Release the Boredom!
It’s an interesting predicament to write about a movie that elicits no emotional reaction. Wrath of the Titans is that very film. The movie – spawned from a long-line of loud, stupid predecessors – is so paint-by-numbers, so arbitrary in its existence that I can barely drum up enough interest to recall it. Oh, I definitely remember lots of explosions, yelling and brown…strap in.
Since Perseus (Sam Worthington) defeated the mighty Kracken at the end of Clash of the Titans he has found solace in retirement. He spends his days teaching his son to fish and his evenings thinking about fish.
Meanwhile in the land of Gods a rift has formed. With the common people abandoning their faith the Gods are losing their power. This frightens Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Poseidon (Danny Huston) who fear their weakness will open the door for evil to consume the earth. Zeus’ brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and his son Ares (Edgar Ramirez) sense this and will stop at nothing to consume the Gods remaining power and release their evil father Kronos’ wrath upon humanity.
To stop the onslaught, our hero Perseus – son of Zeus – must rally humanity to stop evil’s reign. This is all very weighty stuff and if even 20% of it had worked the film might have been able to save itself. The problem is director Jonathan Leibesman doesn’t really care about giving us any insight into this story. He’s far more concerned with destroying every set his crew worked so hard to assemble. As soon as the film has a chance to be contemplative a fireball or two-headed demon spawn interrupts it. I’m not saying Wrath must aspire to be Gladiator but it doesn’t hurt to stop and look around every once in a while.
Another problem is the cast. It seems only half of them got the memo about what kind of movie they’re in. Sam Worthington as Perseus plays the exact same uber-gruff lead he always plays. Hollywood loves putting Worthington in their big-budget effects movies (Avatar, Terminator: Salvation, Clash of the Titans) and I can see why: his expression rarely changes. Whether it’s a Cyclops chasing him through the woods or riding the noble Pegasus into battle his stubble-lined jaw stays squarely in one place. Worthington is so vacant it’s possible he’s computer-generated.
Luckily some perfectly placed cameos keep the film from falling head first into self-serious parody. Liam Neeson as Zeus could play a God in his sleep. Ralph Fiennes as Hades chews on every piece of corny dialogue as if it’s his first high-school play. And of course the wonderful Bill Nighy shows up as Hephaestes (creator of the Gods weapons) to wax poetic on the nature of deities and men. All of these actors know exactly what movie they’re in and thank the Gods for that. If the whole film rose to their level of camp the experience would’ve been much more rewarding.
That being said not everything is a complete disaster. Some of the set-pieces are inspired – including a great trip through the infamous Labyrinth. The effects are hit and miss but when they hit it’s a blast. They spared no expense crafting Kronos, the penultimate bad guy. He’s a great lumbering spectacle laying waste to whatever’s in his path. Although it does beg the question: beyond wreaking havoc, what exactly does an evil God made of molten lava do in his free time?
I guess it’s not a surprise that Wrath doesn’t work; it never really stood a chance. Its predecessor – Clash of the Titans – was an unmitigated disaster. Wrath is definitely an improvement…so there’s that. It’s all just a loud, dusty missed opportunity. For the sake of Gods and men let’s hope the inevitable third installment will embrace its stupidity.
