Clash of the Titans

Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikkelsen, Hans Matheson, Pete Postlethwaite, Elizabeth McGovern, Danny Huston, Luke Evans
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Perseus (Sam Worthington) is the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), who must go on a perilous journey to rebel against the gods and stop the monstrous Kraken from destroying the city of Argos and save the life of the beautiful Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos).

Review:

Tim: I know that this is going to be controversial and many will disagree, but I actually liked the remake of Clash of the Titans. I've heard all the complaints, and after thinking about it, I have to respectfully disagree.

One of the big complaints is that this movie is a bastardization of the real Greek and other myths. To that, I say, "Who cares?" I think it is exciting that we can borrow from different myths to create new ones. That is what was done with the original Clash of the Titans, and that is what happens here. I appreciate that. I don't care how far this film strayed from the original- it is an interesting film in its own right.

I do want to mention that many people hated this movie because they saw it in post-production 3D. This is a terrible idea, and I refused- I saw it in the regular 2D, which I believe makes all the difference.

Yes, this film is flawed, but it also ranks as a very guilty pleasure in my eyes. There are too few big budget action adventures made any more. I love those sprawling epics that occasionally feel too big to fit on the screen. I love seeing individuals go up against great odds- overwhelming odds- to try and succeed. That is this type of movie, and I appreciated it. I love the wide array of monsters, beasts, and creatures. Sure, they might not all make sense, but it is fun to see them all crammed together in this film.

I also think many people remember more fondly the original film than is deserving of it. The film was not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. Harry Hamlin was a terrible, wooden Perseus, which detracted from the entire film. The original film was decent, and certainly ambitious in certain points, but it was not excellent at all. This film is actually superior to it in many ways. I actually really love some of the changes- the idea that the gods need humans to sustain them with their prayers, and the idea that humans can rebel against the deities. I loved his aspect, and I think it helped the movie. I also like how this changed the focus from a love story to something much greater. I liked the idea of Perseus undertaking this quest because he loved Andromeda- I love it even more when he is rebelling against the gods.

Sam Worthington is a worthwhile Perseus. He is everything we want in the character and the hero, as opposed to the bland performance of Harry Hamlin. This was an instant upgrade, and immediately made the movie better. I was glad to see Liam Neeson take over for Laurence Olivier, which is funny because he also continues the tradition of a great actor slumming it for a paycheck to play the part. Neeson isn't very good- he looks a bit absurd, but I appreciated his presence. The same can be said for Ralph Fiennes- great actor slumming it for a paycheck. Fiennes makes a good Hades, but it felt a bit too close to Lord Voldemort. Still, it's fun seeing him in the role.

While I really enjoyed Worthington, I think the performance of the film goes to Gemma Arterton. Arterton is terrific as Io, and easily gives the most convincing performance of the film. She has the looks and the restraint to play a demigod- interested yet detached. I thought she worked well with Worthington and worked extremely well. I liked Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, and Mads Mikkelsen was brilliantly cast as Draco.

There are some flaws with the cast as well. Davalos is good as Andromeda, but the new script pretty much makes her character pointless. While I love Io, I thought Andromeda should have had a slightly bigger part. I also loved seeing Danny Huston as one of the gods, but the scenes with the gods were all cut down greatly, so his part felt pretty pointless.

I do admit that this film is occasionally a bit of a mess. There is just so much going on that it takes some suspension of disbelief to follow along. However, this is one of those films where you have to sit back and just enjoy the ride. The special effects are pretty astounding, especially the scorpions scene, and of course, the Kraken.

Clash of the Titans is not a great movie, but I think if you give it a chance, you will find more than you might expect. I know a lot of people hated this movie, but I disagree. This is one of those big action adventure movies. Not a lot of intelligence, but the story works (to some degree). There are a number of exciting moments, and some impressive action sequences. I said this was a guilty pleasure, but I really did enjoy this film. It isn't perfect, and Louis Leterrier could have given us better. Still, this film is a good one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Clash of the Titans (1981), Jason and the Argonauts, King Kong, Avatar