Wrath of the Titans appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, the movie boasted a terrific transfer.
Sharpness excelled. Virtually no softness materialized here, as the film was consistently tight and accurate I noticed no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to appear. Print flaws also weren’t a factor in this clean presentation.
Much of the film opted for a somewhat amber palette, while otherscenes went with stylized blues and the like. These choices limited the color range, but I thought the hues looked solid given those decisions. Blacks were deep and dense, and shadows showed clear definition; low-light and nighttime shots offered positive visuals. This was the kind of strong image one would expect from a brand-new big-budget studio effort.
Similar praise greeted the intense DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Wrath. I’d expect non-stop action from a movie about a battle among the gods, and that was what I got here. From start to finish, the movie used all five channels as nearly constant partners. Music filled the whole spectrum in a satisfying way, and effects demonstrated tremendous breadth.
Wrath certainly gave the audio plenty of opportunities to excel, and it delivered. We got plenty of winged creatures, explosions and similar battle elements, and all added pep to the film. The components showed fine localization and blending; everything came from the right spot and the pieces fit together in a smooth way.
Audio quality lived up to the standards of the soundfield. Music was bold and dynamic, and speech seemed concise and crisp. Effects demonstrated terrific range; highs were tight, and lows seemed deep and full. Bass response added a real kick and gave the movie great power. Everything worked here and this became an engrossing sound experience.
In terms of extras, Maximum Movie Mode offers the disc’s main feature. A staple of WB Blu-rays, this one delivers an interactive element with behind the scenes footage, art/sketches, and interviews.
We hear from director Jonathan Liebesman, producers Polly Johnsen and Basil Iwanyk, UCLA Department of Classics Professor Richard Rader, CSYDH Department of History Associate Professor James Jeffers, writers Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson, additional visual effects supervisor Chris Shaw, visual effects supervisor/2nd unit director Nick Davis, stunt coordinator Paul Jennings, LMU Chair of Classics and Archaeology Matthew Dillon, production designer Charles Wood, standby prop man Alan Jones, chargehand dresser Christian Short, costume designer Jany Temime, Framestore visual effects supervisor Jonathan Fawkner, Framestore CG supervisor Mark Wilson, assistant stunt coordinator Mark Mottram, director of photography Ben Davis, special effects supervisor Neil Corbould, supervising prop maker Craig Narramore, Nvisible visual effects supervisor Martin Chamney, supervising armourer Nick Komornicki, prop master Jamie Wilkinson, set decorator Lee Sandales, drapes master Daniel Handley, semior armoury technician Tim Wildgoose, MPC CG effects supervisor Anders Langlands, MPC visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich, MPC animation supevisor Greg Fisher, LMU Dept.of Classics and Archaeology Professor Chiara Sulprizio, standby art director Oliver Roberts, and actors Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Edgar Ramirez, Ralph Fiennes, Danny Huston, John Bell, Rosamund Pike, Lily James, Toby Kebbell, Spencer Wilding and Bill Nighy.
Unlike most other “Modes”, this one comes with two options. “Path of Gods” focuses on history/mythology, while “Path of Men” emphasizes movie-making components. In the latter, we learn about Liebesman’s approach to the material, story/character/script areas and adapting Greek myths, cast and performances, creature/visual design, camerawork and various effects, props and costumes, locations, and stunts and action.
When we shift to “Path of Gods”, we learn about the origins of Greek mythologies and elements of the characters/circumstances involved. We also learn about how the movie digs into and tells the mythological elements as well as methods it uses to depict these components.
As you watch the two “Paths” separately, you’ll inevitably come across some repetition. Heck, they warn you of this at the start, as they tell you the two streams will occasionally “cross paths”, so a bit of redundancy becomes inevitable.
Happily, we don’t get a ton of repeated information, and both “Paths” move at a good pace. Often these picture-in-picture features come with lengthy gaps that make them tedious; I worried that’d be a particular problem here given the presence of two separate track. It wasn’t an issue, as both “Paths” filled the time well and kept us with them. We learn a ton about the movie’s inspirations and creations in these informative, fun programs.
Available during “Maximum Movie Mode” or on their own, we can access 10 Focus Point featurettes. These fill a total of 33 minutes, 42 seconds and include “Battling the Chimera” (3:54), “Agenor: The Other Demi-God” (3:00), “The Cyclops Fight” (3:34), “Prison of the Titans” (3:46), “Minotaur: The Human Nightmare” (3:02), “The Heavens Raise Hell on Earth” (4:26), “Who Are the Titans?” (3:20). “Hephaestus: God of Fire” (2:34), “Lost in Tartarus’ Labyrinth” (2:51) and “Creatures of the Titans” (4:02).
Across these, we hear from Liebesman, Fisher, Langlands, Davis, Corbould, Iwanyk, Worthington, Kebbell, Pike, Fawkner, Ramirez, Fiennes, Jennings, Neeson, Wilding, Wildgoose, Jeffers, Rader, Johnsen, Nighy, Sulprizio, Johnson, Mazeau, Framestore animation supervisor Paul Chung, prosthetics designer Conor O’Sullivan, prosthetics sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, prosthetics makeup second supervisor Goran Lundstrom, location manager Martin Joy, and assistant costume designer Joe Hobbs. The pieces look at creatures and their creation, story/character issues and the film’s tone, various effects, cast and performances, sets, locations and production design, stunts and action, costumes, and elements of the mythology at the film’s core.
The “Focus Points” play just like the components of “Maximum Movie Mode”, which makes sense since they exist as extensions of that feature. The familiarity of the format is fine with me, and the content continues to be good. The “Points” offer a lot more useful material and entertain as they go.
Three Deleted Scenes run a total of 10 minutes, 48 seconds. We get “Perseus Owes Helius an Explanation” (4:26), “Perseus Addresses the Troops” (4:50) and “Zeus Is Led Past Missing Olympians” (1:32). The first two are the kind of slow, unnecessary exposition that harmed the prior movie, so I’m glad they were cut. “Olympians” is a bit more interesting, though, as it shows a little more of what happened to the other gods.
The disc opens with an ad for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. No trailer for Wrath shows up here.
Finally, the package includes a bonus DVD. We find a standard retail release, not a “neutered” version, so it boasts added value.
Because I felt lukewarm toward Clash of the Titans, I didn’t expect much from its sequel. Happily, Wrath of the Titans worked much better than its predecessor; while it lacked the depth that would elevate it to a higher level, it still offered more than enough action and excitement to create a pretty entertaining 96 minutes. The Blu-ray offers excellent picture and audio along with a strong roster of supplements. Even if you didn’t care for Clash of the Titans, Wrath merits a look, as it consistently surpasses the original.