WARNING: There are quite a bit of spoilers in this review! If you do not want to read any spoilers for Clash of the Titans 2010, then DO NOT READ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED SO I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!
Remember an iconic film made by Desmond Davis and Beverley Cross, which featured vastly enjoyable characters, strong story telling and some of the most innovative effects used in 1981?
Although Clash of the Titans (1981) does not meet the “special effects” standards of the 21st century, it broke through a cinema barrier of how films were made. Even if it did not stick closely to the original mythology, it was a well-written and entertaining film. The story was clean, scenes weren’t forced, and everything, down to the stone statues, had personality.
But that was then, this is now.
A dark shadow has been cased over film making concerning past popular films, TV shows, and toys; what this has revealed is either a lack of creative power to create an engaging live action story, an abuse of creative control in order to produce a film that expands to a wider audience rather then make a good film, or both.
With this in mind, lets discuss the new Clash of the Titans (2010).
********Spoiler Alert**********
At first glance, the all-star cast (and I mean all-star cast) had me riding the “This is gonna be awesome” train up until the first few scenes. Sam Worthington, Jason Flemyng, Alexa Davalos, Pete Postlethwaite (one of my favorite actors), and so many others were only the catalyst of the juicy pool of acting expertise. The real pair that had me twisting and squirming in my couch chair during each preview was… Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes. This epic duo has not been seen together in a film since a particular award winning film about WWII and a certain someone named Schindler; these two duke it as Zeus and Hades, bringing back that harsh battle of good vs. evil they portrayed so artistically in Schindler’s List, but DO NOT compare the two movies or I will destroy you!
Anyone with a pair of eyes could maybe see the beginnings of an inspiring new take on this Greek myth but after the casting, the film fails in such a horrible way, its depressing to think they used amazing talent for a circus act.
From the horribly rushed scenes, total destruction of the classic story, in your face “I be a man! I kill things now” montages, disregard for prime filming locations, and out right slander of Hollywood talent, it’s hard to see where the millions of dollars went when making this film.
“Well couldn’t it be in the amazing special effects and use of the 3-D cameras?”
I’m sure not but just as a tidbit, I liked watching the film better with out those uncomfortable pieces of plastic wrapped around my brow and let me tell you even the 3-D lacked. I don’t normally mind 3-D films but there was no need in this case. The special effects offered didn’t render any special quality to the 3-D movie watching experience other then making my eyes hurt quite a bit.
Louis Leterrier was also provided with some of the most elegant location on Earth and each one was highly over edited in an attempt to present this fantastic array of vast lands depicted in Greek mythology. What came out on the other hand, looked as if the characters were walking on a treadmill propped up in front of moving scenery that suddenly changes between desert, mountains, and then a volcano.
This is only one of the examples of rushed filming made apparent by the film. The introduction of Pegasus, the gifting of Perseus’s sword, the battle against the giant scorpions, the fight against Calibos and Perseus, and Spyros’s (yeah that’s the name they came up with) adoption, and care of Perseus, all rushed in order to get the nitty gritty “YOU ARE A DEMI GOD PERSEUS,” monologues, which wasn’t worth the destruction of good character build up and introduction in the long run.
On top of this mess, there was one particular scene I just couldn’t stand.
****SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT!****
As Perseus gears up for his journey to meet the blind sisters, he puts his hand into the chest, where his armor is stashed, and pulls out the Olympian crafted owl, Bubo, present in the 1981 film. The men look at it, laugh and tell Perseus to leave it assuming its junk, then Bubo is never seen again. Instead, he’s replaced by Lo, a beautiful immortal who watches over Perseus from birth and possibly, becomes his girlfriend by the end of the film. Maybe the scene was meant to reminisce on Davis and Cross’s original concept of Zeus’s need to assist his son but for me, it was an attack on a character, which proved to be more in depth and enjoyable then Sheikh Sulieman, an inaudible Wookie like character, who can control the scorpions and offers some comic relief.
Other then this cesspool of outright slander of a pop culture classic, the special effects were charming and wonderfully striking. Medusa was a beautiful and yet horrific image created by the large Special Effects team, and the Kraken was to die for as he rose from the dark abyss far below the ocean surface. Clayamation was an amazing feet though and may not have outshined the power of CGI but it added to the characteristics of every creature sculpted.
After all the hype, and extensive drooling over the idea of this film remaking the original cult classic, it is disturbing to think that this was only slightly better the overly product filled, worse scripted, and dramatized heavily Transformers films. Half the time I was left confused and uncertain of what just happened. So the question is now, should you see it?
Yes, by all means if you are into the manly, action packed thrill ride with little female empowerment; Kids will love it because of fantasy and what not. But if you’re looking for linear story telling, in depth characters, strong rendition of the original film, and myth, then steer clear of this one and go see How to Train Your Dragon or (believe it or not) Diary of a Wimpy Kid. They’re enjoyable and fun, and you won’t feel like you sat through a long episode of men telling each other how awesome they are.
To be honest, if I wasn’t looking at this as critically, I’d say it was an okay film and will definitely boost the enjoyment of see Greek gods and their children beat the crap out of monster. It just lacked technically; I felt the spirit of what Davis and Cross created got lost somewhere in the mix up of trying to bring the clay monsters and epic story to life. In other words, it was a shoot and miss for Louis Leterrier and the extremely large contributors, but it had a small bit of charm.
Always Tip Your Bartender 
