Tag: Greek

WRATH OF THE TITANS – The Review

*** Fair warning, this review may contain some very, very MINOR spoilers. ***

It’s a rare thing that a sequel surpasses it’s predecessor, and in the case of WRATH OF THE TITANS, the theory wavers slightly. CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010) was a remake of the 1981 Ray Harryhausen classic that had action and lots of CGI special effects but did little to honor the original, nor did it compare to the thrill and excitement the 1981 original still offers fans. With this sequel, loosely based on the the 1981 screenplay written by Beverley Cross, who also wrote the 1981 original CLASH OF THE TITANS, the film ponies up a more fluid story with better special effects, but the pacing differs greatly from the 2010 CLASH OF THE TITANS.

WRATH OF THE TITANS takes place a decade after Perseus (Sam Worthington) defeated the Kraken. Having turned down his god-father Zeus’ offer to rule by his side from Olympus, the demi-god [half human/half god] Perseus now attempts to live a normal, human life with his son in a small village. Perseus devotes his life to his son now, but when Zeus returns asking for Perseus to fight once more to save the world, Perseus sticks to his guns and stays with his son… at first. Perseus doesn’t realize the severity of his father’s need for his help.

Meanwhile, in the realm of the gods, Hades (Ralph Fiennes) has something up his cloak and is secretly plotting to dethrone Zeus (Liam Neeson) and free their father Kronos from the prison within which Zeus and Hades once confined him. The key to this story is that the gods are growing weaker as humanity no longer prays to them, which means the safeguards they have placed in the world to protect humanity weaken along with their power, threatening to unleash the Titans on the world. This is bad news, but it takes nearly losing his father to bring Perseus around once more and step into his big boy shoes to save the day for all mankind.

WRATH OF THE TITANS is directed by Jonathan Liebesman, who’s last outing was in last years BATTLE LOS ANGELES, a film I would describe as great looking but story lacking. While the story itself was a plus in WRATH OF THE TITANS — and it did look great, with cinematography from Ben Davis — I do see some pacing similarities between the two films. Both have some extremely intense action sequences that are well constructed, but the time spent between these high-octane moments tends to falter a bit, losing some of the momentum, requiring a fresh buildup to the next round of excitement, acting as a slow, unnecessary buffer.

Sam Worthington has hair this time around, which I consider a good thing. His quasi-miliatry buzz cut from CLASH OF THE TITANS always bothered me, as if he just came off the set of AVATAR to shoot CLASH. Leading man aside, the cast was one of the high points in this sequel. Neeson and Fiennes aside, both of whom were naturally enjoyable, Danny Huston returns for a short time as Poseidon and Edgar Ramirez plays Ares, the god of war. Queen Andromeda features a new face, played this time around by Rosamund Pike, replacing Alexa Davalos.

However, the real acting treat in WRATH OF THE TITANS comes from Bill Nighy, who plays the “fallen one” Hephaestus and whom serves a vital role in the quest of Perseus. Nighy, a veteran actor not unaccustomed to fantasy and genre films, is usually a fan favorite, from his roles in SHAUN OF THE DEAD to the UNDERWORLD franchise. Covered in long, gray hair and a ratty beard, it’s difficult at first to recognize the actor, especially when he attempts to disguise his voice, but the tell-tale vocal trademarks and mannerisms do still shine through, resulting in a pleasant “hey, I know him” epiphany. Nighy delivers a fun time in the middle of a movie that mostly takes itself very seriously.

As I mentioned, the special effects are better in WRATH OF THE TITANS than in the CLASH remake. From the monstrous double-bodied soldiers called the Makhai, wielding a relentless onslaught of death and destruction onto the human army, to the fire-breathing bat-dog things and the Chimera, a small band of giant Cyclops, the creature design and effects are the true stars of the film. In this way, WRATH feels like a Harryhausen film, but not it’s equal. Kronos, in particular — albeit lumbering and slow — is quite the eyeful of coolness and scary to boot when you consider what he is and what it would be like in real life. The one creature design I was disappointed in was during the labyrinth segment — a very well designed segment, I might add — when Perseus confronts the minotaur, which I felt lacked greatly, resembling little more than THE GOONIES’ Sloth with horns stuck to his head.

Overall, WRATH OF THE TITANS is a solid film, a true summer blockbuster that will draw crowds and makes lots of money. WRATH is slightly more accomplished than the CLASH remake, enough so to be noticeable and enjoyable. Perhaps it was just me, but beware the down time between the action sequences. These would be good times to sip freely from your caffeine tank, nestled closely in your cup holder. Finally, I suppose I’ll mention the ever present 3D, which is a far cry better than the virtually non-existent 3D of CLASH OF THE TITANS, rendered pointlessly in post-production. The 3D is there in WRATH, visible and effective, if you’re into the blatantly self-conscious, somewhat gimmicky style of 3D in film. My recommendation — as usual — go old school and see the film in 2D.

Overall Rating: 3 0ut of 5 stars

Top Ten Tuesday: Mythological Masterpieces

Warner Brothers is set to “release the kraken” this Friday, April 2… so, WAMG is set to release the Movie Geeks, wielding their swords of cinematic heroism to establish the most epic Top Ten list of Mythological Masterpieces… ever! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is devoted to the great Greek mythological stories of heroes, gods and monsters.

10. HERCULES (1997)

You know why this movie is on this list? It’s not because it was Disney’s last, great, hand-drawn, animated film of the ’90s. It wasn’t. The film’s not great, but you have to hand it to whatever genius decided the perfect voice for Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, would be James Woods. Best. Voice casting. Ever. Rip Torn voicing Zeus? Another stroke of genius. This was also probably the first time many kids born in the early ’90s became privy to the voice of Charlton Heston, who does the narration. Sure, the animation is stale, the songs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and the story is by-the-numbers Disney at best. Ruth Lambert, though, deserves a special place on Mount Olympus for her incredible casting work.

09. ULYSSES (1954)

ULYSSES marked Kirk Douglas’ first venture into the genre of sword and sandal epics, six years prior to SPARTACUS. In this film, he plays the hero of Homer’s legendary tale of the Greek’s return from Troy, post-Trojan horse. The wrath of Poseidon is called upon by Cassandra (Elena Zareschi) to punish Ulysses during his long and perilous journey home. Ulysses’ besting of Cyclops is clever and Douglas’ onscreen charisma is put to good use, as are the talents of Silvana Mangano in duel roles as Ulysses’ assumed widow Penelope and the sorceress Circe. Anthony Quinn has a small but well-played role as Antinoos, courting Penelope.

08. HERCULES (1958)

Italian filmmaker Pietro Franicisi searched high and low for his ideal muscleman to portray his HERCULES. Bodybuilder Steve Reeves stepped up to the challenge, combining rugged good looks and rippling muscles to astonishingly capture the physical essence of the unbelievably strong demi-god. Hercules must fight off a tribe of savages, Amazon women and battle the mighty Cretan Bull. This sensational telling of Hercules would spawn sequels and join the ranks of popularity in an era when sword and sandal flicks were all the rage.

07. THE GORGON (1964)

Megeara, one of the mythological gorgons, is haunting a small English village when the moon is full in THE GORGON (1964), a bold attempt by Hammer Studios to come up with a monster without ripping off the Universal films from the 1930’s and 40’s. Their riff on Greek mythology has all the classic Hammer Horror elements. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, an imposing old house, scared villagers, and is bathed in director Terence Fisher’s trademark Gothic atmosphere. It’s been criticized over the years because of its depiction of the titular creature. The brief shots of her at first are frightening, but when you get a longer look, the plastic, barely-moving snakes are awfully lame but I’m sure this was a difficult make-up task in the early 60’s. Christopher Lee even once said “The only problem with THE GORGON was The Gorgon. Still, THE GORGON scared the crap out of me in TV viewings as a child and it’s a solid entry in Hammer’s horror cycle.

06. TROY (2004)

TROY may not be as intellectual as reading Homer’s original work, but you can’t go wrong by combining epic battles, the world’s most famous love triangle and an A-list cast. Brad Pitt is excellent job as Achilles, the original golden boy. The story follows Achilles and the Greeks as they battle to bring Helen (Diane Kruger) home after Prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) woos her away from King Menelaus of Sparta and flees to Troy. Myth has it that it’s not a good idea to mess with guys from Sparta, especially when they have a demi-god like Achilles (Brad Pitt) amongst their ranks. TROY is incredibly entertaining and you’ll probably get flashbacks to the first time your heard about the Trojan Horse.

05. THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1974)

Harryhausen’s sequel to his 1958 classic THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD has always lived in the shadow of its predecessor, but still has plenty to offer. John Phillip Law was a far more physical and convincing Sinbad than Kerwin Mathews and Caroline Munro, the undisputed goddess of 70’s fantasy cinema, never looked sexier. While the monsters in 7TH VOYAGE were clearly superior, GOLDEN’s six-armed stone idol Kali (from Hindu legend), brought to life in a sword-duel, is one of Harryhausen’s most lively creations. Other highlights include a to-the-death battle between a griffin and a cyclopean centaur, a menacing ship’s figurehead come to life, and the flying homunculus that Tom Baker, a scene-stealer as the evil Prince Koura, pokes and teases as it lies pinned to a table. Miklós Rózsa’s wonderful “Arabian Nights” score helped make THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD a great fantasy romp that appealed to the adventurer in all of us. Did I mention how hot Caroline Munro looked?

04. HERCULES AND THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961)

After the international success of the first HERCULES film in 1959, there were hundreds of Italian-made sequels and knock-offs. These poorly-dubbed epics, known collectively to fans as “Peplum”, are mostly interchangeable and undistinguished but HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (1961) stands out mightily. The first color film from celebrated horror director Mario Bava (who was responsible for the special effects and lighting in the earlier Steve Reeves Hercules movies), HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD substitutes psychedelic imagery, mysterious characters and clever in-camera special effects for the usual sword fights and the massive battle sequences. The story, following Hercules (Reg Park) as he attempts to rescue his beloved from the depths of Hades, features lethal sirens, rock monsters, and a sea of molten lava. The result is a colorful amalgam of Greek mythology and Gothic strangeness and is benefited greatly by the casting of Christopher Lee as King Licos, evil lord of the Underworld.

03. THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)

Searching for a boatload of mythological creatures? Look no further than Ray Harryhausen’s THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, a fantasy filled with genies, Cyclopes and skeletons. After the evil magician, Sokurah, casts his spell on Princess Parisa and shrinks her, our hero, Sinbad, comes to the rescue. To bring her back to normal, he must go in search of the eggshell of a two-headed vulture, Roc, and voyage to Colossa, an island complete with Cyclopes and dragons. The real hero was visual effects master, Ray Harryhausen. His creatures vividly came to life with his dazzling use of what he called Dynamation, a split-screen combination of stop-motion animation and live action, rear-projection. The four-armed, snakewoman dance was especially freaky, but Harryhausen’s pinnacle creation was his animated skeleton in the seamless sequence of Sinbad’s sword and shield battle with this bony adversary. What makes this cool scene even better is the brilliant Bernard Herrmann score. THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD is the first of 3 adventures in the SINBAD series and a great way for not only kids but adults to see superb visual effects prior to the world of CGI.

02. CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981)

Zeus bless Beverley Cross for teaching so many children of the late ’70s and early ’80s all the Greek mythology we needed to get us through. He takes the Perseus myth and completely revamps it, adding in creatures like Calibos and the Kraken around the creatures already known to the myth of Perseus like Pegasus, the Stygian Witches, and Medusa. CLASH OF THE TITANS might not have the best special effects around. Even for the early ’80s, the shots of Pegasus flying could have been executed better. Also, I’ll never understand why he’s galloping mid-flight. And the less said about Bubo, the better. Nonetheless, CLASH OF THE TITANS is a classic in its own right.

01. JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963)

Jason (Todd Armstrong) leads a group of adventurous men including Hercules (Nigel green) on a quest for the magnificent Golden Fleece. Widely considered the best of Harryhausen’s work, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is filled with gods and heroes, sword fights and creatures of mythological lore. Harpies, giant stone statues coming to life and even the multi-headed hydra… its all there. Directed by Don Chaffey, this is one of the most fun-filled, exciting and action-packed mythological fantasies ever created and it stands the test of time. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film, and in the realm of stop motion animation, is the epic fight with the skeleton soldiers. Often a bit comical by today’s standards, the technical and artistic mastery of the film is still admirable and amazing.