Wrath of the Titans (12A)

The squeal to the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans appears out of this first film’s success. The Director, Jonathan Liebesman, the relatively inexperienced director of Battle Los Angeles, has an extra 25 million dollars to play with, making a massive budget of 150 million. Like a Titan rising from a mighty fire it lurches into life but is consumed by the over use of visual effects and poor make up. It strings together a mish-mash of scenes based upon sections of the first film, using the same characters and similar ideas. 
 
Sam Worthington as Perseus and Liam Neeson as Zeus seem to be on auto pilot and largely stone like as if Medusa had been on set. The interesting Danny Huston, Poseidon, is quickly expelled, and the excellent Ralph Fiennes fails to impress partly because he appears in his theatrical Harry Potter mode. Rosamund Pike appears as Andromeda and here we feel she may be a foil for Worthington’s often shocked expression but she is not allowed to share out her class and we lose track of her.

The main problem with Wrath of the Titans is the plot; find the very powerful weapon and kill the angry mega god. There are no twists or surprises and it really lacks the mythical magic of the original 1980s film. We do not come to know Perseus’s son, played by John Bell, who had an acting break by winning a Blue Peter competition, or really feel that we understand much at all about the characters. 

Having said that if you love special effects then there are some great examples here, especially the two headed hell hound which Perseus single-handedly dispatches. This aspect of the film must have been the reason why it grossed over 300 million dollars.

42/100

The Cabin in the Woods (15)

There has been a lot of press coverage regarded this supposedly typical horror, with suitable name and twisted poster showing a grim cabin, where horror might commence. But this unexpected film is co-written by Joss Whedon,  sci-fi and fantasy master scribe, and so there was always going to be an added science fiction element. But where could this come from when dealing with your standard slasher in the woods horror?

From the beginning it is apparent that perhaps there is something quirky about Cabin in the Woods. Rather than the stereo typical 'teenagers preparing for a road trip' opening sequence we are confronted with some kind of science laboratory or technical institute. Then a hard hitting title sequence which smacks of a Carry on film rather than a gruesomely atmospheric frontispiece to a spooky horror. Not all as it would seem.

The group of young adults are in trouble. The little know Kristen Connolly steps up as the lead female, Dana Polk , and yet somehow steps back into the shadows her presence weak. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as Curt does well, doesn't need a surname and can't help but dominate a group of lack lustre victims, yet is soon dispatched. Anna Hutchison and Jesse Williams appear and disappear, where as the geeky Fran Kranz is more memorable as the one who has enough brains recognise the trap the group have found themselves in.

There is plenty of gore and psychological terror in this action packed horror come thriller come sci-fi. Experienced TV Director Drew Goddard churns ups a cauldron of dark filmic references but surprisingly the strength of this story, other than its unpredictable nature, comes from the two control room operators Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. They're dead pan, unmoving behaviour followed up by high fives and slap stick moralistic judgements is hard to fathom until you realise they may well have the fate of the world in their hands.

68/100