutes sets up the fact that Perseus' wife has died, Perseus is sad because of that, but that Perseus loves his son and will do anything to protect him. A few minutes later, he's in a do-or-die struggle against a two-headed, well, thing. It's quite a spectacular battle and a great way to begin an action film.

Perseus aka Worthington looks a little battleworn here, quite a proper look for someone who's been through so much. He insists on being a simple fisherman even though it's obvious he was born for something greater. When Zeus is captured, and it's beginning to look like mankind itself is in danger of perishing once the Titans are released, Perseus starts living up to the hype.

The accents are a bit confusing here, and rather humorous. You hear Australian (something Perseus didn't show us last time), Irish, Cockney, and a few other European accents thrown in.

I found that, in many cases, the casting was uninspired, especially where Ares (actor Edgar Ramirez) was concerned. It's too bad they couldn't have used the late but great Kevin Smith; his Ares on Xena was something to be reckoned with. This guy just looks like a guy off the Greek streets. Rosamund Pike, however, as Andromeda, really captures the camera. She has a certain gravitas as well about her, and was quite watchable.

The plot meanders. There are too many actors for the story. The action doesn't always suit the story. But this Titan story is better than the first remake, and the actors seem to have found their ground. Thumb's up.