Wrath of the Titans

A CGI ride that the creators of the old Clash of the Titans would take a single look at before spitting and stomping on the copy of the film with rage. Because everything not done in the old-fashioned way here is done digitally. And these digital orgies are really brutal. Maybe this is the reason that this film is terribly crazy, bordering on insane. It is, however, entertaining, and suited for our times. It’s actually just as dumb as the first instalment, with the added bonus of the camera that barely allows the audience to see a thing, but the authors still think that it creates the feeling of being there with the gods and fighting side by side with Sam Worthington. This made me knock one star off my rating. (2013-07-07)

More than just decent action and a feast of special effects for the eyes. Mr. Lava is sufficiently destructive and blobs of molten stuff that fly off him when he waves his arms about wipe whole cities off the map with apologetic matter-of-factness. The other monsters are also done very nicely. Keep up the good work. The story is roughly as dumb as the lamer episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess from my the days of my youth, but thanks to a bigger budget the whole thing looks a lot better. Liam Neeson is cool again, Sam also tries hard (with this screenplay, nobody has much acting to do) and Rosamund Pike is a slightly prettier Andromeda than the last one. The romantic storyline doesn’t work, and schizophrenic Perseus, always talking to himself, doesn’t instill much trust... but there we go. The action is super and I’ll certainly play Wrath a couple more times. (2012-06-15)

Enemies swarm one after another and Jonathan Liebesman lets all kinds of mud piles explode, but the charm somewhat fades. Sam Worthington's fierce expression could easily carry even a much weaker film, but this time around he has to take on a bit of routine, where the unforgettable battles like the scorpions from the first installment are missing. Chimera or settling the score with Kronos are still enjoyable, though on the other hand, the Cyclops and the Minotaur partly feel like forced attractions that the producers insisted should not go missing from an ancient fantasy saga. When even Rosamund Pike cannot fully sustain the role of the recast Andromeda (in a performance that is unnecessarily distinctive and incomprehensibly different), the final impression is unexpectedly sad. Yet where the creators redeem themselves is in their fearlessness in dealing with superior beings. I did not expect such a harsh body count, and because I don't insist on adhering to Eduard Petiška's stories (it's not history, but mythology), I remained pleasantly surprised at least by that. The feeling that this vengeful campaign against the Titans could have been done a class better, however, remained. (2012-06-25)

Robert Graves must still be turning in his grave, but perhaps not so frequently this time. Because you have to admit that Wrath of the Titans provokes no wrath at all in its viewers and so is certainly a lot more bearable and better than Clash of the Titans. However, more bearable and better doesn’t mean that it’s bearable and good. (2012-03-29)

Wrath of the Titans is a dumb megalomaniacal flick that is packed with action from beginning to end. It also features the best monsters you’ve seen in a movie in the past few years. Due to its one-dimensional characters, however, the potential of its elite British actors is wasted. The film is flat, but visually effective and full of quicksilver energy. Such energy in fact that it might be too much for viewers who would appreciate a bit of downtime with some emotions or – God forbid – some kind of a message. For its target audience, however, it is much more satisfying than the first instalment. If the first movie had looked like that, the second one would have attracted more people to the cinemas. (2012-05-23)