Ten years have passed since Perseus killed the Kraken and saved Argos and its princess Andromeda; now the demigod son of Zeus is the father of Helios and lives as a fisherman in a peaceful village. One day Zeus appears to Perseus and asks for his help to thwart the new destructive plan of Hades: the god of the Underworld, in fact, wants to conquer Olympus and throw humanity into chaos by freeing the titan Cronus from his imprisonment in Tartarus. However, Perseus does not take Zeus' request seriously, who is forced to face Hades with only the help of his brother Poseidon and his son Ares. When Poseidon is mortally wounded and Ares betrays his father to join Hades' side, the Underworld begins to invade Earth and Perseus finds himself as the only person capable of confronting the infernal legions. To do this, he needs a special weapon that only the fallen god Hephaestus can provide him, so the hero will set off for the island of Kail—the home of Hephaestus—together with Andromeda, now a combative queen of Argos, and Agenor, a demigod son of Poseidon.
Two years after "Clash of the Titans," an engaging remake of the 1981 cult film for kids "Clash of the Titans," Perseus returns to kill monsters in the sequel "Wrath of the Titans," equally successful patchwork of mythological creatures, action, and adventure this time in true 3D.
The fate of "Clash of the Titans," directed by Louis Leterrier, was emblematic: rewarded by rich box office earnings but savagely criticized by critics. It was normal that with appetizing results that had approached 500 million dollars in worldwide earnings, the producers would not miss the opportunity to bring Perseus and company back into action, but with the intelligence to gather all the criticism received and "correct" them according to the needs of the case. "Clash of the Titans" was unanimously—and rightly—criticized for being presented in a hasty and shoddy post-conversion 3D? "Wrath of the Titans" is in native 3D… and what 3D! One of those (rare) cases in which stereoscopy is used well and knowingly, as attentive to depth as to objects that pop out of the screen with a spectacular 360° effect.
The film by Leterrier was also criticized for a characterization of the gods—look and behavior—that bordered on caricature? Well, in "Wrath of the Titans," Zeus, Poseidon, and especially Hades have been "humanized," freed from an exaggerated characterization that, especially in the case of the god of the Underworld played by Ralph Fiennes, did not help to take the characters seriously. The look has also been toned down and normalized, replacing Zeus' shiny armor with a normal tunic and metal breastplate, as well as roughly all the others. Finally, it may seem like nitpicking, but Perseus was also criticized for his marine-style haircut, unrealistic for a fisherman of ancient Greece. And so here we find an aged Perseus with long, flowing, and tousled hair, more in line with the physical canons of the era.
In short, you will understand that they have worked hard to correct the course and make the most of the criticism received, while remaining absolutely faithful to the spirit and narrative construction of the original. Indeed, "Wrath of the Titans" is a beautiful adventurous fantasy just like the 2010 film, with a tight pace and simple but effective characterization of all characters. Screenwriters Dan Mazeau and David Johnson base the script of this sequel on the winning formula of the previous one, making Perseus go through almost the same stages as the other film, yet never creating a sense of déjà-vu. Therefore, initial reluctance of the hero to the mission overcome by the entry into play of family feelings; a team of heroes on a mission to recover a magical object; a step-by-step fight with mythological monsters during which the group is decimated; a final duel with the worst nemesis to save the individual and the community. This time, Perseus has to deal, in order, with a fierce chimera—who gives life to the best fight in the film—a cyclops, a minotaur, the makhai (infernal warriors with two heads and four arms), and Cronus, the gigantic leader of the Titans. In a certain sense, what "Wrath of the Titans" lacks compared to "Clash of the Titans" is the emphasis on monstrous creatures, here more focused on the spectacularity of the action and less on the gruesome danger of the monsters, and this makes this sequel more of an epic fantasy (see also the long and spectacular final battle) in the manner of modern Hollywood with a wink to the world of video games (the fight with Cronus owes much to the series "God of War"), than a tribute to the monster films of the 1960s, which "Clash of the Titans" was inspired by.
Of course, a winning team is not changed, and if the direction passes into the hands of the talented Jonathan Liebesman ("Texas Chainsaw 3D"; "Invasion: Battle for Earth"), the cast is almost unchanged, with Sam Worthington ("Avatar"; "Terminator Salvation") in the role of Perseus, Liam Neeson ("Taken"; "A-Team") as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes ("Harry Potter") as Hades, and Danny Huston ("30 Days of Night") as Poseidon. The only change in the cast is Andromeda, played by Alex Davalos in the previous film and here replaced by Rosamund Pike ("The World Is Not Enough"; "Johnny English Reborn"), to which are added the new entries Bill Nighy/Hephaestus, Edgar Ramirez/Ares, and Toby Kebbell/Agenor.
The result is an enjoyable adventure film, full of action and monsters, that complements the film that preceded it, replicating its fun, the so-called "sense of wonder," and the overall quality. To be seen in 3D!
Add half a pumpkin.
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