It’s that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It’s The Day New Movies Are Released.
Wrath of the Titans
I know we’re all pretty much thinking the same thing on this – no matter who you are and what your feelings are towards the Harry Hamlin original, it’s a safe bet that you didn’t love the remake. Why? Because no one loved it. Some might have liked it, others pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t the shitfest they were expecting, and many others more let down all the way to hated it, but they wasn’t a whole lot of clamoring for a sequel from all but a small minority, leaving the rest of us scratching our heads wondering why Wrath is being unleashed upon us.
Well, it just so happens that there is a small number of people that loved it – they just weren’t audience members. Clash had a budget of $125 million and pulled in nearly half a billion worldwide. Even with tons of marketing expenses, it’s clear that it was a big, big win for Warner Bros. So that’s why we have a sequel a short two years later.
As it just so happens, the sequel looks to be far better than the original (remake). Will you be willing to find out if that hypothesis is true? I’m pretty sure I can wait until video, but then again, the wife and I got bored and/or were in the mood for something brainless in April 2010 and contributed to that one’s take.
All that said, let’s that this opportunity to look into a crystal ball and predict some other sequels to “beloved hits” from the past few years, shall we?
Return to Burtonland
Rio 2 Janeiro
Paul Blart: Cop Cop
Smurfed Again!
Hop 2 It
Dylan’s Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 31%
Mirror Mirror
Can’t someone just make a Snow White film titled C) None of the Above? That’s all I want!
Volcanoes. Asteroids. Wyatt Earp. Steve Prefontaine (?). Usually, at least one of the dueling films in a battle between the same (or similar) topic is interesting, but I can’t muster a single f$%! to give about either Mirror Mirror nor Snow White and the Hunstman. One looks to be a cloyingly “clever” family film full of pratfalls and hammy acting and the other will sulk and battle its way to looking like a Ridley Scott-Robin Hood remake.
No.
Dylan’s Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 4%
Andrew (8)
Wayne (8)
Jessica (6)
John (6)
Josh (6)
Justin (5)
Lauren (5)
Steve (5)
Dave Enkosky (4)
Sir Phobos (4)
Wow, talk about slim pickings.
Twitter: manilovefilms
March 29, 2012 9:14 pm
Seriously…bring on summer, eh?
I know you’re looking forward to my review…
Twitter: manilovefilms
March 29, 2012 9:15 pm
C’mon, you loved it!!
Twitter: agracru
March 29, 2012 8:37 am
I will probably wait for Mirror Mirror to hit DVD, unless it’s so spectacularly bad that I absolutely must watch it– like a flaming train wreck, and all that.
Wrath is a victim of indecision. Liebesman can’t decide whether to take the film in a more serious direction that’s epic in tone, or to go in a more Harryhausen-ish direction and be lots of fun with thinly-drawn characters and silly dialogue. It’s not enough on either end of the spectrum, and the result is just tonally discordant. On top of that Liebesman is to action what Rush Limbaugh is to women’s rights; after Battle: Los Angeles, Liebesman still doesn’t know how to (or care to) shoot action coherently, so he’s got a number of action set pieces that are visually jumbled. A few of them work, but a lot of the time he’s just disrespecting the great work done on the monsters in the movie.
And Sam Worthington basically spends the whole movie getting put through statutes and walls and columns, which isn’t much fun.
Twitter: manilovefilms
March 29, 2012 9:18 pm
Knowing that the director of Battle: LA is behind Wrath does no favors for me. Just means it might be as middling and flavorless as that was…which ought to put it right in line w/ the first one. I don’t care if it’s epic or goofy, just be good. Memorable. Having Worthington as the lead is obviously a detraction. I wanna like the guy, but he is indeed pretty bland, at least in these big-budget flicks.
Twitter: agracru
March 30, 2012 9:18 am
I think when Worthington wants to be, he’s a solid action hero, but it’s hard to be that guy when your director insists on smashing your body through every single solid stone object on the set in action scene after action scene.
I hear there is actual Titans in Wrath of the Titans… Can anyone confirm that???
But seriously, the reviews are almost just as bad as Clash, how did they manage to do that?? Disappointing, that’s going to kill my fantasy score lol
Twitter: manilovefilms
March 29, 2012 9:18 pm
I’d settle for actual Wrath…
Sweet (RE: your fantasy score) – I need all the help I can get!