Liam Neeson’s Wrath of the Titans: A Second Chance to Appreciate

A Forgotten Gem in the World of Epic Fantasy

Greek gods, monsters, and heroes all collide in what may be one of the most misunderstood fantasy sequels of all time. Wrath of the Titans, the 2012 sequel to Clash of the Titans, is mostly remembered today as a botched attempt at building an epic fantasy franchise around ancient Greek mythology. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, and Sam Worthington as Perseus, the film ultimately failed in its goal to unleash a new era of epic fantasy.

Upon its release fourteen years ago, Wrath of the Titans was panned by critics and mostly ignored by audiences, leading to the end of the franchise after only two installments. With more than a decade of hindsight, however, the world may have been too harsh on the epic fantasy film. Now that Wrath of the Titans has discovered newfound success on streaming, it may be time for a complete reassessment of the woefully misunderstood sequel.

A Critical Reappraisal of Wrath of the Titans

Wrath of the Titans deserves a critical reappraisal fourteen years after it was panned to Tartarus. The 2012 film is a sequel to Clash of the Titans, which is itself a remake of the classic 1981 film of the same name with iconic stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen.

Wrath of the Titans picks up ten years after its predecessor, as the gods of Olympus face yet another crisis. With faith on Earth waning and mortals looking to themselves rather than deities, the gods are losing power. No longer able to keep their demonic forefathers at bay, the gods are forced to contend with the Titans as they rise from Tartarus and attempt to overthrow Olympus. Perseus, who saved the gods a decade earlier, returns to defeat the Titans and save his father, Zeus.

Upon its release, Wrath of the Titans was panned by critics and audiences alike. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes award the film a measly 22% approval rating (five percentage points lower than Clash of the Titans), bemoaning an overly chaotic plot, uninteresting characters, and wooden acting. In part because of the negative reviews, Wrath of the Titans underwhelmed at the box office, earning $305 million on a reported budget of $150 million (according to The Numbers). This was most likely enough for the film to break even in the theatrical window, but just barely. Moreover, the film earned significantly less than its predecessor, which grossed about $490 million two years earlier.

Despite the negative reception at the time, Wrath of the Titans is better than most people give it credit for. The film does its best to bring the epic world of Greek mythology to life, and does so in a way that actually improves upon its predecessor. The sequel fixes most of the things that Clash of the Titans got wrong, improving the visuals and featuring more intense action sequences. And, while the performances of Sam Worthington and Rosamund Pike received criticism, the actors portraying the Olympian gods are always a delight onscreen, particularly Liam Neeson as Zeus and the always enjoyable Ralph Fiennes as Hades.

Why Wrath of the Titans Never Got a Sequel

Despite its negative reviews and underwhelming box office performance, Wrath of the Titans still almost got a sequel. A third and final entry in the franchise, Revenge of the Titans, was in the works before the sequel’s release. However, it seems that the project only ever got into the earliest stages of development, as one of its producers would later attribute its cancellation to a lack of fresh ideas for the script.

Revenge of the Titans was officially dead by the end of 2013, ending the franchise on a low note. Revenge of the Titans’ cancellation was attributed to a lack of new ideas for the story, but this was most likely an excuse meant to cover the real reason that the film was never made: low audience interest. After all, Greek mythology features a wide expanse of stories and characters that could have filled up not just one movie, but many more. The two Clash of the Titans films barely ever scratched the surface of the Greek myths, focusing mostly on only one of their many heroes.

Other films in the franchise could have focused on other heroes from Greek mythology and their adventures. Theseus and his journey through the Labyrinth may have inspired certain elements of Perseus’s journey in Wrath of the Titans, but could have easily been its own separate film. Similarly, the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts or Odysseus and his crew aboard the Odyssey would have made excellent sea-faring adventures that would have focused on different corners of Greek mythology. This is to say nothing of Heracles, whose Twelve Labors have been the subject of many films over the years.

Even if Wrath of the Titans had performed better at the box office, a third film still might not have come to fruition. Filmmakers seemed trapped in the "Titan" pigeonhole, refusing to explore the much broader storytelling landscape available to them. By the end of the second movie, the creative juices had clearly begun to run out, leaving so much untapped potential for a franchise that the world simply wasn’t ready for yet. If remade today, a Greek mythology-based epic fantasy franchise would hopefully be much better-received.

Other Great Movies and Shows to Watch If You Love Wrath of the Titans

While there are no additional sequels or remakes in the Clash/Wrath of the Titans franchise, there are plenty of other similar movies and television series that fans of the films can still enjoy. For those who love the Greek mythology aspect of Wrath of the Titans, a series like Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an excellent choice. Based on Rick Riordan’s beloved children’s series of the same name, Percy Jackson mixes Greek mythology with the modern-day, as heroes and Olympians clash with Titans and monsters. The series even follows a similar storyline to Wrath of the Titans, as the Olympians scramble to deal with the rising of Kronos, king of the Titans, out of the pits of Tartarus.

Another upcoming film plans to resurrect the epic fantasy genre. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hits theaters this summer, retelling the story of Odysseus and his crew as they sail home from the Trojan War. Beset by monsters, vengeful gods, and sorceresses, Odysseus does everything in his power to see his wife Penelope and son Telemachus one last time. Judging from the early trailers, The Odyssey will be every bit the epic Greek myth adaptation that Wrath of the Titans was supposed to be.

For audiences who enjoy the epic fantasy genre but could do without the Greek mythology angle, there are plenty of other terrific stories out there. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy will always be considered one of the greatest epic fantasies of all time. As the trilogy reaches its twenty-fifth birthday, it is still unparalleled in size and scale, even by modern standards. Its spinoffs and prequels, namely The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, are equally epic in scale.

Television has more than its fair share of epic fantasies, which run the gamut between gritty, mature stories and more family-friendly adventures. Game of Thrones and its prequel, House of the Dragon, are the highest quality of these, while other streaming series like The Wheel of Time and The Witcher follow suit.

Although Wrath of the Titans never got the sequel it deserved, there are still plenty of terrific spiritual successors out there for audiences to binge. The age of epic fantasy in cinema ended too soon, but it might be on the verge of a revival if films like The Odyssey perform well. Perhaps there is even room for yet another venture into the world of Greek gods.

Wrath of the Titans is available to stream on Prime Video.