Clash of the Titans
Why see Clash of the Titans at this point? It got terrible reviews, the 3D version was trashed and it’s a Hollywood remake of a so-so fantasy film? I don’t know, maybe I’m just dumb. I love going to the movies and even though this was panned I still had to see it with my love of Greek Mythology and Monsters. Now I’m glad I uphold that kind of spirit because I actually liked this.
First off I’m not a big fan of the original. Naturally I loved the legendary stop-motion effects of Ray Harryhausen but the 1981 Clash of the Titans is cheesy, simplistic and has become fairly dated. So I can see where a remake might be justified. I doubt this was made for any other reason but money but I was surprised to find the care and detail put into certain nooks and crannies.
The plot is fairly basic, a half man/half god Perseus (Sam Worthington) seeks vengeance against Hades (Ralph Fiennes) for killing his family blah blah, he’s the chosen one, must save the Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) from the Kraken yadda yadda. It’s all overly familiar but if you’re willing to have fun you will.
The effects are solid, some creatures better than others but it’s still marvelous eye candy. The sets looked great mixing and matching CGI with all natural backgrounds and traditional sets. Surprisingly I never felt like I was watching a bunch of actors in front of a green screen. Speaking of actors, all the performances were suitable enough for the subject. Pete Postlethwaite was my favorite as Perseus’ human father though he doesn’t have much screen-time. Ralph Fiennes is also fun to watch as the whispery and ghoul-like Hades though nothing will ever beat Sean’s performance as Hades in The 12 Labours of Heracles. Liam Neeson is “ehh” I was too distracted by his blindingly shiny armor.
Most importantly it gave me characters I cared about in exciting situations. I’m not sure that it had to be made but they could of done much worse. The only thing I ponder now is “Why doesn’t anyone want to make a movie about any other Greek Heroes?” I mean there’s more than Perseus. What about Bellerophon who actually rode the pegasus (not Perseus) and killed the chimera? Or Theseus who went into the labyrinth and fought the Minotaur? Never seen that in a movie but I guess that requires too much thought and research. Anyhow this is probably one of those rare occasions where I have to “clash” against the general consensus
P.S. I didn’t see it in 3D, maybe that’s key in not hating it.