Two years after the
anticlimactic and underwhelming Clash of the Titans reached
blockbuster success we have the inevitable sequel Wraith of the
Titans, with a new director and promises that this film would correct
the numerous issues present in the first film. Whilst it is clear
that an effort was made to do so, Wrath of the Titans still fails to
achieve greatness and instead descends into mediocrity alongside the
first instalment.
The action in Wrath of
the Titans is acceptably fast and frenetic and at times even manages
to be spectacular. It however also suffers from a severe overuse of
quick cuts which often left what was occurring on screen confusing
and disorienting. There however are a handful of lengthy action
shoots that manage to linger long enough to draw undue attention
themselves but aren't so short as to disorientate and it is in these
moments that the action shines and can be spectacular. Such moments
however are few and far between and fail to elevate the action beyond
what is expected from such a film which leaves Wraith largely relying
on its story which despite some promise is ultimately unsatisfying
and barely present.
At its core Wrath of
the Titans is obviously a father and son story with this being
paralleled in several relationships. However the reason for this
focus is not present and what could have made for an interesting
framework as fathers, sons and brother where caught in an epic batlle is instead barely present as the film
moves at such a quick pace which doesn't allow for what is
occurring on screen to resonate beyond a superficial wow level. This is
further accentuated by mediocre acting (save a few campy yet undebiably fun performances from
veterans such as Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy and Ralph Fiennes) and comedy that breaks up the mediocrity of the story despite more often then not falling flat as a result of bieng overly preditable and ultimatly just another flavor of dull. I can't help but find this to be
unfortunate as had more time been spent developing the already
existing framework and had the epic struglle between fathers, sons and brothers been more developed we could have had an interesting
film that didn't rely solely on its visuals to entertain. Hence just
as was the case with the series first entry Wrath of the Titans
biggest flaw could be seen to be its inability to create a plight or
characters you cared for. Wrath of the Titans also shares another
massive weakness that was present in Clash of the Titans and ends on
an anticlimactic note with the final battle ending just as it felt
like the action was getting interesting.
In spite of all the issues present Wraith of the Titans isn't horrible by any means, rather it is nothing more then a passable action film that is unable to prove itself a notable improvement on the series similarly
underwhelming yet still competent first entry. Hence Wrath of the Titans does not come
recommended.
- Gabi
