Blu-Ray Review: Wrath of the Titans

Wrath of the Titans Blu-ray Edition

Official Synopsis:
A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Worthington)—the demigod son of Zeus (Neeson)—is attempting to live quietly as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year-old son, Helius. But unbeknownst to Perseus, a struggle for supremacy has been raging between the gods that will come to threaten his idyllic life. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing hold of their immortality, as well as control over the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades (Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston). The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous Underworld.

Now, Perseus cannot ignore his true calling as Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramirez), switches loyalties and makes a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titan’s strength grows as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned…and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the Underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

WRATH OF THE TITANS

Review:
This is the sequel to 2010’s Clash of the Titans, which looks incredibly similar in all but the story details. This time, Perseus and his small band of adventurers search for a powerful weapon to drive back the Titan Kronos and keep him imprisoned. In Clash of the Titans, Perseus had to battle Medusa in order to have a weapon to defeat the Kraken monster and to save the Princess Andromeda. In both films, Perseus goes up against surprisingly not-so-immortal gods and a slew of ugly, monstrous creatures attack humans with little-to-no way to defend themselves. Perseus is only half human though, as son of Zeus. And as Zeus’ champion, Perseus becomes humanity’s hero once again.

I’m usually a fan of films and novels that take a unique approach to Greek mythology, but Wrath of the Titans takes it a bit too far for my taste. The same immortal gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades from the previous film suddenly become weak, easily injured and mortal – without sufficient explanation. The film starts out very slow with dragging dialog that doesn’t really further the plot, which is unfortunate since the film’s saving grace is the adventure and combat scenes. Despite its flaws, I still enjoyed the fantastic special effects and CGI creatures, action-packed thrills, and even a bit of humor.

Blu-ray Special Features:
Maximum Movie Mode: Control your destiny and choose one of two unique experiences: The Path of Men or The Path of Gods
– Focus Points
§ Battling the Chimera
§ Who Are The Titans?
§ Agenor: The Other Demi-God
§ The Cyclops Fight
§ Prison of the Titans
§ Minotaur: The Human Nightmare
§ The Heavens Raise Hell on Earth
§ Hephaestus: God of Fire
§ Lost in Tartarus’ Labyrinth
§ Creatures of the Titans
– Storyboard Comparisons
– Deleted Scenes and more
DVD disc: Feature film in standard definition

Trailer: