I wish somebody would help me understand why the characters in movies set in ancient Greece invariably speak with British accents, since the English language didn’t even come into existence until centuries later. Other than that glaring anachronism, I have no complaints about “Wrath of the Titans,” a 3D sequel, which is a rarity in that actually eclipses the original in quality.
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), this visually-captivating action-adventure revolves around another epic battle between the forces of good and evil. Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston and Ralph Fiennes have returned to reprise their lead roles as Perseus, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, respectively.
The story unfolds a decade after the initial installment which ended with hero Perseus’ defeat of the Kraken. Since slaying the monstrous sea monsters, the widowed demigod has been passing an unassuming existence as an ordinary fisherman, quietly raising his now 10-year-old son, Helius (John Bell), in obscurity.
But Perseus suddenly has a good reason to take his mighty sword back out of its scabbard when he learns that Hades and Ares (Edgar Ramirez) have imprisoned his father, Zeus, in an underworld dungeon. For, after killing Poseidon, the two renegade titans entered into a diabolical pact with world domination in mind.
Accompanied by the lovely Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) with the goofy Agenor (Toby Kebell) tagging along for comic relief, altruistic Perseus and an intrepid band of warriors descend into a subterranean hell on behalf of humanity. While searching for Zeus, they encounter a host of mythological creatures, including one-eyed Cyclops (Martin Bayfield), half man-half bull Minotaur (Spencer Wilding), an addlepated fallen god (Billy Nighy) and fire-breathing dragons.
Of course, the quest inexorably culminates in a spectacular showdown, which takes full advantage of advances in 3-D technology. Be prepared to find yourself frequently ducking or squinting to avoid boulders or flaming embers which appeared to be aimed straight at your head.
Graphic, high body-count bloodsport born of man’s imagination, harking back to the days before modern science provided plausible explanations for thunder, lightning, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other seemingly-supernatural phenomena. The gods must be on steroids!
