Plot: What’s it about?
You’ve got to hand it to the Greeks – they’ve given us several things that still resonate in our daily lives. Don’t believe me? How about the Olympics? The Gods? Fraternities and sororities? Gyros? Ok, maybe the last one was pushing it a bit, but still the enduring myths of the Greek (and to the same extent, the Roman) gods still entertain us. In the past few years alone we’ve been graced with a re-make of Clash of the Titans, Immortals and Percy Jackson and the Olympians to name a few. So if you thought that you’d seen the last of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon – think again. And, contrary to popular belief, Zeus was the “King” of the Gods but he wasn’t the first one. There were two: Cronus and Gaig (Father Heaven and Mother Earth). Everyone else is a mere descendant of this duo. That’s your little factoid for the day. But enough about that, let’s delve in and see what Wrath of the Titans is all about.
There’s been a shakeup amongst the Gods. Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and his brother Ares (Edgar Ramirez) have teamed up with their father, Cronus to overthrow Zeus (Liam Neeson). Zeus is opposed to this, of course, but with the combined might of his brothers he’s essentially powerless to withstand their onslaught. He manages to contact Perseus (Sam Worthington) in an effort to come rescue him, but with Perseus being far weaker than his other brothers, the odds are against him. Perseus is also protecting his son and for the sake of the world, he needs to be able to help his father. Together with thief/demigod Agenor (Toby Kebbell, doing this best Russell Brand) and the lovely Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), they set out to accomplish their mission. Along the way, they run into the hapless God of Metalworking, Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) who manages to show them the entrance into the Underworld. This begs the question: do they really stand a chance?
I’ve found it best to approach films like these with grain of salt. Yes, they’re meant for men and yes they’re not to be taken too seriously. But the filmmakers seem to know that as well and that’s what makes it fun. There’s a lot of lore here and the thing with Greek Mythology is that there’s not a right or wrong way to approach it. There are so many stories with so many overlapping characters, there are actually very few constants. I might have to go and watch the first one just to see if I can approach it from the same mindset and maybe I’ll get as much enjoyment out of it as I did with this one.
Video: How does it look?
If it’s demo material you’re looking for then Wrath of the Titans might be one of the better films to show off your HDTV. The 1.77:1 AVC HD image is literally flawless throughout and detail takes front and center. We can see the dirt on the faces, the scruff of the beards, the wrinkles in the foreheads and the texture in the outfits. Remarkable. Naturally this was made for 3D and it has a lot of CGI effects, but they appear to flow naturally and seamlessly from one scene to the next. The “being” that is Cronus is more of a volcano come to life, but the lava that he spews feels like you could reach out and touch it. This is exactly what one would expect from a new to Blu-ray movie.
Audio: How does it sound?
Likewise the DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack is second to none. There’s so much going on that it’s hard to keep track of it all, but let it be said that your speakers will certainly get a workout. Be it the cling of a sword, the thump of Perseus hitting someone or anything in between, there’s always something going on. Dialogue is crisp and clear free of any and all distortion. LFE play a big part in this film, especially towards the end when Cronus is involved. This lossless soundtrack is what it’s all about and will stand as reference material for years to come.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Warner is doing more of their titles in “Maximum Movie Mode” which is cool since it encompasses essentially everything that you’d want in regard to supplemental features. In a Matrix sort of format, you must either choose the path of the Gods or the path of the Mortals (I chose the Gods) but the information is pretty much the same. We get some behind the scenes production materials as well as interviews with the cast and crew. Eventually the two paths do cross, so this is pretty interactive and you’ll have to actually make decisions as you go along the voyage. There are a trio of deleted scenes in a very rough format. Also, all of the “Focus Points” found in the MMM can be individually accessed. There’s also a UV copy of the movie as well as a standard DVD on the second disc.
