After the remake of the classic Clash of the Titans and leaving the cinemas feeling as if I’ve watched an entirely different movie, I wasn’t really on board with the idea of a sequel. But after seeing the posters with Andromeda in full battle gear and catching the trailer with the kick ass score, I caved in and gave it a shot. Good thing because in my opinion, this franchise has just redeemed itself.

Wrath of the Titans, helmed by Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning director Jonathan Liebesman opens with the gods seeking the help of Perseus to reinforce the gates of Tartarus to prevent the Titan Kronos from escaping his prison. The gods have grown weak as more people have stopped praying to them. As a result, they are now threatened with mortality. With the gods in no position to protect mankind, Kronos’s escape will herald the end of the world so they need all the help they can get. However, Perseus, who now raises his son Helios alone after the death of his wife Io, refuses to leave his son. This leads to the capture of Zeus, whose power is needed to free Kronos. This leaves Perseus with no choice but to save his father from the underworld. To do so, he  must employ the help of his cousin Adenor, son of Poseidon; Andromeda and Hephaestus, the fallen god.

I liked this installment so much better than the first one primarily because the presentation of the story is much more straightforward. The first one I had difficulty accepting because I knew for a fact (I’m a mythology buff) that Io is a great grandmother of Perseus so having them romantically linked did not sit well with me.

This time around, the fact that they incorporated the labyrinth to the prison Tartarus was a deviation but it did not clash with the original mythology so I felt it was kind of a nice touch. I felt like the movie was actually trying to correct the errors of the first one such as tossing out the lovable Bobo like trash (Bobo has a special guest appearance in this sequel), and Perseus dumping Andromeda in favor of his grandmother —  an olive branch to fans of the classic who were unsatisfied with the turnout of the first Clash.

The effects and the CGI were consistent with the original, it was flawless. The models for the monsters were awesome and their integration to the 2D was seamless so kudos to the creative team.

The movie was very action packed but emotionally charged because it dealth with family issues — jealousy, hate, favoritism, betrayal, love, reconciliation and sacrifice so it is relateable to almost all audiences. The stunts were visually compelling and the incorporation of the 300 battlecry (awoo, awoo) as well as some tactics similar to Gerard Butler’s blockbuster movie was a great throwback to one of the most awesome action movies of all time.

The film, this time around focused on the main characters and established their relationship with one another. Having Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes) take on bigger roles was a good decision on the part of the filmmakers and made the story come to life. Adenor (Toby Kebbel) provided the balance by being the comic relief and the unlikely hero. Rosamund Pike is effortlessly beautiful, even despite the grime of battle as the new Andromeda and Perseus (Sam Worthington) reprised his role quite well. He gained a bit of weight, but that’s okay seeing as his role took on a hiatus from doing battle. I was more bothered by the college professor hair (big curls) more than anything. That’s a minor issue so this doesn’t really matter.

I liked that the movie focused on family and how the ties that bind them together, helped them triumph over the odds. The ending was bittersweet. I would have wanted it to be happier but it was a good conclusion to a story that dealt mainly with war.

All in all, I thought the movie was very cool and could hold its own against other mythology-based films out there in the market today — it was commercially appealing and well made, and would most likely please audiences young and old.

For my related post on the original vs the rebooted Clash of the Titans, click here