With the gods losing their powers, Zeus (Liam Neeson) asks his son Perseus (Sam Worthington) to save humanity from Kronos, in Jonathan Liebesman’s "Wrath of the Titans." Joining him are Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) and Agenor (Toby Kebbell). Keeping the Titans from rising again and a minor story about Perseus protecting his son are all this movie has going for it plot-wise, and you’d hope the action would make up for it. You’d be disappointed.
Despite Zeus stating on multiple occasions that Perseus's human half is the most important, Worthington does a spectacular job portraying Perseus as a vacuous doornail. While Agenor exudes personality and humor, his jokes literally fade away before the punch lines are delivered. The movie also finds excuses to whisk him away, leaving Perseus alone with the other blank character slates.
Aside from a lack of development, the plot is missing several pieces throughout. Perseus meets several characters who he’s met but weren’t in the first film. While the film gives you enough information to understand the story, it assumes familiarity with Greek mythology and leaves out points that explain character motivations.
It’s fortunate the action helps drag along the film’s weaker points, or it would go entirely unredeemed. Perseus is a force to be reckoned with, and the monsters are fitting and well crafted. The film suffers from overused action clichés and overly abundant desert environments, but that doesn't keep it from being exciting.
But the sound design doesn’t add anything to the film either. Whether it's a battle or a conversation, the music is always intense. Rocks can be heard crumbling even when none can be seen. The film lacks the ups and downs necessary for drama. The constant audible tension becomes monotonous, and makes action scenes unremarkable amid a constant haze of action music.
"Wrath of the Titans" suffers from the same mistakes the first movie did: its spectacular visuals and intense action are dragged down by flat performances and an empty plot. I guess you can enjoy it as a mindless action flick, but even that’s a stretch.
1.5 "Fallen Gods" out of 5
Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron
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