Wrath of the Titans

Movie references have a nonsensical way of making their way into politics. There are, for example, the red and blue pills from The Matrix, "boogaloo" from Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and "Release the Kraken" from Clash of the Titans.

When I was a little kid in the '80s, I must have seen the 1981 Clash of the Titans on HBO many dozens of times. Science fiction and comic superheroes are not the only things that have broad appeal. Greek mythology is fascinating and timeless, and to see it come to life in movies is enchanting.

Directed by Louis Leterrier, the 2010 version of the classic wasn't bad, but it wasn't the remake I was expecting to see. Even though it had the core characters, like Zeus and Perseus, this Clash of the Titans introduced new characters, and it was a slight departure from the original film in its storyline. 

Another director, Jonathan Liebesman, took the helm for the sequel, and Wrath of the Titans, in my opinion, is moderately better than the previous movie. Aside from having different aspect ratios, both films are visually identical with respect to color grading, but there were subtle differences in the acting and direction. This illustrates that even with the same cast and production companies, a director's vision and expectations can result in minute differences with a sequel film.

Speaking of the cast, Sam Worthington (Avatar), Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes returned to reprise their roles in Wrath of the Titans, but the part of Andromeda, who became a military general, was recast to Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), who was also terrific.

It's not uncommon for a sequel to surpass its predecessor in overall quality, and I believe this to be the case with Wrath of the Titans. Fantasy films with immortals, magic, and monsters are a mainstay in Hollywood, but Greek myths are still some of the most imaginative, captivating, and influential stories in human history. Based on an original screenplay, Wrath of the Titans is one film that does the mythology justice.

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