Wrath of the Titans
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Rosamund Pike, Edgar Ramirez, Danny Huston, John Bell
Release Date: March 30, 2012

The anything but miraculous dexterity of director Jonathan Liebesman is once again extravagantly displayed to audiences undeserving of such a treat. We are once again pummeled by his explicitly maddening style of direction that is beyond intolerable and which has no sense of coherency. His Battle Los Angeles (one of the worst films of last year) is an absolute frenzy of wrath and an obnoxiously chaotic mess of a movie. Wrath of the Titans, his newest example of immeasurably poor filmmaking, is assembled in an all too similar way, frequently engaging audiences in unbridled foolishness on its way to engrossing an enormous income at the expense of its audiences.

Is it ridiculous for us to wish to experience a wrath that generates from within the film’s characters? Why instill in them some exuberance? Some life? That would be asinine! But oh do we get to feel an overwhelming amount of wrath. We feel this wrath from the incompetent Liebesman and his team of screenwriters (Dan Mazeau and David Johnson), and from the film’s avaricious producers at the helm of such a pointless sequel (Clash of the Titans, the 2010 attempt at recreating the legendary Greek myths, was a somewhat dashing display of direction that didn’t completely omit finesse, thanks to director Louis Leterrier who directed the Transporter films). Audiences that will go to see Wrath of the Titans shouldn’t or won’t expect any emotion to emanate from the film. To all of those who were involved in concocting such a film, we do feel deeply your wrath.

The film flirts with a deliciously appealing idea. Adapting some of the most respectable stories literature has ever produced, Wrath of the Titans makes an attempt to film the indescribable. The film concerns itself with the Gods that hover above humanity in the capacious clouds, and who are currently facing a monumental calamity. Humans haven’t been offering up their praises to the gods, nor do they find it imperative to honor them with prayer.

As a result of this neglect the gods slowly lose their powers, soon harboring intense infirmities that quickly diminish their divine powers. Zeus (Liam Neeson) is exasperated by the fact that he, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), Poseidon (Danny Huston), and the other gods are eventually going to devolve into mere humans and be the victims of Ares (Edgar Ramirez), Zeus’ son who is full god. Action is undoubtedly taken as Zeus requests the aid of his son Perseus (a lethargic Sam Worthington) to help the gods and join their side in battle. Perseus is enjoying his time as a demigod, ideally dwelling as a fisherman with his son Helius (John Bell) away from all the drama occurring in the heavens. Perseus then finds more help by joining with Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) and her army. All of this warrants thorough and intense investigations into the depths and confines of the souls of the victims.

But all of this juicy material is left unexplored. Failure to adequately capitalize on it results in a monumental loss of opportunity. The film glosses over this quite rapidly because it has a maniacal preoccupation with CGI effects. Bewildering beasts such as creatures with four arms and Pegasus, along with a colossal volcano monster who is Cronos (Zeus’ father) overwhelmingly permeate into the film’s narrative. Such FX creates a tempestuous environment that happens to denounce any urge to acquire emotional impact. Maybe audiences won’t be troubled by the excess of CGI, but audiences will be disappointed by the lack of the film’s refinement and opulence.

Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5