After the 3Debacle of the
After
the 3Debacle of the recent Clash of the Titans remake it was surprising to see
a sequel, with Sam Worthington reprising his role as Perseus, but in its
inimitable style Hollywood has managed to flog some life into that old (winged)
horse.
After defeating the Kraken, Perseus has decided to take a break from the
demigod business and focus on his human part, which involves living as a single
parent and working as a fisherman, which seems something of a popular
occupation for sons of gods. The trouble with these Greek gods is they are just
a bit too human and it’s not long before a longstanding sibling rivalry kicks
off again as Hades (Ralph Fiennes)
and Ares, Zeus’ other son, gang-up to capture Zeus and sacrifice his powers to
free their father Kronos, so it is up to Perseus to save the day, and the
planet.
This has blockbuster written all over it, although they should have tried
writing a better dialogue over it instead. Having said that, there are some
comical moments from Bill Nighy as a
whacky northern Hephaestus (with a nice nod to Ray Harryhausen amongst his eccentric souvenirs). Toby Kebbell was also funny and
charming as Poseiden’s demigod son Agenor, aka The Navigator. As the warrior
queen Andromeda, Rosamund Pike never
really got to play much more than a blonde love interest, which is no
reflection on her performance, but this is very much a male-dominated film filled
with divine testosterone.
Even though this film is based on classical mythology, its story was a bit on
the weak side, but it more than made up for that in sheer spectacle, especially
when viewed on the IMAX screen. The special effects were often stunning,
especially the bits set in Tartarus, the Underworld, and also the awakening of
Kronos, which was realistic enough to make you see how ancient people could
ascribe volcanic action as battling gods and demons.
Like the gods of the story, the film isn’t without its weaknesses and faults,
one of which is the conglomeration of different accents, where nearly all the
actors (apart from Nighy) used their natural speaking voices, with Worthington’s
Aussie drawl the most incongruous. While it may not serve as much help for
anyone studying A-Level Classics, but neither did other recent films such as The Immortals or Percy Jackson, it certainly turns on the action, and sometimes that
can be enough for a night out at the cinema.