Wrath of the Titans 3D

Like Father, Like Son

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Rated: PG-13   Intense sequences of fantasy and sci-fi violence
Release Date: March 30, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

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Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writers:  Dan Mazeau, David Johnson, Greg Berlanti
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, Toby Kebbell

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SYNOPSIS: Perseus is called upon again to save the world, including his father Zeus, when the Titans are released to wreck havok upon humans and gods alike.

REVIEW: Jonathan Liebesman, director of Battle: Los Angeles, takes a Kraken (is that a bad pun?) at the sequel to the reboot of The Clash of the Titans. But tackling sequels to rebooted franchises should be no problem for Liebesman has already showed promise with another reboot sequel with a chainsaw instead of a sword, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Based on characters and screenplay from Beverley Cross, newcomer Dan Mazeau, Waking Dead, Red Riding Hood and Orphan screenwriter David Johnson, and Green Lantern writer Greg Berlanti extend the tale of the demi-god Perseus and his quest for a normal human life.

Kraken slayer Perseus (Sam Worthington, Man on a Ledge) has settled into an ordinary fisherman's life raising his son Helius (John Bell, upcoming Battleship) after the death of his wife. When Zeus (Liam Neeson, The Grey) visits Perseus with news of a growing threat by Chronos and many escaped Titans, the god of gods pleads for his son to assist him in overcoming the menace. When Zeus, Poseidon (Danny Huston, The Warrior's Way) and Ares (Edgar Ramirez, Vantage Point) travel to the underworld to enlist Hades (Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2), only to be betrayed to be used to reawaken the weak and slumbering Chronos from his labyrinth prison. When his village is attacked by a stray Titan, Perseus takes the quest to save humanity only in order to keep his son safe. He seeks out Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike, The Big Year) and Poseidon's demi-god son Agenor (Toby Kebbell, The Conspirator) in order to find another fallen god, the weapon master Hephaestus (Bill Nighy, Arthur Christmas), and a weapon to defeat Chronos.

Wrath of the Titans manages to do one thing right out of the gate. The sequel shrugs off the confines of the rebooted Clash of the Titans and the difficult expectations of living up to the Harry Hamlin original. Zeus sets the stage for when needs to be done in the sequel with a quick narrative of Perseus' exploits from the original and an unscheduled visit to Perseus to lay out the quest that he will ultimately need to undertake. When his family is threatened, Perseus must weight his ordinary simple humanity side against the demi-god side filled with the godlike power and responsibilities he possesses. 

Keeping the cast streamlined and the story focused, Wrath of the Titans focuses on one simple concept - family. Ares rebels against his father Zeus because he envies Perseus as Zeus' favorite son. Brothers Hades and Zeus clash over Hades banishment to the underworld, and Hades betrayal of Zeus in support of their own father, Chronos. Poseidon's demi-god son Agenor is considered a 'great disappointment to his father but he tries to become a hero in spite of his failed reputation. And although Perseus accepts the quest to save the world against the Titan, he does it simply to save the life of his son.

With a trio of Cyclops, Titans like a two-headed fire-breathing canine-like beast, conjoined warrior swordsmen who have each other's back, and a Minotaur guarding a prison labyrinth, Wrath of the Titans is a fun fantasy popcorn film that supplies plenty of eye candy that gets better and better once Perseus, Andromeda, Agenor, and Hepaestus square off against Ares and attempt to break into the Underworld prison that houses Chronos. The post produced 3D still doesn't dazzle, but it has come a long way from the 3D debacle from Clash of the Titans that soured many a moviegoer for 3D films.

In Perseus' ancient world, the Greek deities are slowly losing their unfathomable power because human society has outgrown their use for the ever manipulative, self-serving and silent gods. They are so depowered, in fact, that they can no longer keep omnipotent tabs on their former followers without the follower inciting prayer to a specific god. Only the most powerful gods, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, still retain a fraction of their former glory. Ares, the god of war, has become more powerful since battles still rage on the earthly plane. The age of the gods is coming to a close, but the fruits of their 'labors' has left the earth filled with demi-god offspring trying to love ordinary lives.

Wrath of the Titans is a gritty, action-oriented ancient fantasy without the stylized reds of 300 or the golds of Immortals. Liebesman removes the silvers of Clash of the Titans for the sequel. Toby Kebbells' Agenor supplies some lightness and Bill Nighy's Hephaestus supply some craziness to break up the drama, but the rest of the cast is focused on the task at hand, saving the ancient world from a more ancient threat.

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Man On A Ledge

On The Edge

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Rated: PG-13  Violence and brief strong language
Release Date: January 27, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 42 min

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Director: Asger Leth

Writers: Pablo F. Fenjves
Cast: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Edward Burns, Ed Harris

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SYNOPSIS: Ex-cop turned escaped con stands on the ledge of a Manhattan hotel claiming his innocence for the crime he was imprisoned. But while a police psychologist tries to talk him off the ledge, his stunt may only be a distraction for a bigger crime.

REVIEW: Asger Leth, director of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil, takes a stab at the mainstream with Sam Worthington (Avatar) and Ed Harris (Appaloosa) with a high stepping suspense thriller from TV movie writer Pablo F. Fenjves (Trophy Wife). Can both writer and director make a successful flick without slipping off the edge? Let's find out.

Cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington, The Debt) on a moonlight assignment for real estate mogul David Englander (Ed Harris, National Treasure: Book of Secrets) is accused of stealing Englander's 40 million dollar diamond and sentenced to twenty five years in prison. Even with help from his former partner Mike Ackerman (Anthony Mackie, Real Steel), Nick has run out of appeals. But when his father passes away, he is given opportunity to attend the funeral and takes the opportunity to make a daring break from the guards. Cassidy makes his way to the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel on 45th Street and Madison Avenue, eats a large meal, and steps out onto the building's ledge to wait for the police and media to arrive. Asking specifically for Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks, The Next Three Days) as the negotiator, Cassidy strings the cops and the gathering crowd along while a more calculated plan is set into motion.

From the trailers you might get the idea that Man on a Ledge is similar to Colin Ferrell's Phone Booth, focused on a solitary man in a limited venue trying to affect change. But where Ferrell's film was a psychological thriller where he was placed in stationary peril - a phone booth - at the whim of a calculating psychopathic killer, Sam Worthington becomes the Man on a Ledge by his own volition to clear his name of the crimes he was accused and convicted of. The tension is still present as Nick Cassidy puts his life in jeopardy with the soles of his shoes hanging off the stone ledge.

Part police drama, part heist film, Man on a Ledge breaks up the singular story of Nick Cassidy with flashbacks from his time in prison and his escape from confinement. Also in the mix are Nick's brother Joey (Jamie Bell, The Eagle) and his sassy girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez). Lydia Mercer, fresh off a failed jumper save of a rookie cop, must face a disapproving squad, fellow negotiator Jack Dougherty (Edward Burns, 27 Dresses) and commander Dante Marcus (Titus Welliver, The Town) as she attempts to bring Cassidy in from the edge. David Englander rules with a iron real estate fist as he deals with zoning committees, investment meetings, and men looking to jump off a building accused of stealing the diamond he so prized. Lastly, a opportunistic reporter Suzie Morales (Kyra Sedgwick, Gamer) distills the play-by-play of the neck-craning events to all who will watch.

Worthington is committed to the role, muttering up enough piercing stares, slipping gasps, and furrowed-brow scowls to work throughout the film. Banks' performance is serviceable, but she just doesn't click with Worthington as well as she does with Edward Burns. Bell and Rodriguez, on the other hand, work and play well together as Joey and Angie argue and weave their way through Nick's master plan. Ed Harris is a worthy adversary as the mogul Englander but doesn't get nearly enough screen time to be effective.

Man on a Ledge aspires to be a lofty suspenseful action drama. The elements are all in place, whether suspended by nylon ropes, perched on the edge of the wind against the side of a building, or smashing gift watches against the wall behind the presenter's head. The problem with an aspiration of a film is that sometimes you lose your footing and tumble over the edge. i look forward, instead, to Sam Worthington Wrath of the Titans. 

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WORTH: Rental

The Debt

Everyone Must Pay The Piper

Director: John Madden Writers: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman, Peter Straughan, Assaf Bernstein & Ido Rosenblum (film Ha-Hov)

Cast: Helen Mirran, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, Sam Worthington, Jesper Christensen

SYNOPSIS: In 1966, three young Mossad agents pursue and look to capture a World War II war criminal hiding out "behind the wall" in Berlin. Thirty years later, it becomes obvious that the three hold a deep down secret.

REVIEW: 
John Madden, director of Shakespeare in Love and Proof, takes a script from Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass), and Peter Straughan, from the film Ha-Hov by Assaf Bernstein and Ido Rosenblum. 


In The Debt, Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren), David Peretz (Tom Wilkinson) and Unit Commander Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson) are retired Mossad agents who had come home heroes in 1966 after eliminating Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen), a Nazi war criminal accused of the surgical extermination and butchery of Jews. Once Sarah, the daughter of Rachel and Stephan, writes and publishes a book in 1997 about the events involving her parents and David, a tightly clenched web of lies threatens to unravel. 


Effortlessly and cleverly sliding from 1966 East Berlin and the "present" of 1997, The Debt shows the actual events as they unfold. Rachel (Jessica Chastain), a young Mossad agent on her first field assignment meets up with driven, silent agent David (Sam Worthington) and ambitious youngest ever Mossad Unit Commander Stephan (Marton Csokas). A triangle of sexual tension rises between the agents just as quickly as the stress of the assignment and the initial failure of the mission take their toil on the agents. 


What is the secret that Rachel, Stephan and David share? What darkness has been sworn to thirty years of silence and has driven a wedge between them? And at what lengths will they go to keep the secret? The film starts off with a bang, displaying a vicious act of desperation and retribution. Fast-forward thirty years to suspicion and conspiracy emoting from every glance before being hidden behind the darkness of metal-rimmed sunglasses. As the story propels forward, the older version of the characters try to hold firm to the secret only they share, while the events of their younger counterparts lift the gauzy veil covering up the truth.


Helen Mirren as Rachel is superb, her acting up for the challenge of the role. The younger Rachel, played by Jessica Chastain, mixes naive hopefulness with quickly realized dread as her first assignment spins out of control. Sam Worthington's Peter broods with a deep sorrow, keeping his personal story close to the vest even as he lets his emotions concerning Rachel and his past cloud his judgements and rule his decisions. Young Stephan, played by Marton Csokas, is not ruled by emotions but is ruled by his sense of honor to country and the patriotism that the mission's success would mean. Most notable is Jesper Christensen as the hiding-in-plain-sight German gynecologist Doktor Bernhardt who, as Dieter Vogel, committed atrocities against the Jewish race in World War II.


Filled with tension, a strong story, and solid acting, The Debt is worthwhile. Getting its hooks into the audience early with action, intrigue and secrets, the slower pace of the retelling of the mission in the midsection of the film is tolerated. Once the unspoken is revealed, the ending has a satisfying conclusion that, ultimately, pays the debt in full.

WORTH: Matinee or Rental 

Clash Of The Titans

What Would Harryhausen Think?

[Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes]

I herd through the grapevine that the 3D for this movie was "after market" and made the film dark and dreary, with no real gain. Because of this, I steered away from spending extra money and opted for the 2D version. And with another movie comes another encounter with people who treat the movie theater like their den. I saw a guy come in with a bucket of popcorn and a large soda, go through all of it, leave and somehow find another bucket of half filled popcorn, come back and finish that bucket, then leave it all behind beside his seat as he left after the movie. All of it embarrassing to me.

SYNOPSIS:  Perseus, son of Zeus and a mortal woman, is found as a infant by a fisherman and his wife and raised as a human. As a young man, he is drawn into a war between the gods and man as he swears revenge against Hades, the god who kills his family.

I remember in 1981, being a ten year old boy, waiting in a line around the block trying to get tickets with my friends to see the original "Clash of the Titans". One of the ushers continued to step out in front of the line to say that the next showing was sold out. And the next. And the next. It was my job to run all around the block back to my mom's car to see if it was okay to go to the 12:30pm show. Then the 2:15pm show. Then the 3:30pm show. Finally we got our tickets and were dropped off at the theater to see myth comes to life with Harry Hamlin and the stop-action work of Ray Harryhausen. 29 years later, current technology sets up the perfect stage for a remake.

Current technology is both the winner and loser for this film. The effects for the creatures and action sequences for Medusa, the Kraken, and the Pegasus worked well. The inclusion of the after market inclusion of 3D as a means to capitalize on the success of "Avatar" did not. Some of the vista scenes looked excellent, especially in the desert, others looked staged and painted. 

Sam Worthington spins another large production after "Avatar" and "Terminator: Salvation". His portrayal of Perseus is dry and understated. He just seems tired at this point. More lively are Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as his battling brother Hades. The story is more about the rivalry between the the god brothers, and between the gods and man. Perseus' story, even though the center of the movie, is somewhat less interesting than that of gods whining about not being loved anymore and trying to overthrow each other, and that of the reluctant warriors banded together with Perseus for a impossible mission to save mankind. 

The Medusa is beautiful and slick, the Kraken tremendous, the scorpions in the desert temple fearsome. All of the advances of CGI work for the creatures in the story. But did the story live up to 29 years in the remaking? Would all of the fans of the original be excited to tell all of their friends to go see the film. As with most remakes, the answer is usually no.

Worth: DVD or Netflix