There is much that could be said here about the egregious scholarly inaccuracies with which this movie abounds. Admittedly, mythologies are, almost by definition, very, very old, and the Ancient Greek myths on which our story is somewhat based exist in many different forms, coming to us through the millennia from only a few surviving sources, all of which are inherently unreliable and invariably contradictory. Also, we're dealing with matters of lowercase-g gods here, actual personifications of nature use their great powers not for any grand purpose but merely to enhance their own prestige—and though Science Fiction has long speculated that the old pantheons may actually be based on some form of advanced life, be it alien or otherwise, there is not even a scrap of evidence to suggest that this might be the case in the realm of science fact. Therefore, to be caviling at this film for its flagrant abuses of known, though ever-speculative, legend is probably taking even my mythology-geek nitpickery a little too far.
Instead, let me tell you why it's a terrible film, all of that aside.
Just before viewing this in IMAX 3D I sat down to watch the 2010 CLASH OF THE TITANS, thereby making for myself one of the most dissatisfying movie double-bills of all time. So, having concluded the largely forgettable earlier effort mere minutes before commencing the latest installment, I was in a good position to compare and contrast the two movies, and before long I had to wonder: had anyone who worked on WRATH done the same thing? Because in the continuity stakes, nothing here makes any sense. None.
You may recall from the first movie – though I hope, for your sake, that you don't – our hero, Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unwitting champion of Princess Andromeda of Argos (Alexa Davros), is forced to go head-to-head with a fearsome beast called the Kraken in order to save the city, and the woman, from the consequences of human hubris. You see, the Argosians had decided that the gods did not exist, nor deserve their worship, which has to strike one as pretty stupid in a world in which capricious beings who can control the weather and such will often show up in person to prove their cruel divinity. Zeus, outraged, allowed his resentful brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) to go and put the fear of the gods into the people and bring them back to the fold. Perseus, meanwhile, goes on a quest, defeats assorted monsters, and along the way falls in love with the slightly-creepy Io (Gemma Aterton), who is surpassingly beautiful, brave and wise, but who is semi-immortal and has basically been stalking him since he was an infant – and who, we learn in WRATH, died after having his baby, presumably to a) make way for a new love interest and b) showcase the good sense of Gemma Aterton in not signing on for this film.
So now Perseus and kid are merrily living the life of humble fishermen when Zeus arrives and asks for his help. At some point between the last movie and this one, Perseus has become Zeus's favorite son (as opposed to someone he was prepared to kill with a Kraken; yeah, thanks, Dad), and now people everywhere have stopped believing in the gods, which means that the world is beginning to unravel. In particular, Tartarus, the prison to which Cronus and the other Titans were exiled after being overthrown by the Olympians, is growing weak, soon to allow monsters to roam the world. Turns out, of course, that Hades is helping this along, as is Ares (Édgar Ramírez), God of War, who has major Daddy Issues and a big problem with Sibling Rivalry. So, to recap: new gods losing power, old gods getting more power, humanity in crisis, and only one man can save us. He, unsurprisingly, does—with a little help from his godly family. Also, he learns to love again. The End.
Now, it could well be that there is a deeper truth to be found in here, among the over-the-top CGI, bombastic score, direful dialogue and incessant over-acting. Something about self-determination, and how the only gods that exist are those we create, or how our Creator is prepared to die for us – there really is a little something in here for everyone, whether atheist or devout, if you're prepared to search hard enough. The question is: are you? And if so, why? I mean, I am as inclined toward over-analysis of film as the next person, but any search for true meaning in either of these wretched TITANS movies is fruitless, and I intend to stop it right now.
Essentially? This movie, as little as I expected of it, delivered even less. If it weren't for the 3D, which really is very well done (unlike its predecessor's, which has become a byword for bad post-conversion), I would count this the biggest waste of my time since well, since I saw CLASH OF THE TITANS. I will say, however, that at the very least I got a few moments of amusement out of Bill Nighy as Hephaestus, broad Yorkshire accent and all. In fact, it is in the variety of accents evident in this film that I find perhaps my only overall positive comment. Australian, Irish, several varieties from across England, plus Spanish, Italian (Poseidon, it seems) and sundry forms of American. The reason I like this is because the characters would doubtless be speaking Ancient Greek here, and so why should it matter what form their audience-friendly English takes?
Yes, that is the only thing I unreservedly liked about this film. A pretty sad indictment, isn't it?
– This review first appeared in Geek Speak Magazine
Instead, let me tell you why it's a terrible film, all of that aside.
Just before viewing this in IMAX 3D I sat down to watch the 2010 CLASH OF THE TITANS, thereby making for myself one of the most dissatisfying movie double-bills of all time. So, having concluded the largely forgettable earlier effort mere minutes before commencing the latest installment, I was in a good position to compare and contrast the two movies, and before long I had to wonder: had anyone who worked on WRATH done the same thing? Because in the continuity stakes, nothing here makes any sense. None.
You may recall from the first movie – though I hope, for your sake, that you don't – our hero, Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unwitting champion of Princess Andromeda of Argos (Alexa Davros), is forced to go head-to-head with a fearsome beast called the Kraken in order to save the city, and the woman, from the consequences of human hubris. You see, the Argosians had decided that the gods did not exist, nor deserve their worship, which has to strike one as pretty stupid in a world in which capricious beings who can control the weather and such will often show up in person to prove their cruel divinity. Zeus, outraged, allowed his resentful brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) to go and put the fear of the gods into the people and bring them back to the fold. Perseus, meanwhile, goes on a quest, defeats assorted monsters, and along the way falls in love with the slightly-creepy Io (Gemma Aterton), who is surpassingly beautiful, brave and wise, but who is semi-immortal and has basically been stalking him since he was an infant – and who, we learn in WRATH, died after having his baby, presumably to a) make way for a new love interest and b) showcase the good sense of Gemma Aterton in not signing on for this film.
So now Perseus and kid are merrily living the life of humble fishermen when Zeus arrives and asks for his help. At some point between the last movie and this one, Perseus has become Zeus's favorite son (as opposed to someone he was prepared to kill with a Kraken; yeah, thanks, Dad), and now people everywhere have stopped believing in the gods, which means that the world is beginning to unravel. In particular, Tartarus, the prison to which Cronus and the other Titans were exiled after being overthrown by the Olympians, is growing weak, soon to allow monsters to roam the world. Turns out, of course, that Hades is helping this along, as is Ares (Édgar Ramírez), God of War, who has major Daddy Issues and a big problem with Sibling Rivalry. So, to recap: new gods losing power, old gods getting more power, humanity in crisis, and only one man can save us. He, unsurprisingly, does—with a little help from his godly family. Also, he learns to love again. The End.
Now, it could well be that there is a deeper truth to be found in here, among the over-the-top CGI, bombastic score, direful dialogue and incessant over-acting. Something about self-determination, and how the only gods that exist are those we create, or how our Creator is prepared to die for us – there really is a little something in here for everyone, whether atheist or devout, if you're prepared to search hard enough. The question is: are you? And if so, why? I mean, I am as inclined toward over-analysis of film as the next person, but any search for true meaning in either of these wretched TITANS movies is fruitless, and I intend to stop it right now.
Essentially? This movie, as little as I expected of it, delivered even less. If it weren't for the 3D, which really is very well done (unlike its predecessor's, which has become a byword for bad post-conversion), I would count this the biggest waste of my time since well, since I saw CLASH OF THE TITANS. I will say, however, that at the very least I got a few moments of amusement out of Bill Nighy as Hephaestus, broad Yorkshire accent and all. In fact, it is in the variety of accents evident in this film that I find perhaps my only overall positive comment. Australian, Irish, several varieties from across England, plus Spanish, Italian (Poseidon, it seems) and sundry forms of American. The reason I like this is because the characters would doubtless be speaking Ancient Greek here, and so why should it matter what form their audience-friendly English takes?
Yes, that is the only thing I unreservedly liked about this film. A pretty sad indictment, isn't it?
– This review first appeared in Geek Speak Magazine