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Is it worth $10? Yes
Mythology was created to explain the inexplicable, to make sense of a world in which elements of life could not be understood. How that evolved into giant scorpions and sea creatures I have no idea, but “Clash of the Titans” sure has a lot of fun using various mythological creations at will. And fortunately it’s done with such energy and style that we have a lot of fun watching it.
Based mostly on Greek mythology, the story follows a conflict between mankind and the gods that really, if you take it seriously for a second, makes no sense. The gods are omniscient and all-powerful, and could stop humans at any point they desire. It’s not even a fair fight. But Zeus (Liam Neeson, perfectly cast) and his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes, also perfectly cast) are in a sporting mood, so they try to make life so miserable for humans that they have no choice but to pray to the gods for mercy and survival.
Enter Perseus (Sam Worthington, “Avatar”), the half-man, half-god bastard son of Zeus. Perseus vows revenge on Hades after Hades kills his family, but first Perseus must save the city of Argos, which will be destroyed by Hades’ sea monster, an octopus-like sea creature called “the Kraken.” Perseus sets off an a journey to learn how to kill the Kraken, during which the body of the film has him encountering large desert scorpions, witches, Medusa and other mythological creatures.
Fans of the 1981 version of “Clash of the Titans” starring Harry Hamlin (Perseus) and Laurence Olivier (Zeus) may be surprised with some of the changes here. The importance of Hades to the story, for one. The lack of a love story, for another. The inclusion of Io (Gemma Arterton), a liaison between man and the gods is also new, and the roles of Thetis, Hera and others have been all but eliminated. Clearly screenwriters Travis Beacham, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are more concerned with paying homage to the original than they are with rendering a faithful remake. Fair enough.
And what a visually spectacular remake it is! After the success of “Avatar,” Warner Bros. decided to retrofit “Clash of the Titans” as an immersive 3-D experience, though with “How To Train Your Dragon” already filling most of the country’s 3-D screens it may be hard to find the film in that format. Regardless, the visual effects are very impressive, particularly the scorpions (called “Scorpiochs”), Medusa and the Kraken. For the record: The Kraken looks better here than it did in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.
If you’re looking for depth and emotion, look elsewhere. “Clash of the Titans” was made by Louis Leterrier, the guy who directed “Transporter 2,” which was similarly all-action and no brain. This is big-budget, Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking at its “2012” finest, and it largely succeeds as a grand spectacle that keeps you entertained throughout.
Did you know?
The mechanical owl Bubo from the 1981 “Clash” makes a brief appearance here.
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imsohuggable06
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... i loveedd how this movie reminded me of the old shows of zena and hercules. |
chelsea
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cooooooooooool THE CLASH OF THE TATINS IS COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! ITS SUPER ASOME I LIKE THE MADUSA PART! IT IS SUPER FUCKIN ASOME!!!!!!!!!!! |
chrisjohnston8989
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Clash of the Titans I think this movie is a very cheap thrill having no real backbone. I absolutely disagree to it valuing $10 to watch. The Production design for the few actual sets were worse than Armand Assante’s The Odyssey and the CGI was literally used in every sequence of the movie. Characters make a story and there weren't any in this film. I was hoping for the longest time that Perseus would be killed by anything in the movie, preferably Liam Neeson's lighting bolt, so that the movie would be over. The one consolation of this film was that I got to see a trailer for Robin Hood, and it looks sweet. Seeing as that only lasts about two minutes I'd recommend that people stay at home and just watch the trailer on youtube instead of spending $10 on a stupid B movie like Clash of the Titans. |
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