6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned...
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Edgar Ramírez, Toby KebbellAction | 100% |
Adventure | 81% |
Fantasy | 58% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Hungarian
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Louis Leterrier's Clash of the Titans arrived to negative reviews, divided audiences, and set off a much discussed 3D backlash with a hurried post conversion and faulty theatrical presentation. Warner cleaned house for the sequel. New director, new screenwriters, new beasties, and a leaner, meaner tale. But is director Jonathan Liebesman's Wrath of the Titans any better? In some ways, yes -- the performances are certainly better, the dialogue sharper, the stakes higher, and the 3D presentation more satisfying -- in other ways, no. Despite its grander scale, the sequel's story and settings somehow feel smaller, its 3D is still derived from a post-converted source, its creatures and monsters aren't nearly as compelling or frightening (save one, the Chimera), and its battles, showdowns and clashes are straight out of a videogame. The results are more refined I suppose, more commendable even. But stronger? Smarter? More agile? More deadly? Don't set your expectations too high. Wrath is just another dose of big, dumb, mythological 3D fun.
Perseus reunites with Andromeda...
Wrath of the Titans hacks and slashes through the beasts of Tartarus with a razor-edged 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer free of major issues and distractions. Hardly a scene goes by that doesn't fill the air with sand, dirt, mist, debris, smoke or bursts of flame, and yet the presentation isn't plagued by significant noise or artifacting. Negligible instances of each sneak into the image when the chaos is at its most intense, but it would take a stringent videophile to spot them. Otherwise, the encode is nearly flawless. Colors, though typically dusty and sun-struck, are strong and striking, potent primaries lend Kronos' hellfire vibrance and voracity, skintones are warm and lifelike, and black levels are quite deep (when furious battles aren't blanketing the screen with sand). Detail is exacting as well. Fine textures and closeups are precisely resolved, edge definition is crisp and clean (with little to no ringing), delineation is excellent, and grain is intact. A few scenes, particularly those that rely heavily on visual effects, have a slightly glossy digital sheen, but it doesn't hinder the proceedings. Moreover, macroblocking, banding, aliasing, crush and other serious problems don't factor into the mix, and the encode is polished and proficient.
And what of Warner's 1080p/MVC-encoded 3D presentation? After the fiasco that was Clash of the Titans and its botched 3D experience, even the producers began hinting that the sequel would be shot in native 3D. For whatever reason, though, that never came to pass. Wrath of the Titans was also converted to 3D after the fact, a move that took me by surprise and lowered my expectations by a few rungs. Thankfully, Wrath's 3D experience is much more satisfying than its predecessor's, with reasonably convincing depth and dimensionality, a handful of fun (albeit somewhat gimmicky) shots, and no major problems or conversion mishaps to speak of. It still isn't as enveloping as it could (or arguably should) be, but that's more a product of the film itself than the post-converted 3D presentation. The aforementioned sand, dirt, debris and smoke wreaks havoc on the 3D experience (as do the more frenzied monster fights), flattening the image into a two-dimensional cloud of whatever happens to be swirling round the actors and creatures at any given moment. Add to that the torch-lit walls of Hephaestus' cave, the impenetrable shadows of the Labyrinth of Tartarus, the dark recesses of the underworld (made that much darker by the dimness of the 3D glasses) and you have even more scenes that aren't really able to pull the viewer into a fully realized 3D world. Does it spoil the film? No, it simply makes for a hit-or-miss 3D experience. Fans will still be pleased, but I suspect most repeat viewings will involve watching Wrath of the Titans in 2D.
Unleash the Kraken! Er... Kronos! Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track wreaks more havoc than Wrath of the Titans' most vicious mythological monsters and does so with more finesse than the film's mightiest gods and warriors. Fireballs hurtle across the sky, lava turns to stone as it rains from above, a Chimera pounds the ground as it pounces, a cyclops hurls trees at a band of trespassers, a minotaur smash through rock with tremendous force, lightning and thunder split the skies, and gods crash to earth with a deafening thoom. All the while, the LFE channel wages war on the soundscape, demonstrating the staggering fury of Olympus' power and loosing the unbridled rage of the titans. The rear speakers join the fight too, surrounding the listener with epic conflicts and clashes. Battle-hardened soldiers cry out, fleeing peasants scream, snapping jaws clamp shut, toppling trees fall to all sides, shifting labyrinth walls twist and turn, erupting streams of lava spew upwards and outwards, attacking hellions dart by, and rampaging giants circle around Perseus and his heroes. But it isn't just volume for volume's sake. The tiny crunch of a soft footfall on a rocky mountain pass, the whisper of a light breeze, the faint rustling of a deadly forest, the murmurs of nervous swordsmen, and the ominous atmosphere of Tartarus and the underworld make the sequel's entire soundfield as immersive as it is during its most bombastic action scenes. More, you ask? Gladly. Dynamics are dead on. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout. Javier Navarrete's score streams from every speaker, complementing the sonic experience perfectly. And prioritization? Terrific. All told, Wrath of the Titans sounds fantastic.
Wrath of the Titans improves upon Clash of the Titans in some ways but still falls short. The performances and script are better, but the visual effects, creature designs and monster battles are ripped from videogames and, perhaps more distressingly, feel as if they have been. At least audiences will agree on the quality of Warner's Blu-ray release. While a bit slim in the supplemental department, the sequel's video transfer is outstanding, its 3D presentation handily bests its predecessor, and its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a full-force knockout. If you enjoyed Clash of the Titans, you'll certainly enjoy Wrath. If you shrugged off Clash, still give Wrath a try. If you're gun-shy after having sat through Clash's migraine-inducing 3D experience, there's little need to worry this time around. If you despised Clash, though, Wrath of the Titans won't convert you to the franchise fold.
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