Wrath of the Titans

I'm split on this one! In some ways I kinda prefer <em>'Wrath of the Titans'</em> to its predecessor, though in other ways it is a downgrade. My positives include the pacing and the use of 'the gods', with both - in my opinion - better done in this 2012 film when compared to the 2010 original. The shorter run time helps, while Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes are far better utilised this time. My negatives include the story and (one or two) new cast/characters. The plot didn't really hold my attention very well, at a number of moments I felt my mind drift away from what was occurring onscreen. I wasn't bored or anything, though I could feel myself lose interest immediately after a scene that promised more than it delivered. As for the latter, Rosamund Pike and Édgar Ramírez are disappointing additions. With that said, Bill Nighy is a newcomer here and he actually entertained me - probably my standout character from this sequel. Toby Kebbell is a solid newbie too, to be honest. Elsewhere, Ramin Djawadi is missed on music but Javier Navarrete does a perfectly fine job in fairness. Naturally, I can only speak for myself and to me this is an average, if admittedly forgettable, flick - nought worse.

The original "Clash of the Titans" (1981) didn't really need it's 2010 reimagining, and that film didn't need this sequel either. This time, the demi-god Perseus (Sam Worthington) has to take on the ruthless Hades (Ralph Fiennes) who has kidnapped his dad Zeus (Liam Neeson) and has him chained deep in the underworld. What's clear to the young man is that there is a conspiracy going on amongst the Olympian gods and that if he doesn't get his sword sharpened then there could be an all out war involving the long imprisoned and mighty Kronos - the father of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades themselves. What isn't helping the immortals is the astonishingly fickle degree of faith from the public who are enjoying a time of relative peace and therefore not really doing anywhere enough praying! Anyway, luckily Perseus has the warlike "Andromeda" (Rosamund Pike) and the arch-craftsman Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) on his team so maybe they have a fighting chance? I reckon by half way through, I was thinking that maybe Tartarus was the best place for the writers rather than poor old Kronos. They have given the stolid messrs. Worthington, Neeson et al the most meagre of stories upon which to to develop their already pretty week characterisations and though there are some fun monsters from the innards of the Earth, they're not a patch on the stop-motion creatures from the hands of Ray Harryhausen. It does liven up a bit for the last fifteen minutes, and it is my kind of film so I didn't hate it - but it's still very disappointing.