Feel the Wrath of The Titans....I did and it was awesome!

 I know Clash of the Titans was not well liked by a lot of people back in 2010. But I liked it. The only fault I had with it was the hasty 3D conversion which was very shoddy looking. The film itself was enjoyable enough without the tricks of the 3D flash. Now comes the sequel, Wrath of the Titans, that is set 10 years later. And it amps up the action, monsters, spectacles, and the gods themselves for one heck of a ride.

 Perseus readies himself for an attack

 

Perseus (once again played by Sam Worthington, this time sporting a more appropriate hairdo) has settled down and living the quiet life. Raising his son Hellios after his wife Io has passed on. He refuses to let his son become a warrior and instead teaches him all about fishing and the simple things. One night Zeus (Liam Neeson) comes a calling to ask for Perseus's help in stopping Kronos (Zeus's father from escaping the Underworld). Perseus declines and that sets the stage for the plot of this film.

Ralph Fiennes returns as Hades...and yes he is still pissed off

Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Ares (Edgar Ramirez) end up capturing Zeus to steal his power to feed Kronos so he can break free. Before he is freed several other demons and monsters escape and start attacking the mortals. First up Perseus battles a two headed beast called Chimera, which looks quite vicious. The battle between this beast and Perseus is quite exciting. Soon after Perseus realizes his son will never be safe if he doesn't try to stop Kronos from escaping. 

Andromeda has that look of..Do not mess with me today!!!

So he finds the son of Poseidon and Queen Andromeda (this time played by Rosamund Pike) to find the weapons maker of the Gods weapons to find a way into the Underworld. He is played with great hilarity by Bill Nighy. Along the way our heroes must deal with one-eyed cyclops and a vengeance obsessed Ares, who hates his half brother Perseus. Ares and Perseus have a knock down drag out fight that is awesome. 

Brothers in arms Hades and Zeus about to take on their dear old dad Kronos

Then Zeus and Hades get to join the fray as they battle their father and his demons. It's very cool seeing Zeus throw lightning bolts all over the place and walking around like he owns the place. Then the final battle between Perseus and Kronos is pretty cool too, even if it is similar to the finale of the first Titans, when Perseus rode his horse Pegasus as they swooped all around the Kraken.

Kronos spewing his crap all over the place

 

So I liked Wrath a little more than Clash simply because it was more straight forward, more action, and more interaction between the characters. The effects were really good and it has a booming music score. Wrath of the Titans rocks.
B

Action Movie For The Day - TAKEN (2008)

Liam Neeson is kick ass ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills who goes on a tear in Paris to find his kidnapped daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace). She and her friend are vacationing in Paris when they are abducted and forced into prostitution. Mills go ballistic and comes to Paris to find his daughter. He tears through bad guys like a vicious animal that won't stop until his daughter is safe. Liam will remind you of an older Jason Bourne with his lightning fast reflexes and taciturn demeanor. He's all business and very efficent at what he does. Top notch action thriller that delivers. Can't wait for the sequel.

B+


Bryan: I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.



Marko: [after a long pause] Good luck.

UKNOWN is Liam Neeson's solid companion piece to TAKEN...

Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn't recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Talk about an identity crisis. He soons find help in the form of a spunky cab driver/hostess named Gina (Diane Kruger). Soon the two are running all over Berlin trying to solve the mystery of Martin's life and at the same time, avoid being killed. Unknown plays like a seasoned Bourne movie about a man who can't remember certain things about his life but becomes more and more resilent as the movie goes along. And it plays also like a nice companion piece to Liam's own action flick, Taken. Because once he is pushed too far, he finally begins to fight back. I liked this movie and it was nice having it take place in Berlin. A nice change of pace from America. The cast is terrific. Liam shines once again in a very demanding role that has him play confused, loving, smart and then finally bad ass. January Jones is ok, but she is absent quite a bit as the movie centers on Liam and Gina. Oh by the way I think I'm in love with Diane Kruger. She is awesome as Gina with her lilting German accent being perfect and her character as the type of woman that you just can't walk away from. Unknown is a solid thriller.
B