Wrath Of The Titans Review (3.5/5)

One of the big surprises of 2012- Wrath is A LOT better than we expected!
Without being too harsh on those involved, Clash Of The Titans (1.5/5) was a major flop critically and commercially, and at the time of release there were very few of us who were mourning the failure of the rather rubbish remake of a classic fantasy flick. It came as a major surprise, then, that Warner Bros decided to make a fully-fledged sequel to the film, yet what's even more shocking is just how much better Wrath Of The Titans has actually turned out despite its woeful predecessor and the unoriginal title. Don't take that score increase of two entire points lightly, either- that's a big step up considering this was nowhere to be found on my Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies Of 2012 list, and there are several good reasons for this. For starters, the special effects are sublime, the 3D format really shining through above all as boulders, snakes and mythological creatures come by the dozen through the screen to shock and engage the audience like never before in an action film of this kind. Seriously, if 3D post-conversion budgets could be implemented as cleverly and efficiently as Wrath's has, I'd be a lot less pessimistic towards the third dimension than I was before watching the flick. On top of that the narrative quality has increased dramatically- this time around, you'll actually care for the plight of Perseus, mainly because it's all a lot easier to follow, and under the usual fantasy guff there's a distinct heart to the entire experience that really helps to make it far more compelling. Even the once-predictable cast has improved exponentially, Sam Worthington a far more well-rounded protagonist, and Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes actually let loose in more substantial roles than in Clash, allowing them to showcase a dazzling on-screen chemistry that won't soon be forgotten by viewers. However, for all the great moments Wrath has (and there are many, the battles in particular lasting in the memory), there's still a somewhat overriding sense that we've seen everything it has to offer before in other, oft-better 'historical' fantasy movies such as this. That's not to say Wrath Of The Titans isn't better on every front than Clash, because it really is, but it would be unfair to the greats of the genre to say that this doesn't steal and use every recycled trick in the book to attain filmic success. Still, Wrath Of The Titans is capable of leaving me to say two statements that I never in a million years thought I could say in a sequel to Clash: the first is that if you have the cash going spare, it's definitely worth a watch in 3D, and the second is that, well, quite frankly I'd like to see more of this franchise, and I reckon after checking this movie out, so will you guys!