Liam Neeson’s 13-Year-Old Fantasy Movie Killed A Franchise, But Has Aged Surprisingly Well

A 13-year-old Liam Neeson movie was such a disaster that it ended a promising franchise, but it has held up surprisingly well all these years later. Neeson, at this point, needs no introduction, and the celebrated Irish actor continues to be an A-list star six decades into his career. In that time, Neeson tried his hand at nearly every genre.

Not originally known for his versatility, Neeson started as a dramatic actor before drifting into action-centric roles in the 2000s. Films like Taken established him as a box office juggernaut, and he began popping up everywhere in minor roles and starring parts. More recently, Neeson has proven a deft hand at comedy too.

Though endlessly popular, not every Liam Neeson movie has proven to be financially successful, and he’s had his fair share of flops too. One particular film stopped a burgeoning franchise dead in its tracks, and it featured Neeson in a prominent role. While it did little to tarnish his reputation, it’s still a notable failure.

Like any financial flop, this decade-old movie has gotten a modern reassessment, and opinions have softened somewhat. While it may never be considered an all-time classic, it has certainly earned more praise than it did back in 2012. Neeson’s popularity has drawn new eyes to the old flick, and it’s caused many to lament what might have been.

Wrath Of The Titans Ended Plans For A Full Trilogy

2010’s Clash of the Titans was a remake of the ’80s film of the same name, and it upped the ante with CGI visuals and even bigger mythical battles. The poorly-reviewed film turned out to be a box office smash, and the wheels of Hollywood quickly turned out a sequel only two years later. Liam Neeson co-headlined as Zeus, and reprised his role in 2012’s Wrath of the Titans.

Despite getting almost the exact same reviews (and score on Rotten Tomatoes), Wrath shockingly underperformed. The movie brought back most of the stars, and delivered the same sort of over-the-top action as its predecessor, but audiences simply weren’t interested. Box Office Mojo notes that the sequel only grossed $300 million against a $150 million budget.

While that might sound like a profit, it’s likely that Wrath only broke even in the best-case scenario. A film’s production budget is not its entire cost, and Hollywood movies employ massive marketing rollouts that can sometimes double their expenses. Add on top any backend points for cast members and the percentage taken by movie theaters, and things look grim.

Breaking even on such an expensive project is not what a studio is gunning for, and they aren’t willing to risk making another film in the series in case it performs even worse. Therefore, plans for a third film were scrapped immediately, and a promising franchise was taken off the table forever.

It’s unclear exactly where things could have gone in a third film, and Screen Rant reported in 2017 that a lack of ideas also helped kill any future Titans movies. However, money was probably the deciding factor, and a lack of ideas has never stopped Hollywood from churning out vapid (if profitable) sequels in the past.

Wrath Of The Titans’ Visuals Still Look Great 13 Years Later

The early 2010s was truly the heyday of the CGI spectacular, and movie theaters were jam-packed with explosive feasts for the eyes. The burgeoning MCU had added even more grandiosity to the ’10s blockbusters, but the comic book movies were met by dozens of other films hoping to get audiences to spend their hard-earned cash at the cinema.

Wrath of the Titans is one such movie, and it looks shockingly good for a film pushing 15-years-old. CGI hasn’t aged particularly well, but 2012 was a time when some care was still put into the computer visuals. Like many of its contemporaries, Wrath was the cutting edge, and that edge has only gotten duller in the years since.

The Liam Neeson vehicle looks better than many films released in the 2020s, and it’s somewhat shocking to see how far standards have fallen. Film technology has mostly moved in a straight line for decades, but the 2010s and early 2020s have seen a clear degradation in the quality put into CGI.

This has likely contributed to some modern reassessments of Wrath, since it looks better than what’s on offer today. All the other elements of a spectacle like the Titans sequel are less important, and it’s to be expected that it has a razor-thin plot and some suspect acting.

If Your Expectations Are Low, Wrath Of The Titans Is A Fun 99 Minutes

With most modern movies blowing past the two-hour mark, Wrath of the Titans is shockingly brief. At a lean 99 minutes, there is almost no wasted time in the sequel. While this mostly resulted in a mind-boggling and somewhat nonsensical story, it’s still a fun ride if the audience is willing to shut their brains off for a little while.

Everything is over-the-top, but that is part of the appeal. Neeson knows exactly what he’s doing as Zeus, and the screen legend never takes himself too seriously as he delivers corny dialogue with all the grandiosity of a Shakespearean actor. Because it’s totally divorced from the original 1980s film, Wrath is free to run wild in the best ways.

Most importantly, Wrath of the Titans is a better film than its predecessor. Clash stuck a bit too closely to the self-serious manner of the story, and was rigid to the point of unintentional humor. Liam Neeson and the rest of the cast weren’t free to have fun, but that’s exactly the opposite in the sequel.

Wrath of the Titans

6/10

Release Date

March 30, 2012

Runtime

99 minutes

Director

Jonathan Liebesman