 |
DVD Clash of the Titans
 Run time: 106 min Rating: 5.8 Genres: Action | Adventure | Fantasy Director: Louis Leterrier Writers: Travis Beacham, Phil Hay Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes |
| Storyline Princess Andromeda is the daughter of King Cepheus, who has gained a victory against the gods. The vengeful god of the underworld, Hades, demands that Andromeda is offered as a sacrifice or he will unleash the Kraken against Argos. A desperate King Cepheus asks demi-god Perseus to find a way to defeat the Kraken. Perseus accepts the challenge because Hades was responsible for his family’s death. He discovers that the way to kill the Kraken lies with getting the head of the gorgon Medusa. Written by Kad |
|
| Plot Keywords: kraken, perseus, underworld, andromeda, gods | |
| Details: Country: USA Release Date: 2 April 2010 (UK) |
|
| Box Office Budget: $125,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: £5,682,875 (UK) (2 April 2010) Gross: $163,192,114 (USA) (16 July 2010) |
|
previous post
4 comments
Ah, the pre-summer action movie. Admittedly, due to word of mouth from those who had attended earlier screenings of the film, my expectations for Clash of the Titans were fairly low. On top of that, many of the initial casting choices appeared to be somewhat suspect. So, what's my verdict? Well, I didn't hate it…
The plot of Titans is extremely straightforward – practically to a fault. Often, the film acts as though it's in a hurry, attempting to get from one action sequence to the next as quickly as possible. The scenes that occur in between each of these battles ultimately amount to nothing more than brief segments of exposition delivered by Perseus' "guardian angel" of sorts, Io (Gemma Arterton). So, while the film never really drags, it feels very soulless.
And while we're on the subject of these action sequences, none of them end up being particularly memorable. About half of them are so frenetic to the point where they're almost disorienting – honestly, I'm glad that the 3D screenings were sold out this time 'round. On top of that, there's virtually no character development outside of Worthington's character (and even he isn't all that likable), so I never really cared about the outcome of these action sequences either. Also, as I mentioned earlier, my biggest fear with Titans was in regards to the acting, and thankfully, most of the cast do what's expected of them. Neeson's Zeus aside, none of the performances truly stand out, but they're nothing cringe-worthy either.
Ultimately, Clash of the Titans ends up being a forgettable piece of entertainment with a couple of gaping plot holes, hit-or-miss action sequences, and performances that fail to leave much of an impression. It's not horrible – just hollow.
The myth of Perseus is based on deep philosophy and tragic elements, which have been popular throughout the centuries. You may want to Google it and read the original. You might discover a few things that didn't know, for example that there is no Cracken, no scorpions, and that Medusa's head ended up decorating goddess Athena's shield, just as real shields had often Medusa painted, to scare the opponents.
The Cracken and the scorpions were "invented" by Ray Harryhausen in 1981, because this was his job: to display fantastic creatures on the screen. In doing so, he based the stories on existing myths, respecting the characters and plots as best as he could. Great work.
Now, why in 2010 they had to copy the copier, and not the original, it is a mystery for me. Scorpions AGAIN ? Cracken AGAIN ? I mean if you're going to deviate from the myth, why not deviate in an ORIGINAL manner ?
Mythology is the legacy of the centuries gone by. Film makers should respect it and learn from it. It's funny how they think they can do better 🙂
There are SPOILERS here, so beware….
I remember years ago, a friend and I discussing how awesome a remake of Clash of the Titans would be. 10 years later this comes along. The remake deviates way too much from the original. I get the attempt to make a stand alone movie, but this remake is pointless. In the original, the whole journey is for one reason only: Love. Perseus is attempting to save Andromeda from the wrath of the Gods. The remake makes it a journey based only on revenge. Perseus in the original was a young, naive boy who discovers his inner hero. The remake shows Perseus as a defiant muscle-bound idiot who automatically has the kind of skill the warriors he travels with have devoted their lives to attaining. in the original, Perseus had to tame and gain the trust of Pegasus. Not here…. he just shows up. Convenient. Bubo, the golden owl (as cheesy as he was) is nothing more than a sight gag in the remake. Calibos poses no threat here. He was such an integral part of the original. The addition of the character Io is just annoying. Her presence is completely unnecessary. The Medusa training/seduction scene…ridiculous. The Medusa scene was easily the best part of the original… here it is anti-climatic. The Kraken? Besides the creature being way too big, the whole movie hinges on what a threat this monster is. Yeah, it looks cool (I'll give it that)… but for being such a threatening monster, he sure is dispatched easily. Perseus spends more time chasing a blurry harpy around than actually dealing with the Kraken. Perseus's relationship to Andromeda is nothing more than casual, the 3-D and slow motion are pointless and there is no giant vulture. Sam Worthington should not be allowed to work again until he can do so without his accent. The director, Louis Leterrier is just the wrong person for this job. Transporter 2…sure. This? No. Liam Neeson, Pete Postlethwait and Ralph Fiennes are truly slumming it on this one. I'm sure no matter what is said, people are going to line up for this one. I'm aware of how I sound here. But this movie truly is a let down on every level. While they had the chance to make a fun popcorn movie in the vein of Jurassic Park, Iron Man or even Star Trek (2009), they really missed the mark here. The film is terribly cast, acted and directed. A true waste of the title… but, hey… it sure looks pretty, doesn't it?
Is it wrong to remake a movie just so you can update its special effects? Hollywood doesn't seem to think so. The classic claymation and stop motion sequences of old are some of the first things we think about when bringing up the subject of mythology movies. But one still cannot help but think how totally awesome it would look if it were updated.
Anyone who has ever read mythology knows that every single tale is of epic preportions. And by epic, i don't just mean the battle sequences……im looking more towards the actual time line. Each individual book always tells a story of one mans struggle against countless odds that stretch over a long period of time. So normally about halfway through, you begin to say to yourself "How much more can this guy take?". And in saying that, i think that is where this movie failed. I didn't feel hatred towards these gods. I didn't feel the need to have my thirst for revenge quenched. I didn't feel sorry for the main character Perseus…….because i didn't feel any depth to his character or the plot. This movie focused way to much on the action scenes, as opposed to the story………which is suppose to be epic, right? But yes, the action sequences are really great, and the scenes with Medusa and the Kraken are awesome. But thats all i can really give to this film. It just felt empty.
The transitions between each action scene were really poor. You can tell that the director was trying his hardest to make you feel for these characters by adding one or two lines of pathetic dialogue. And since we are on the subject of dialogue……man it was bad. There was no emotionality, all the little tid bits of humor fell flat at every turn. It was like Michael Bay wrote the dialogue.
Bottom Line, this is just your basic, run of the mill, average action movie……..at best. This is certainly not one of those movies that you will be telling your friends about the next day. Its action is really good, its story is bland, its dialogue is weak……..all things that i really wouldn't consider epic. Also, and this is important for you people who are tight on money. This is the first time i have ever said this, but please, do not see this movie in 3-D. It is a giant waste of money. You will get the same satisfaction seeing it in regular 2-D……..trust me. There really was no point in making this movie in 3-D at all, other than to squeeze every dollar they can out of a average action flick.