Review No.107: Wrath of the Titans

My abiding memory of the 2010 version of Clash of the Titans wasn't anything about the film, which I've completely forgotten about, but rather comments that director Louis Leterrier made about his film being retro-fitted into 3D saying that he'd imagined some of the scenes in 3D so he was glad that the process took place. Suffice to say that Leterrier hasn't been invited back to direct the sequel instead it is up to Battle: Los Angeles director Jonathan Liebesman to do the best he can helming a follow-up to a film that nobody can recall. Sam Worthington's Perseus is back and having defeated the Cracken is now living the simple life which seems to involve fishing and looking after his 10 year old son Heleus. However when Perseus' brother Ares betrays their father Zeus to team up with evil uncle Hades he is forced into action once more as the deadly duo have broken the walls of Tatarus letting in all manner of beasties. Perseus gets a gang together include Rosamund Pike's hot warrior queen Andromeda, Toby Kebbel's jokey cockney sidekick Agenor and Bill Nighy's Northern blacksmith Hephaestes. Together they journey through Nighy's labyrinth eventually meeting up with Ares who tries to murder all of them however he is outwitted by the 10 year old boy and slain by his brother. In the meantime Zeus and Hades have made amends and team up to take on their newly awoken father Kronos whose army is slowly demolishing that of Andromeda however once again Perseus saves the day with one big mighty weapon thingy that he uses to slay his grandad, what a hero!

I have to say I don't think anybody really wanted a sequel to the 2010 version of Clash however too many people went to see it for the studio not to cash-in and make this follow-up. Wrath does have the same problem as Clash namely a wooden leading man in Sam Worthington who seems to change this Greek God into a growling Australian bore sharing little chemistry with his supposed romantic interest Pike or indeed his on-screen son. I wasn't bowled over by the effects as by the end of the film every minotaur, Cyclopes and Chimera all moulded into one big CGI blur. Thankfully what Wrath does have going for it is a sense of fun and at just under 90 minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome in the way that John Carter did. Central to this entertainment is Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson who both seem to be having a ball as Hades and Zeus respectively each trying to outdo the others growly voice before teaming up at the end to share some giggles it was as if I was eavesdropping on a rather drunken encounter at the Schindler's List after-party. To add this entertainment both, especially Neeson, look completely ridiculous as the Taken star is done up to resemble a dishevelled department store Santa Claus. Of the supporting cast both Kebbel and Nighy also seem to have fun with their roles and I felt what the first film lacked was a lighter element which the former brings which is a breath of fresh air against the dour Worthington. At the end of the day though, despite the fun performances, there's no getting away from the fact that this was a film that was made purely by committee with the sole aim to make as much money as possible which I believe it already has done. The fact that the final scene between Perseus and Heleus sets up a potential third film in the franchise leaves me with a sense of dread and let's hope that Titans Won't Outstay Their Welcome by making Wrath the last film in this underwhelming reboot.

Verdict: Some fun performances make this film better than the original however it is still an empty money-making endeavour with some unimpressive CGI so for that reason I will award it only 4.5/10

Review No.23: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

As I arrived for my free preview screening of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel I thought there wouldn't be many people out and about on this cold Sunday morning but how wrong I was. Getting to my local Odeon I found a large queue outside the cinema of mainly more mature customers waiting to get in which isn't surprising seeing as the film is about characters in the latter stages of their life. The film is almost like The Expendables of seasoned British thespians with a cast including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton and Tom Wilkinson. The first scene we see is of Dench's widow Evelyn who is trying to sort out her internet provider now her husband has passed away as he left with a mountain of debt she has to move out of their home. Also suffering with money woes are Nighy and Wilton's married couple who invested all their money in their daughter's internet company and are still waiting to see the money. Celia Imrie plays a grandmother who wants to fly her wings while Ronald Pickup's Norman is still on the lookout for love. All of them are tempted to move away and find out about a luxury resort for people in their autumn years the only catch is that it is located in India. Wilkinson is also tempted by this offer as he grew up in India and has a secret that he's never told anyone and finally there's Maggie Smith's Muriel who is going to India for a different reason as she can get her hip operated on a lot quicker. They find out that the Marigold Hotel isn't what they thought as owner Sonny, Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel, is still desperately trying to renovate the establishment left to him by his late father. During their stay some of the characters find the joy they've been missing while others realise that it is time for the end of certain things and the affect that these residents have on Sunny is also a positive one as he makes a decision about his own future.

I can appreciate that this sort of film isn't for everyone and if you've already switched off during the plot synopsis then you'll have no interest in seeing this but I'm glad I saw it as I probably wouldn't have had it not been free. The best thing here is the performances but that's to be expected with the crop of acting talent available and standouts for me were Dench as the widow who is having to stand on her own two feet for the first time and Wilkinson a man who's been trapped by a secret which he is trying to put right with his return to India. Maggie Smith also does well with her woman who at the start is presented as a bit of a racist but as time goes on learns to appreciate the similarities between those she meets and her own life. But with five or six plotlines going on at once some characters get left in the shuffle with Imrie and Pickup getting the least screentime and Wilton being disserved with playing the pessimistic moaning woman a similar part to the one she portrayed in Calendar Girls. However within the script there is enough laughter and some tears to justify the moments when characters talk like no ordinary person would ever speak. John Madden's direction also picks up on the tourist culture of India and will probably see a lot more people think about holidaying in that area if they have enough cash. The transposition between old India and modern India is a theme here as is the question have you ever really lived even if you've grown old? This was a lovely old-fashioned film with a good story and some fine performances despite it being cheesy as well as slightly predictable it kept me smiling throughout as well as keeping my attention which a lot of films fail to do these days.

Verdict: While this isn't everybody's cup of English Breakfast Tea I personally found it engaging, well-acted and engaging so personally I'll award it a 7/10