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4K UHD Review: Arrow Video’s When Titans Ruled the Earth (Collector’s Edition) 

A.W. Kautzer
When Titans Ruled the Earth

When Titans Ruled the Earth

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Release the 4K!!!  Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans get a 4K UHD upgrade Box Set from Arrow Video. 

The Film(s)

Clash of the Titans 

On paper Clash of the Titans should work.  An existing IP that only die-hard fandom really remembers.  A-List Cast led by a young superstar hot off the biggest film of all time.  Huge budget for FX.  Yet, Clash of the Titans is a cautionary tale of IP Hubris. 

The story is you’re a-b-c’s of Campbell’s hero’s journey.  Part of the issue is that it so follows that without any turn or style.  The film is clockwork storytelling but additionally none of the sort of charm that you get from the original film.  The film is concerned with being “HARDCORE” that it forgets to be a charming adventure.  There isn’t any fun it all seems to be focused on being “badass” rather than actually being well-made.  The result is something inert and lifeless from an adventure standpoint.  

That being said… the work of Liam Neeson and Rafe Fiennes is stellar.  These two could be trading barbs from the telephone book and find the thrilling aspect of each number.  Here as Zeus and Hades, they are recalling their RSC training and formality.  The performances are pushing towards the back row which makes everything all the juicier and fun to watch.  To see Fiennes hiss through his lines is a master class in arched performances.  Though as misguided as all of it is, all is almost (and I’ll say it again ALMOST) forgiven when Neeson says the line “Release the Kraken!” with the same fury and resonance as if he was saying “Slip the Dogs of War” from Richard III.

Wrath of the Titans 

There is somewhat of a corrective course with the sequel.  There is a more video game vibe to this sequel. There is still a “by the numbers” aspect to the film that feels like it’s just shy of a rousing adventure.  Though, unlike the first film, there is much more to like beyond Fiennes and Neeson – though they’re given much bigger roles (thankfully).  

It’s been ten years since the last film and Hades is brewing another plan to control the world.  This time it’s to raise his imprisoned father with the help of Aries (Édgar Ramírez).  The only person that can stop them?  Perisus of course.  This time with the help of another demi-god (Toby Kebbell, in fine form), the recasted Queen Andromeda (Gone Girl herself, Rosamund Pike), and a fallen god (Bill Nighy in full ZZ Top Beard).  They must get the doo-dad to stop the granddaddy of the Gods from rising.  

There’s a lot of sound and fury that goes on here.  Melodramatic turns.  Bad guys go good.  Epic battle against CGI monster nonsense.  The clarity and focus of it all is the benefit of director Jonathan Liebesman who appeared to have played A LOT of God of War in prep for this movie.  There is a cleverness to everything from the staging to the camera placement that feels designed for a big screen.  Though it’s empty there’s a lot to be said about the proficiency of adept skilled workmanship that’s on display here.  

However, the real reason to watch this is again Neeson and Fiennes as Zeus and Hades.  Here they are given more to work with and the results are stellar.  There isn’t a moment when they’re on screen that doesn’t soar.  In fact, their moments are the best in the film with their final stand being a true delight.  Watching Neeson and Fiennes trading quips as they destroy CGI monsters with CGI powers is a sight to behold and is as good as this film series gets.  

The Transfer(s)

Clash of the Titans

Arrow has corrected the ills of Warner Brothers with their release of the Clash of the Titans.  If one remembers WB’s ill-fated 3D conversion that did an already very weak Blu-ray no favors.  Everything that one could complain about that Blu-ray release is not present here.  The 4K UHD discs is literally Demo Status.  The image is clear and sharp.  The color reproduction and contrast levels near perfect. The HDR / Dolby Vision Encoding is a beautiful example of the range in the spectrum that’s possible.  The digitally shot production looks gorgeous with little if nothing to complain about.  In fact, this release has made the VFX in the film look better than both home video and when theatrically released.  One may not be impressed by the film, but this transfer is one of the best 2024 has to offer. 

Wrath of the Titans 

Unlike its predecessor Wrath of the Titans has a solid Blu-ray release.  The 4K UHD transfer only elevates the image to nearly flawless.  The image is so sharp it’s almost 3D in certain sections of the film.  The HDR / Dolby Vision Encoding is as good an encoding as I have seen benefiting the color and contrast spectrums.  Much of the film is in darkness (Hades plays a huge part in this one) and the range of blacks and subtle luster from the image is jaw-dropping.  Like the first film, the VFX work here benefits greatly from the uptick in all-around quality that 4K UHD brings to a film.  The issues with the transfer during the finale with the older Blu-ray release is gone.  As it was said with the original, you may not love this film, but damn this transfer is one of the best 2024 has to offer.  

The Extras

They include the following;

DISC 1 – CLASH OF THE TITANS

DISC 2 – WRATH OF THE TITANS

DISC 1 – CLASH OF THE TITANS

Scaling Mount Olympus (20:45) – is an all-new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk.  The producer begins with where he found the adventures of Perseus before the original Clash of the Titans and his first personal experience seeing the original film opening weekend.  Some of the details include his love of Ray Harryhausen after seeing the original film; hiring Lawrence Kasdan to do rewrites on Clash; how he chose to remake the film; the development of the film – including what happened with original director Stephen Norrington; bringing on director Louis Leterrier; the casting of Sam Worthington – and the swirl of that situation post-Avatar; the casting of Liam Neeson – and the tragedy that occurred around the time and how he and the crew dealt with it; the only note that everyone got regarding the Kraken; the casting of Rafe Fiennes – and the reasons he did it and the issues he had with it; the location and physical effects of the film; the trouble during post-production – including the reshoots; the release – including the terrible 3D conversion, and criticism; and much more.  

Harnessing the Gods (35:05) – the archival featurette(s) are essentially a making of looking at the various aspects of the film and what it took to bring them to the big screen.  Every aspect of the production is covered from design, stunts, FX (both practical and visual), the various locations, and much more.  The featurette(s) has interviews with Worthington, Liam Neeson, Rafe Fiennes, Jason Flemming, director Louis Leterrier, and many more.  The featurette is broken down into a submenu by each focus but can be played together by using the PLAY ALL button at the top of the submenu.  

Sam Worthington: An Action Hero for the Ages featurette (7:58) – a look at Sam Worthington’s work as an actor and the physical performer required of the star.  

Alternate ending (5:23) – the ending that’s more in line with what the original screenplay and film before post-production changed pretty much everything in this film.  It is very interesting.  Plus, wee lil Sam Worthington against Giant Gods is pretty hilarious.  

Deleted scenes (18:12) – consisting of 10 deleted or extended scenes.  The interesting part is most of the footage that’s been cut is from the Gods (featuring some truly great actors).  The deleted scenes do give an indication of the original film they had intended to make – and how they closely hued to the original film.  These deleted scenes just how much they dropped in order to just make a straight-ahead action-adventure film.  

Theatrical trailer (1:10) 

Image gallery – the gallery consists of 35 production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and poster art. The gallery is controlled by using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote. 

DISC 2 – WRATH OF THE TITANS

Unleashing the Beasts (13:36) – is an all-new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk.  The interview opens with Iwanyk discussing that it wasn’t until 6-weeks after the release they got the green light to begin pre-production on the sequel.  Some of the other details include the development of two different scripts that eventually became one script by David Leslie Johnson and Dan Mazeau; the differences between the first film and the second film; the reasons why director Louis Leterrier did not return; why they hired director Jonathan Liebesman; the reason they chose to do another 3D conversion – even after the disastrous post-conversion on the original; bringing back Sam Worthington and their experience making this film; Liam Neeson and Rafe Fiennes both coming back and making the sequel; the casting of Rosamund Pike – and the reasons why they recast Andromeda; the overall criticism that both films received and has softened as time went on; the possibility of a third film – including the treatment of Revenge of the Titans; the possibility of a decade later making that film; and much more.  

Path of the Gods (12:50) – the archival featurette(s) looking at the historical context and aspects of the Gods and demons/creatures that feature in the film.  The featurette(s) has interviews with Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Historian Dr. Richard Radder, Historian Dr. Chiara Sulprizio, and many more.  The featurette is broken down into a submenu by each focus but can be played together by using the PLAY ALL button at the top of the submenu. 

Path of Men (21:46) – the archival featurette(s) are essentially a making of looking at the various aspects of the film and what it took to bring them to the big screen.  Every aspect of the production to bring the world to life is covered from design, stunts, FX (both practical and visual), the various locations, and much more.  The featurette(s) has interviews with Rafe Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Worthington, Toby Kebbell, Rosamund Pike, Edgar Ramirez, director Jonathan Liebesman, producer Iwanyk, and many more.  The featurette is broken down into a submenu by each focus but can be played together by using the PLAY ALL button at the top of the submenu.  

Deleted scenes (10:50) – these deleted/extended scenes are more contextual and character-based than the deleted scenes of Clash of the Titans that pulled full story/plots out of the film.  They’re less necessary and more true deleted scenes. The three deleted/extended scenes can be played together with the PLAY ALL button at the top of the submenu.  

Theatrical trailer (2:07) 

Image gallery – the gallery consists of 50 production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and poster art. The gallery is controlled by using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.

The Final Thought 

Arrow has done an exemplary job of bringing this much-maligned series to 4K UHD.  The care and time they’ve taken with the transfers speak to their dedication.  For Fans of the series: Highest Recommendations.  For Non-Fans / Transfer Junkies: Recommended with caution, the films are still the films. 

Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of When Titans Ruled the Earth is out August 20th

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