After the 3Debacle of the recent Clash of the Titans remake it was surprising to see a sequel, with Sam Worthington reprising his role as Perseus, but in its inimitable style Hollywood has managed to flog some life into that old (winged) horse.

After defeating the Kraken, Perseus has decided to take a break from the demigod business and focus on his human part, which involves living as a single parent and working as a fisherman, which seems something of a popular occupation for sons of gods. The trouble with these Greek gods is they are just a bit too human and it’s not long before a longstanding sibling rivalry kicks off again as Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Ares, Zeus’s other son, gang up to capture Zeus and sacrifice his powers to free their father Kronos, so it is up to Perseus to save the day, and the planet.

This has blockbuster written all over it, although they should have tried writing a better dialogue over it instead. Having said that, there are some comical moments from Bill Nighy as a whacky northern Hephaestus (with a nice nod to Ray Harryhausen amongst his eccentric souvenirs). Toby Kebbell was also funny and charming as Poseiden’s demigod son Agenor, aka The Navigator. As the warrior queen Andromeda, Rosamund Pike never really got to play much more than a blonde love interest, which is no reflection on her performance, but this is very much a male-dominated film filled with divine testosterone.

Even though this film is based on classical mythology, its story was a bit on the weak side, but it more than made up for that in sheer spectacle, especially when viewed on the IMAX screen. The special effects were often stunning, especially the bits set in Tartarus, the Underworld, and also the awakening of Kronos, which was realistic enough to make you see how ancient people could ascribe volcanic action as battling gods and demons.

Like the gods of the story, the film isn’t without its weaknesses and faults, one of which is the conglomeration of different accents, where nearly all the actors (apart from Nighy) used their natural speaking voices, with Worthington’s Aussie drawl the most incongruous. While it may not serve as much help for anyone studying A-Level Classics, but neither did other recent films such as The Immortals or Percy Jackson, it certainly turns on the action, and sometimes that can be enough for a night out at the cinema.

Wrath of the Titans is in cinemas and IMAX now.