When Titans Ruled the Earth: Clash of the Titans/Wrath of the Titans (4K UHD Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Dec 10, 2024
• Format: 4K Ultra HD
• 

Director

Louis Leterrier/Jonathan Liebesman

Release Date(s)

2010/2012 (August 20, 2024)

Studio(s)

Legendary/Zanuck Company/Thunder Road/Warner Bros. (Arrow Video)

• Film/Program Grade: See Below
• Video Grade: See Below
• Audio Grade: See Below
• Extras Grade: B-
• Overall Grade: B

Review

While the swords and sandals films of the 60s, 70s, and 80s are not particularly considered to be works of art as a whole, many of them are beloved thanks to Ray Harryhausen’s wonderful stop-motion special effects. Such is the case with the original Clash of the Titans, which many would consider flawed, but has enough charm and memorable moments and performances, not to mention plenty of Harryhausen’s amazing work, that we continue to laud it. The idea of trying to remake something like that with computer-generated effects was met with scorn by longtime fans. One can certainly see modern updates of classic Greek myths for modern audiences, but it felt almost disrespectful in some capacity. Nevertheless, Louis Letterier’s Clash of the Titans was released in April of 2010 and was a monster success at the box office, but along with its sequel Wrath of the Titans a couple of years later, didn’t leave much of a cinematic footprint.

Perseus (Sam Worthington), a demigod and the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), who is initially ignorant of his immortal parentage, seeks to destroy Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the leader of the Underworld who killed his family while punishing mortals for their impiety. Arriving at the city of Argos, Hades dooms the city by demanding the sacrifice of its princess (Alexa Davalos) to an unstoppable sea monster, the Kraken, in ten days. Perseus, aided by the King’s Guard, Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), sets out to find the Stygian Witches, who can tell them how to defeat the Kraken. Perseus is meanwhile followed by the ageless mortal Io (Gemma Arterton), who watches over his journey, though Perseus refuses the help of any of the gods and depends on himself and his men to complete the task at hand. Other members of the cast include Pete Postlethwaite and Elizabeth McGovern as Spyro and Marmara, Jason Flemyng as Calibos, Luke Evans as Apollo, Nicholas Hoult as Eusebios, Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, and Natalia Vodianova as Medusa.

The fundamental story structure of Clash of the Titans hasn’t been altered much from the original film, just embellished upon with additional elements, such as the character of Io. Gone altogether is Ammon, played by Burgess Meredith in the original film (replaced by Postlethwaite, who’s a literal father to Perseus more than a mentor), as well as any involvement from the majority of the other gods seated at Olympus. The lovable mechanical owl Bubo makes a very fleeting appearance, but is sadly tossed aside by Perseus. The largest addition is the character of Hades, who plays a prominent role in the film’s story and outcome, as well as the sequel.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers weren’t quite sure just how much Perseus should reject or embrace the gods in the final edit, as evidenced by the deleted scenes and alternate ending; the latter of which leaves him on much more uneven ground with Zeus. Because of this, it’s never fully clear how much or how little Zeus wishes for Hades to instill fear into humans, helping him and apposing him alternatively throughout the film. In the final cut, Perseus reluctantly uses gifts from the gods to complete his task, including a sword and the legendary Pegasus, but only when he’s out of options. In the original film, he makes use of these gifts without question, going his own way, but it’s much more muddled in the remake. It’s also annoying that they eventually and needlessly make Io a love interest, which doesn’t really pay off until the film’s re-shot ending.

Despite its shortcomings, I always find myself entertained by Clash of the Titans whenever I see it. I enjoy the vast theatricality of it, which is its best quality. It’s trying so hard in its design and its visuals, even if some of the more clichéd elements like shaking the camera and the speed up/slow down moments during action sequences, hinder it. It certainly doesn’t help that most of the characters are flat and undeveloped. Perhaps it’s my fondness for the original film, but it’s possibly more because Greek mythology is always interesting as long as it’s presented well enough. Between this film, its sequel, the original film, and the God of War video game series, it seems to have been thoroughly mined. Clash is flawed, but it’s fairly entertaining.

2012’s Wrath of the Titans is a direct sequel, but unfortunately wasn’t as successful as its predecessor, leaving plans for a third film (Revenge of the Titans) to gather dust. In the film, Perseus (Worthington) lives a peaceful riverside life with his young son Helius (John Bell), but is once against visited by Zeus (Neeson). Since the world no longer prays to the gods like they used to, they’re slowly becoming mortal and unable to hold back the power of the Titan Kronos, who has been imprisoned in the Underworld. Though initially reluctant to help, Perseus sets out after his village is attacked. He seeks out Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike, replacing Alexa Davalos) to find the demigod Agenor (Toby Kebbell), the son of Poseidon, who can help lead them to the fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), who knows the way into the Underworld where Kronos resides. Meanwhile, Hades (Fiennes) and Zeus’ other son, the god of war Ares (Édgar Ramírez), have betrayed Zeus in favor of Kronos, and if they’re successful in helping him, will be spared when he returns the surface to destroy the world. Also in the cast are Danny Huston as Poseidon, Lily James as Korrina, and Sinead Cusack as Clea.

Free of the bonds of being a remake, Wrath of the Titans is able to tell its own story, and under different direction. It does an almost 180 degree turn on its predecessor in nearly way, with improvements in almost every category, from its cinematography to its special effects (of which there’s much more in camera) to its performances. It takes the time to actually develop its characters more than speed through their introductions to get to the next action set piece, and the consequences of characters’ actions have much needed weight. It’s a textured, lived-in world on the surface, and even in the depths of the Underworld, looks less slick and much more gritty. Even Sam Worthington gives a flat performance than usual—which is not meant as an outright attack as he’s always a hardworking actor, but his performance requires a good director and editor to shape it. That said, there are a few too many characters in play this time around and the middle of the film sags with one giant set piece after another. The character of Io has also been written out of the film entirely since Gemma Arterton chose not to return for whatever reason.

Still, Wrath of the Titans is a far more palatable sequel that actually improves upon the original, even if it doesn’t knock it out of the park. I’ll certainly take interesting and textured visuals, as well as character development, over nothing. It’s actually a shame that there was never a third film. I don’t quite know what they would have done since all of the gods are essentially dead at the end of Wrath, but at least there are a pair of decent and mostly competent films that actually work well in tandem with each other. Most would consider them mediocre, but they’re worth a second look.

Clash of the Titans was shot by cinematographer Peter Menzies Jr. on 35mm film (Kodak Vision2 50D 5201, Vision2 250D 5205, Vision3 500T 5219, Fuji Eterna 250D 8563, Eterna 500T 8573) using Arriflex 435 and Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 with Panavision Primo and G-Series anamorphic lenses, finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Wrath of the Titans was shot by cinematographer Ben Davis on Super 35mm film (Kodak Vision3 200T 5213, Vision3 500T 5219) and captured digitally in the Redcode RAW (5K) codec using Arriflex 235, Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2, and Red Epic cameras with Panavision Primo and PCZ lenses, finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Both films were also post-converted for Digital 3D. Arrow Video brings them to 4K Ultra HD for the first time, upscaled from their original 2K DI sources, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on two triple-layered BD-100 discs.

These are two films with very different styles of lighting and camera setups, but both are treated well in 2160p. Despite being upscaled from a 2K source, they make the most with the data, as there’s nary a digital hiccup to be found. Bitrates tend to sit between 80 and 100Mbps, frequently spiking above that, with enormous levels of fine detail. As I mentioned before, Wrath looks better visually, doing more with light, shadow, color, and textures, but both exhibit strong boosts in fine detail over their 1080p counterparts. Grain can spike at times, especially in the earlier scenes, but it’s never a distraction. The HDR grades, especially the Dolby Vision, enhance each film’s color palette, which is somewhat limited most of the time as they tend to take place in desert environments, offering occasional splashes of primaries in Argos and in the Underworld. Blacks are super deep, especially in the depths of the Underworld labyrinth where light tends to disappear. Everything appears clean and stable in both films, making their leap to 4K admirably.

Audio is included for both films in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. A stereo option for each would have made a nice alternative for those without massive surround sound capabilities. Nevertheless, the multi-channel tracks appear to be the same tracks from the original Blu-ray releases, and they’re certainly no slouches. Panning and surround activity is frequent with careful staging and big booming LFE. Dolby Atmos tracks could possibly help some of the more discrete elements, such as the cacophonous laughs of Medusa or the ghostly whispers inside the labyrinth, but nothing about these surround tracks is out of step in and of themselves. They’re quite good.

CLASH OF THE TITANS (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): C+/A-/B+
WRATH OF THE TITANS (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): C+/A-/B+

Arrow Video’s When the Titans Ruled the Earth 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD boxed set contains separate black Amaray cases and 3 postcard-sized art cards for each disc, as well as reversible artworks and double-sided mini posters containing the original theatrical poster artworks on one side and new artworks by Joe Wilson on the reverse. Also included is a 60-page insert booklet cast and crew information, the essays Clash of the Titans: Money, Myth and Mortals by film scholar Josh Nelson and It’s All Greek by author and critic Guy Adams, transfer information, and a set of production credits. Everything is housed in sturdy cardboard packaging with new artwork by Joe Wilson, The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE: CLASH OF THE TITANS

• Scaling Mount Olympus: Producer Basil Iwanyk on Clash of the Titans (20:45)
• Harnessing the Gods: (35:05)
  • Sam Worthington Is Perseus (3:45)
  • Zeus: Father of Gods and Men (2:20)
  • Enter the World of Hades (3:32)
  • Calibos: The Man Behind the Monster (2:59)
  • Tenerife: A Continent on an Island (4:26)
  • Scorpioch (4:08)
  • Actors and Their Stunts (3:50)
  • Wales: A Beautiful Scarred Landscape (2:33)
  • Bringing Medusa to Life (3:49)
  • Prepare for the Kraken! (3:57)
• Sam Worthington: An Action Hero for the Ages (7:58)
• Alternate Ending (5:23)
• Deleted Scenes (10 in all – 18:12)
• Theatrical Trailer (1:10)
• Image Gallery (35 in all)

Scaling Mount Olympus contains a new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk, which does delve into the films he loved in his youth and his passion for wanting to remake the film, but he sounds too much like a producer, meaning that everyone he’s ever worked with and everything they’ve ever done was awesome and amazing. It gets a little tiresome after a while. Harnessing the Gods, which were Focus Points on the previous Blu-ray release of the film, is a multi-part featurette, which can be played all at once or separately, that briefly discusses various aspects of the production. An Action Hero for the Ages shows off Sam Worthington’s dedication to his craft. The Alternate Ending and Deleted Scenes are kind of fascinating as they reveal an entirely different feel for the film, and to be honest, some of this material was probably needed in the final cut to strengthen the characters and the story instead of just cutting it to the bone. Last is the film’s trailer and an Image Gallery that contains 35 images of production stills and posters.

DISC TWO: WRATH OF THE TITANS

• Unleashing the Beasts: Producer Basil Iwanyk on Wrath of the Titans (13:14)
• Path of the Gods: (12:50)
  • Who Are the Titans? (3:22)
  • Hephaestus: God of Fire (2:36)
  • Lost in Tartarus’ Labyrinth (2:53)
  • Creatures of the Titans (4:04)
• Path of Men: (21:46)
  • Battling the Chimera (3:56)
  • Agenor: The Other Demi-God (3:02)
  • The Cyclops Fight (3:36)
  • Prison of the Titans (3:48)
  • Minotaur: The Human Nightmare (3:04)
  • The Heavens Raise Hell on Earth (4:28)
• Deleted Scenes: (10:50)
  • Perseus Owes Helius and Explanation (4:28)
  • Perseus Addresses the Troops (4:52)
  • Zeus is Led Past Missing Olympians (1:34)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:07)
• Image Gallery (50 in all)

Unleashing the Beasts continues on with producer Basil Iwanyk, and it’s a much better discussion, as he highlights the pros and cons of the first film while talking about the challenges of the second, how he feels retrospectively about them, and why there wasn’t a third. Path of the Gods and Path of Men, which were also Focus Points on the previous Blu-ray release, are multi-part featurettes, which can be played all at once or separately, that briefly discuss various aspects of the production. Unlike the first film, the Deleted Scenes from Wrath are far better on the cutting room floor, although we do get a nice exchange between Perseus and Helius about Perseus’ heritage, as well as an explanation of what became of the other gods. Last is the film’s trailer and an Image Gallery containing 50 images of behind-the-scenes photos, production stills, and posters.

Not carried over from the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D releases are the Maximum Movie Mode picture-in-picture options, which can be overlooked. The biggest omissions are the 3D versions of the film, which are still available elsewhere, but their non-inclusion makes the set feel incomplete.

Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans have aged a little better than expected, which is not to mark them as forgotten gems, but more as rediscovered trinkets, worthy of a revisit. Arrow Video’s When Titans Ruled the Earth boxed set is a fine way to do just that (although it would have made more sense to call it When Gods Ruled the Earth). It may not have the 3D versions as an option, but the 4K presentations are robust and worth the upgrade.

- Tim Salmons

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