Men, whose prayers fuel the Gods' immortality, have turned their back on Mount Olympus, which is the equivalent of ignoring your brother till he clicks his fingers and mum and dad are suddenly beaten you to death. Zeus (Played by Aslan, I mean Liam Neeson) enraged by this, unleashes his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes), ruler of the Underworld, to exact revenge. Hades, short of dragging the whole city to the Underworld, threatens man with the Kraken, a fearful sea beast who will lay waste to the city unless the King of Argos sacrifices his daughter Andromeda (Davalos). The reluctant Perseus (Sam Worthington, Avatar), a forgotten and mortal son of Zeus, coincidently, sets out on a perilous quest for Medusa's head, the ugly Gorgon whose gaze can turn man to stone...
Synonymous with Greek myths, there's a big backstory to understand here, which the writers do their best to ease the audience into with narration, exposition and flashbacks, but with so many characters, motives, pacts and switcheroos to remember the opening half hour is rather awkward, kind of like your 50 year old dad trying to do his best robot dance. Once it settles down and Clash of the Titans remembers it's an action movie first and foremost it flows much better. Leterrier (Transporter 2) is more at ease directing the action sequences and there are plenty of those; helped by the impressive special effects Leterrier has fun letting loose his monsters but sadly bungles the Medusa scene, where Ray Harryhausen's depiction of the Gorgon’s lair remains tops. The dread, the tension, the unnatural movement of Medusa herself in the original (the only time where stop motion triumphs overs CGI here) are lost in the director's rush to tell the story at lightning pace while continuing to cram as many action scenes in as possible.
Clash of the Titans Trailer
Very much like the original, this remake suffers from a very haphazard plot. Even though Leterrier and co. cram in as much as they can, Clash... forgets all the Gods but Zeus and Hades (There are 12 in case you were wondering), played by the not-as-spooky-as-he-should-be Fiennes, Fiennes merely speaks in sinister whispers the whole time hoping not to be notice and after watching it, he had the right idea. Pegasus, too, is reduced to a bit part to my disappointment, although he is beautifully rendered using CGI. The whole adventure lacks mystery and awe that even the original managed. But the real disappointment was the constant loss of momentum after every fight or big dialogue sequence, as if the actors seemed to have lost their bearings and felt compelled to wander around like headless chickens.
3D was tacked on as a late addition in post-production, the 3D aspect isn't essential and viewers can save money by going au natural in some cases. I did not watch this film in 3D but I have the feeling it doesn’t pull off the same mesmerizing show Avatar managed, to distracted everyone from flaws like a magician trying to disappear an Elephant. It can only make the action sequences more disjointed and confusing.
Very much like the original, this remake suffers from a very haphazard plot. Even though Leterrier and co. cram in as much as they can, Clash... forgets all the Gods but Zeus and Hades (There are 12 in case you were wondering), played by the not-as-spooky-as-he-should-be Fiennes, Fiennes merely speaks in sinister whispers the whole time hoping not to be notice and after watching it, he had the right idea. Pegasus, too, is reduced to a bit part to my disappointment, although he is beautifully rendered using CGI. The whole adventure lacks mystery and awe that even the original managed. But the real disappointment was the constant loss of momentum after every fight or big dialogue sequence, as if the actors seemed to have lost their bearings and felt compelled to wander around like headless chickens.
3D was tacked on as a late addition in post-production, the 3D aspect isn't essential and viewers can save money by going au natural in some cases. I did not watch this film in 3D but I have the feeling it doesn’t pull off the same mesmerizing show Avatar managed, to distracted everyone from flaws like a magician trying to disappear an Elephant. It can only make the action sequences more disjointed and confusing.
But 3D is not the only element that's an afterthought: surprisingly, its Arterton's Io that's the love interest and not Andromeda, which lessens the urgency of Perseus' personal mission. Sam Worthington's Perseus is a disappointment. Reluctant and a champion of man over the Gods; Perseus ‘’I want to do this as a man’’ He insists, well no worries Perseus, I don’t remember seeing anything ‘hero’ like from you the entire film other than some fancy sword play and a stubborn nature. And I’ll be honest Cunningham's quips are a welcome distraction from the serious tone which suffocates the film throughout.
It’s easy to spot the flaws in such a heavily CGI film but it holds its rickety supports upright throughout. If you pay for the non-3D experience you’ll enjoy it more for you money. Fans of action and swords-and-sandals epics should get a bang out of it if nothing else, but Clash of the Titans is sadly forgettable.
It’s easy to spot the flaws in such a heavily CGI film but it holds its rickety supports upright throughout. If you pay for the non-3D experience you’ll enjoy it more for you money. Fans of action and swords-and-sandals epics should get a bang out of it if nothing else, but Clash of the Titans is sadly forgettable.
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