Movie-ing Perceptions

I like what I like and I'm sure you do too, whats funny is when you are so sure you won't like something but you do anyway and vice versa.

I was so sure I was going to love Valhalla Rising with Mads Mikkelsen. Mads is an awesome actor-he was brilliant as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and equally wonderful as Tristram in King Arthur (I liked it though I never had the impression anyone else did) and he was my favorite character Draco in the new Clash of the Titans.

Here's what I know going in- Valhalla Rising is about a strange somewhat supernatural Viking fighter named One-Eye (Odin perhaps?) I could also tell that somewhere along the tripped out journey of the movie the characters who think they are going to hell end up in North America.

I love this-I wish so bad someone could do Vikings and Indians right - (Cuz we all know Pathfinder did not) I read online that Valhalla Rising was weird and arty, I can deal with all that, I love a lot of foreign strange arty films that you have to think about etc etc.

SO...I thought by all rights, I would love Valhalla Rising. But no. It has to be one of the dullest, what the hell is going on and why should I care movies I have bothered to watch in years. I literally fell asleep-then I rewound to see if I missed something and...NO I didn't.

Right when I thought it might redeem itself at the end, it tanked...hard. Now reading the premise above I can imagine there might be some of you who think, "Oh that's sounds like a good premise, it can't be as bad as all that can it?"

Yes, it is that dull.

And now on the other end of the hammer, I really didn't expect much out of Wrath of the Titans. I find the lead actor Sam Worthington hardly qualifies as an actor, his acting is fencepost worthy. Avatar made me want to gag-but I also thought it was a stupid, unoriginal storyline, "Unobtainium"=Uncreative. With Terminator Salvation I almost bought his performance because he was supposed to be a damn robot! And Clash of the Titans? Let me just say now I hate reluctant hero's who are forced to react to everything instead of acting-its just a lame storytelling device in my arrogant opinion.

So I went into Wrath of the Titans without much in the way expectations and guess what? I liked it. It wasn't mind blowing, it wasn't the best film I've ever seen, but it was enjoyable for what it is. Granted, I still don't like his reluctant hero shtick - its still there and I didn't like the shaky camera to make me feel like I'm really there style that seems so prevalent these days but it is a fun movie. Predictable? Sure. But for a serious Sword  & Sorcery fan, it was a good movie.

I am sure I'll see it again eventually with my kids because that magic that thrill of fantasy is infectious. I look forward to their being excited over the cyclops and all the other (underutilized) monsters.

I had better add as an afterthought-just like the first, the supporting characters are where the humanity, characterization and fun are-some leads just cannot lead.