Picture Credit: drjays.com

PG-13

Wrath of the Titans is the Fast and the Furious of Greek mythology movies. It’s big, loud and noisy and the (3D) monsters are the stars of the movie. It’s a fine bit of entertainment if you’re having a long week and just want to chill out with something you don’t want to expend too much energy dissecting.

Ten years after the first movie, and Perseus is now a single father raising his son, Helius (meaning ‘sun’; see how subtle they’re being there?). Io has passed away by the time of this movie, and to be honest, I missed her. Gemma Arterton rocked the role in the first movie and I had been looking forward to seeing her in this one. Rosamund Pike wears armor yells a lot and exchanges knowing glances with Perseus that is supposed to be the equivalent of a romance. If she had been done properly in the first movie, I have been more interested in her as a character in this one.

So, the Gods are losing their power because humans aren’t praying to them any longer, and with it so goes the things they have built through the centuries, including Tartarus the underworld prison they built to hold the Titans and Kronos (father to Zeus, Poseidon and Hades). Ares and Hades band together to overthrow Zeus and release Kronos while Perseus, Agenor (son of Poseidon) and Andromeda head to the underworld to rescue him.

See – fairly simple. Thrown in a Cyclops, a minotaur, Kronos and some badass looking Titan soldiers that cut a swathe through the Andromeda’s human army and you can tell what’s important here.

I will admit there is a slender thread of fathers and their sons linking Kronos and his sons and Perseus, Ares and Zeus together. Hades, Zeus and Poseidon trapped Kronos when he tried to kill them, and in this movie, Ares turns against Zeus because of his jealousy of his affection for Perseus. If that had been explored further, this might have been a movie that was worth more than just being a 3D monster fest.

But, what was very cool to see, most especially because they are rumored to be best friends, was Zeus and Hades (Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes) work together to help defeat Kronos. What? Little things in this movie amused me! Can someone give them a buddy movie to do?

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