WRATH OF THE TITANS
August 17th 2012 01:17
Category: Videos
Like John Carter which I reviewed last month this particular film was released earlier on this year and has quickly made the transition onto DVD format. Years ago it used to almost take forever and a day for a flick to go to, back in those days VHS and now DVD, but only in the case of ‘good’ films, films that did well at the box office. For Wrath of the Titans to show up on DVD so relatively fast indicates that at the box office it didn’t do so crash hot. Still does this mean it is a bad film? Here at the Lantern the focus isn’t so much on bums on seats as major film companies are but the actual merit of the work itself to define whether or not it’s ‘good’. It is interesting to note that both John Carter and Wrath of the Titans had 3D releases as well as 2D…so one wonders if the ‘flop’ in sales was down to people perhaps being sick of the whole 3D shtick?
Coming in at ninety six minutes, just over an hour and a half, Wrath of the Titans seems as if the production was rushed and the storyline as well. It should be an epic and there should be at least action aplenty in this flick along with a rollicking story to go for at least two hours…but for some reason its thirty minutes less than that. One wonders if the production team had really given their feature as much attention as it really deserved or if they were more motivated by attempting to get bums on seats. Some would argue that perhaps the first film really didn’t need a sequel and there is something to be said for that point of view…my feeling is though that they just threw things together and hoped it would work, or at least that’s how it seemed…
Cronos, father of the gods and mightiest of the Titans has been imprisoned in the underworld dungeon of Tarterus for countless ages. Now with the power of his captors waning he is seeking to stretch forth his might and break the chains of his bondage, thereby allowing him free reign to wreak all manner of havoc in the world of the mortals. First of the things to plague the lands of Greece are the Chimeras, hideous monsters with the heads of two lions and a tail that is a serpent…not the most pleasant of creatures by a long shot. One such creature attacks the village where Perseus lives, nearly killing himself and his son Helius in the process.
This event though doesn’t immediately prompt the former hero and demi-god to rush off and save the whole of mankind though. That’s not his way, after all he views himself as human and realises the world is possibly better off if people attempt to solve their problems rather than relying upon having someone coming in on a winged horse to save the day. That this is a time of humanity rather than of gods and heroes…at least it should be…but the continuing emergence of Cronos has turned that notion on its head. That’s because when all is said and done Cronos isn’t like the Kraken, Medusa or even the gods themselves. He is literally a primal force of nature, destruction, fire, doom and death all rolled into one rather cataclysmic package and against him the strength of humanity isn’t going to matter much unless someone does make a stand.
So once again Perseus leaps into the fray, putting his body, life and family on the line in order for the world to continue. Although this time around it doesn’t quite ring with the resonance that the characters assertions regarding humanity did in the first flick. Coupled with the fact that even though great effort is made to bring about an end to the rampaging king of the Titans it all comes about a tad too quickly…like the crew realised that they needed to get the film done and decided it was best to wrap things up as fast as possible. Or perhaps they needed to have something for the studio to convert to 3D in order for it too compete with other 3D flicks and decided to run with what footage they had, it certainly didn’t feel as complete or well rounded like Clash of the Titans did.
Certainly there are moments of pathos, moments of hope and the odd bit of humour as well as action but when the dust settles it all seems somewhat so so rather than being gripping and enthralling. If anything I’d say that sadly Wrath of the Titans is all very showy but somewhat lacking in the wrath department….maybe the film makers should have opted to go for something a bit more full strength and bodied like their previous efforts rather than serving up a light…
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