Wrath of the Titans

The demigod Perseus faces his heroic destiny in this bland, banal sequel set a decade after the original Clash of the Titans. Now a widower, half-god/half-human Perseus (Sam Worthington) is raising his young son, Helius (John Bell). Turning his back on the tortuous machinations atop Mount Olympus, he's literally “gone fishing,” as his diabolically jealous brother Ares (Edgar Ramirez) puts it. But then Perseus' father, Zeus (Liam Neeson), is imprisoned by embittered Hades (Ralph Fiennes) in the Underworld city of Tartarus, where fiery, lava-spewing Kronos—who fathered Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon (Danny Huston)—is determined to drain the gods' power and destroy the world. On an action-packed quest to rescue his father and restore right to the universe, Perseus teams up with Poseidon's demigod navigator son Agenor (Toby Kebbell), the warrior-queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), and humorous Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), who not only serves as metallurgist/armorer to the gods but also knows the secret way into Tartarus. Full of one-dimensional characters shouting solemn, stultifying dialogue, director Jonathan Liebesman's film boasts a few memorable CGI moments (such as when Perseus races through the labyrinth and fights the monstrous Minotaur), but otherwise disappoints. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (11 min.) and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the “Maximum Movie Mode” interactive option—offering “The Path of Men” and “The Path of Gods” experiences—with picture-in-picture commentary, storyboard comparisons, and production featurettes, all available in the separately viewable “Focus Points” section (35 min.). The Blu-ray release also features bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)