Wrath of the Titans

The original 1981 Clash of the Titans is a kitschy piece of fantasy nostalgia that, while not necessarily having aged gracefully, at least manages to retain a certain amount of charm. The 2010 remake from Louis Leterrier did not have much charm to retain in the first place. Instead, its inadvertent legacy is more likely to be as the poster child for bad 3D post-conversion, and perhaps the birth of a short-lived Internet meme, which will not be “released” here. Still, it did good enough business to warrant a sequel, so here we are, this time with Jonathan Liebesman at the helm, to once again muck up what should have been a jolly good time playing in the sandbox with iconic figures and fantastical creatures from Greek mythology.
It’s ten years following the end of Clash, and Sam Worthington is back as the demigod Perseus, the son of Liam Neeson’s Zeus, who reigns on Mount Olympus as the leader of the gods. Having refused his father’s offer to rule by his side, Perseus and his wife, Io (Gemma Arterton in the previous film), chose to live their lives as humans in a humble fishing village by the sea. Io has since died and borne Perseus a son, Helius (John Bell).
Zeus appears to Perseus one night with a dire warning and a plea for help—humanity’s belief in the gods is waning, and with it their power and immortality. Zeus’ estranged brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), ruler of the underworld, has taken the opportunity to slowly break open Tartarus, prison of the mighty Titans, and release the mammoth lava giant, Kronos, father to both Zeus and Hades, as well as Poseidon. So Perseus must take up his sword once again to figure out how to break into Tartarus and stop Hades before all hell literally breaks loose. It’s a fine setup, so what went wrong? (Again?)