Clash of the Titans (Warner Brothers)
Better Than the Original
My overall opinion of the remake of Clash of the Titans is it is better than I thought it would be and worse than I hoped it would be. Thats not exactly a rave review but then this is not a film to rave about in many ways. The original movie hit the screen in 1981 and as far as I know there was not a loud clamor for a remake but remake it they did.
They also presented this new version in 3-D which adds to the thrills but not to the overall effect of the story. This does drive up the ticket cost so the box office take will be inflated and will cause even more studios to churn out 3-D movies of all types. At some point the audiences will tire of this novelty and hopefully things will return to normal. Or we could reach a point where very movie is filmed in 3-D shudder!
Sam Worthington had the lead role in Avatar and was well on his way to becoming a major star. His role as Perseus in this film may set him back a bit. Harry Hamlins movie career didnt exactly take off after he played this part in the original. But then maybe they will remake L A Law and Sam can get cast in that retread too.
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Danny Huston play the three main Greek gods Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Neeson sort of ambles through his role while Fiennes attacks his like he is playing the lead in Macbeth. Huston has little to do and is totally forgettable. Gemma Arterton plays Io, a protector of Perseus and Alexa Davalos is Andromeda, a potentially sacrificial princess. Both women are stunningly beautiful,
The plot has demigod Perseus heading up a troop who hope to kill the Kraken, a monster living in the underworld. Along the way to this battle he meets up with a coven of witches, some giant scorpions and Medusa. They all give him a hard time.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
The adventure sequences are okay in the movie and the special effects lend themselves to 3-D. The pace of the film is a little draggy but there are key action sequences every fifteen minutes or so. There is only a hint of romance so the potential female audience might be diminished by this omission.
For those who would like to see a remake of Hercules, relax, it is probably on its way. It seems the sand and sandal epics are making a comeback. For those of us who would prefer they stay buried in the past, too bad. If there is a buck to be made from this revival then all films of this sort will be revised.
Clash of the Titans is an okay movie that didnt need to be made. For those wanting a mediocre view of this material there is already the mediocre original.
I scored Clash of the Titans an ungodly 4 out of 10.
