Wrath of the Titans

Wrath of the Titans

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story by
Based on Characters 
by Beverley Cross
Starring
Music by Javier Navarrete[1]
Cinematography Ben Davis
Edited by Martin Walsh
Production
company
Legendary Pictures
Thunder Road Pictures
Cott Productions
Furia de Titanes II A.I.E.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • March 28, 2012 (2012-03-28) (France[2])
  • March 30, 2012 (2012-03-30) (United States)
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
United Kingdom
Spain[3][4]
Language English
Budget $150 million
Box office $305.3 million[5]

Wrath of the Titans is a 2012 heroic fantasy adventure film and sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans. The film stars Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Édgar Ramírez, Toby Kebbell, Danny Huston, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson, with Jonathan Liebesman directing a screenplay by Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson. Wrath of the Titans takes place a decade after the events of the first film as the gods lose control over the imprisoned Titans and Perseus is called, this time to rescue his father Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Talk of a sequel began with the release of Clash of the Titans in March 2010. Scribes Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson were hired in June 2010 and director Jonathan Liebesman was brought on board in August 2010. The majority of the casting took place between January and February 2011. Principal photography began in London in March 2011. Like its predecessor, the film was converted to 3D in post-production. Wrath of the Titans was released in 2D and 3D on March 30, 2012 in the United States. Despite widespread negative reception from critics, the film grossed $305 million worldwide.

Plot

Perseus (Sam Worthington), a son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), lives as a fisherman after the death of his wife, Io (portrayed by Gemma Arterton in the previous film), with his young son, Helius (John Bell). Zeus visits Perseus and asks for his help, saying that humans are not praying to the gods and as a result the gods are losing their power and becoming mortal and can no longer sustain the walls of Tartarus which are crumbling, and the imprisoned Titan Kronos will soon be free. Perseus, valuing his family's safety, refuses to get involved.

Zeus meets his brothers Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston), and his son Ares (Édgar Ramírez) in Tartarus. He asks Hades's help in rebuilding Tartarus's walls, but Hades rejects the offer and attacks Zeus. Ares betrays Zeus, imprisoning him and stealing his thunderbolt. Hades and Ares plan to make a deal with Kronos: in exchange for remaining immortal, they will drain Zeus's divine power to revive Kronos. The walls of Tartarus break unleashing monsters onto the world.

After killing a Chimera that attacked his village, Perseus travels to meet his father. He instead finds a dying Poseidon who informs him of the circumstances and tells him to find his Demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell) who will lead him to Hephaestus, who knows the way into Tartarus. Poseidon then gives Perseus his trident and succumbs to the injuries he sustained when meeting Hades and dissolves into dust. Perseus, Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), and Agenor set out to find Hephaestus on a hidden island. Agenor explains that Hephaestus created three weapons which Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon wield: Zeus's thunderbolt, Hades's pitchfork, and Poseidon's trident, and that these weapons can jointly form the Spear of Trium, the only weapon that can defeat Kronos. After an encounter with 30 ft. Cyclopes, the travelers eventually meet the now mortal Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) and reach the entrance of a labyrinth leading to Tartarus. Hephaestus sacrifices himself during an attack by Ares to enable Perseus, Andromeda, and Agenor to enter the labyrinth.

The group eventually enters Tartarus. Meanwhile, Zeus has been almost entirely drained of power as Kronos awakens. Zeus apologizes to Hades for banishing him to the underworld and asks his forgiveness, as he has forgiven Hades for his actions. Hades decides to help Zeus and stop Kronos in contrast to Ares who still wants to proceed to the former's revival. Perseus arrives and frees Zeus. Ares wounds Zeus with Hades Pitchfork, allowing Perseus to obtain it before he and the others escapes Tartarus with Hades.

Aiming to retrieve the Thunderbolt from Ares in order to defeat Kronos, Perseus challenges him to a duel, which Ares accepts. Meanwhile, Andromeda's army is overwhelmed by the Makhai, but Hades revives Zeus which leaves Hades less powerful and they defeat the creatures. Kronos appears and begins to attack Andromeda's army. Zeus and Hades hold off Kronos while Perseus duels Ares eventually killing him with the thunderbolt. Combining the gods' weapons into the Spear of Trium, Perseus destroys Kronos, traveling to his heart and throwing the spear into it.

Zeus reconciles with Perseus and then dies of his wounds as he dissolves. Hades tells Perseus that now he is powerless and leaves. Perseus kisses Andromeda. Helius tells his father that he wants to return to his life as a fisherman, but Perseus tells him they can't. He tells Helius that he should be proud of himself, as his son and the grandson of Zeus. The film ends with Perseus giving his sword to Helius.

Cast

Production

Development

Talks of a sequel to Clash of the Titans began as early as March 2010. Tamer Hassan, who played Ares in the first film, stated at the film's world premiere that, "They want this one to do well so they can go ahead with the sequel, Return of the Gods".[8] In April 2010 it was reported that director Louis Leterrier would not return to direct, but would be an executive producer on the second installment. The report also stated that Sam Worthington was on board and that Greg Berlanti would write the story.[9]

In June 2010, Warner Bros. hired screenwriters David Leslie Johnson and Dan Mazeau to write the screenplay, with Basil Iwanyk returning as the producer.[10] Rather than being converted to 3D, it was announced that the sequel would be filmed in 3D.[10] In August 2010, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Jonathan Liebesman had signed a deal to direct the sequel.[11]

In September 2010, director Jonathan Liebesman confirmed that Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson would be returning.[12][13] However, Arterton did not reprise her role for unknown reasons, leaving her character, Io, dead in the film. In December 2010, Neeson revealed that the film would be titled Wrath of the Titans and that filming was expected to begin next March.[14]

In January 2011, it was reported that Édgar Ramírez and Toby Kebbell were in negotiations to play Ares and Agenor respectively. It was also reported that Bill Nighy was being courted to play Hephaestus. Additionally, Hayley Atwell was on the shortlist of actresses screen testing for the role of Andromeda, played in the previous film by Alexa Davalos who left due to a scheduling conflict. Other actresses being considered for Andromeda included Georgina Haig, Janet Montgomery, Dominique McElligott, and Clémence Poésy.[15]

In February 2011, it was reported that Rosamund Pike was near a deal for the part.[16] Also in February, Liebesman announced that Wrath of the Titans would be converted to 3D rather than shot in 3D as previously reported despite the negative criticism the first Clash of the Titans received for its use of post-conversion 3D. Liebesman explained, "I think what you have to remember is the first film was neither shot nor edited with 3D in mind. It was shot as a 2D movie and edited as a 2D film, and they decided to convert it with six or seven weeks to go until release, which is insane; the technology was not there. That's why we're conceiving it from the start, from the ground up, in 3D, editing in 3D for 3D." Liebesman also stated the reason behind the conversion was because he wants to shoot on film, which will give the film's imagery better texture than he would get shooting digitally.[17]

Principal photography began on March 23, 2011. Filming took place in studios outside London and later shot on location in Surrey, South Wales and in the Canary Islands on the island of Tenerife and Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia.[6]

Release

Wrath of the Titans premiered on Monday, March 26, 2012 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City.[18]

Critical reception

Wrath of the Titans received generally unfavorable reviews from critics.[19] Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 25%, based of 165 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Its 3D effects are an improvement over its predecessor's, but in nearly every other respect, Wrath of the Titans fails to improve upon the stilted acting, wooden dialogue, and chaos-driven plot of the franchise's first installment".[20] Metacritic assigned the film an average score of 37 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[19]

The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Neeson as Worst Supporting Actor.[21] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called it, "A relentlessly mechanical piece of work that will not or cannot take the imaginative leaps to yield even fleeting moments of awe, wonder or charm".[22] Roger Ebert, who gave the first film three stars, awarded Wrath with only two, remarking "It lacks a comprehensible story, and you won't need your CliffsNotes on the Greek myths. You get an idea of who the major players are, and then they spend a modest amount of time shouting laughable dialogue at one another while being all but forced off the screen by special effects.".[23] Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times criticized, "Directed this time out by Jonathan Liebesman, the film lacks inspiration or zest in storytelling, performance or action. This is pure product, a movie desperately without energy or enthusiasm of any kind".[24] However, there have been some positive reviews. Andrew Barker of Variety noted that, "The [Clash of the Titans] franchise has matured ever so slightly with Wrath of the Titans, hewing incrementally more faithfully to its Greek origins and trimming the fat in essential places".[25] Richard Corliss of Time magazine wrote, "Wrath [of the Titans] radiates the straight-forward, straight-faced pleasures of the mytho-muscular epics, like Hercules and Jason and the Argonauts, produced in Europe a half-century ago".[26] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly commented, "For a movie that's basically all warmed-over pseudo-mythology and special effects, Wrath of the Titans is certainly more fun, in its solemnly junky way, than John Carter. It may also be a little more fun than its cheeseball predecessor, the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans".[27]

Box office

Wrath of the Titans opened on Friday, March 30, 2012 with $1 million from midnight screenings in 1,490 theaters.[28] The film went on to earn an estimated $34.2 million in North America through the weekend, debuting in second place behind The Hunger Games.[29]

Wrath of the Titans earned $83,670,083 in North America and $221,600,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $305,270,083. This is less than the $493 million grossed by its predecessor.[5]

Home media

Wrath of the Titans was released on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on June 26, 2012.[30]

Soundtrack

Soundtrack list

References

  1. ↑ "Javier Navarrete to Score ‘Wrath of the Titans’". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  2. ↑ "La colère des Titans - released". AlloCiné.fr. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. ↑ Simon, Brent (March 28, 2012). "Wrath of the Titans". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 21, 2012.(subscription required)
  4. ↑ Buchanan, Jason. "Wrath of the Titans". Allmovie. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Wrath of the Titans". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Production Underway for Clash of the Titans 2". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  7. ↑ "Rosamund Pike Joins ‘Wrath of the Titans’ as Andromeda". screenrant.com. 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Sharp, Craig (2010-03-29). "FilmShaft Exclusive! The Stars Align For Clash Of The Titans World Premiere With The SEQUEL Waiting In The Wings". FilmShaft. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  9. ↑ Flemming, Mike (2010-04-27). "Sequels For 'Clash Of The Titans' And 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  10. 1 2 McNary, Dave (2010-06-11). "'Clash of the Titans' sequel in the works". Variety. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  11. ↑ "Liebesman Confirmed for Clash of the Titans 2". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  12. ↑ ""Clash of the Titans 2" to Bring Back Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson". WorstPreviews. 2010-09-11. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  13. ↑ Douglas, Edward (2010-09-10). "Clash of the Titans 2 and Expendables 2 Updates". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  14. ↑ "Neeson looks forward to Titans 2". The Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
  15. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (2011-01-07). "Exclusive: Ramirez, Kebbell to Join 'Titans' Sequel; Atwell Testing". The Wrap. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  16. ↑ Flemming, Mike (2011-02-08). "Rosamund Pike To Play Andromeda In 'Clash Of The Titans 2'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  17. ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (2011-02-24). "'Clash of the Titans 2' Will Be Converted To 3D, Says Director Jonathan Liebesman". Moviefone. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  18. ↑ ""Wrath Of The Titans" New York Premiere - Arrivals". Zimbio. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
  19. 1 2 "Wrath of the Titans". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  20. ↑ "Wrath of the Titans (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  21. ↑ "The 33rd Annual RAZZIE® Awards". Razzies.com. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  22. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (2012-03-12). "Wrath of the Titans: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  23. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2012-03-28). "Wrath of the Titans". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  24. ↑ Olsen, Mark (2012-03-12). "Movie review: The gods aren't kind to 'Wrath of the Titans'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  25. ↑ Barker, Andrew (2012-03-12). "Wrath of the Titans". Variety. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  26. ↑ Corliss, Richard (2012-03-29). "Wrath of the Titans: The God-Fathers, Part II". Time. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  27. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (2012-03-29). "Wrath of the Titans: The God-Fathers, Part II". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  28. ↑ Finke, Nikki (2012-03-30). "‘Wrath Of The Titans’ Opens To $1M Midnights". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  29. ↑ Subers, Ray (2012-04-01). "Weekend Report: 'Wrath,' 'Mirror' No Match for 'Hunger Games'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  30. ↑ Shaffer, R.L. (May 15, 2012). "Wrath of the Titans to Conquer BD, DVD". IGN. Retrieved May 31, 2012.

External links

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