Wrath of the Titans Blu-ray Review
For some reason, I thought I remember CLASH OF THE TITANS being very disappointing and underwhelming from audiences and critics alike. So I was surprised that the sequel, WRATH OF THE TITANS, was immediately greenlit and released two years later. Not surprisingly, this film has the exact same qualities as its predecessor.
It has been ten years since Perseus (Sam Worthington) defeated the Kraken and turned down the offer from his father Zeus (Liam Neeson) to reign with the gods. Living his life quietly as a fisherman and taking care of his son, Perseus is called into action once again. Poseidon has been killed and Zeus has been kidnapped by his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and other son Ares (Edgar Ramirez), the god of war. Their plan is to awaken the father of Zeus and Hades in order to continue their immortality. Mankind has stopped praying to the gods and therefore they are weakening and will soon find death. Perseus along with Poseidon’s son Agenor (Toby Kebbell) and Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pikes) must battle through treacherous lands full of Cyclops, the half human half bull Minotaur, the two-headed dragon chimera and a complex continually moving maze to save Zeus and humanity from the giant fiery god Kronos
The picture looks fantastic. WRATH OF TITANS is clearly a special effects driven film where the story is there to serve the effects. This is a formula that never wins as our characters are thrown into meaningless situations in order to show a cool effect. While each creature might look horrific, there is never an ounce of tension or danger that is felt throughout the supposed menacing doom.
One can never fully immerse themselves into a film when they don’t care about any of the characters. Poseidon’s disappointing thief of a son Agenor and Bill Nighy as the kooky architect Hephaestus are meant as a comic relief but are completely underutilized and feel as though they come with an “I’m suppose to be funny” name tag. Rather than staying with her people, Queen Andromeda needlessly goes on this adventure yet never serves any purpose. There are a handful of nameless lackeys that are there just to be killed off like they are wearing a Star Trek red shirt. Without providing character development or motivation, it’s difficult for an audience to connect with anyone in WRATH OF THE TITANS.
Despite a couple of missteps, Sam Worthington has had wonderful turns in films like TERMINATOR SALVATION, AVATAR and THE DEBT and is clearly a star to continue to watch. As Perseus, Worthington is strong and commanding. However, without any sense of danger, his character is unable to provide the audience with any fear or worry. There is a certain sense of joy to be had watching Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes chew up screen together and at one point battle like Jedi Masters. But that is fleeting when WRATH OF THE TITANS is so overwrought with big special effects that there is zero time spent on story, characters and dialogue to provide any substance.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p 1.78:1) An excellent picture with every detail of WRATH OF THE TITANS looking crisp and clear.
Audio: (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) WRATH OF THE TITANS produces a great sound, capitalizing on all the big action sequences.
Maximum Movie Mode: A picture in picture mode where you choose between the paths of gods or the path of men providing behind the scenes information while watching WRATH OF THE TITANS. Or you can watch them separately as another feature in the Focus Points. These mini featurettes are far more interesting than the actual film.
Path of Men (21:13): Six featurettes covering the film’s feats of vision and imagination through the cast and over-the-top action that include Battling the Chimera, Agenor: The Other demigod, The Cyclops Fight, Prison of the Titans, Minotaur: The Human Nightmare, The Heavens Raise Hell on Earth.
Path of Gods (12:29): Four featurettes that cover the historical and mythological aspects of the film: Who Are the Titans?, Hephaestus: God of Fire, Lost in Tartarus’ Labyrinth, Creatures of the Titans, Creatures of the Titans.
Deleted Scenes (10:48): Three scenes that definitely slow down the pacing but give valuable plot and character information. Unfortunately, each scene is poorly crafted forced exposition.
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