If you’ve read any of my older reviews, and let’s not kid ourselves – you haven’t, you know that I have a love of gods, monsters, magic and mythology. Clash of the Titans mostly delivers on the promise of gods fighting humans for control of the world. Toss in a few monsters and this Daddy likey.
Clash of the Titans tells the story of a young man, Perseus, who is wronged by the gods and seeks his revenge. Our protagonist faces many trials along the way, including giant scorpions, a creature from the black lagoon and lest we forget, Medusa, the original stone cold killer (Ed’s note: weak pun)?
If you remember the original Clash of the Titans, there are some changes made in this film, but not enough to have you run screaming from the theater or find it unrecognizable. Some of the roles are reduced from the first film and, sadly, there is little to no fan service to those who grew up on the campy 80s flick (there is one brief, albeit notable exception). Perseus, played by Avatar’s Sam Worthington, is less likeable and more angst ridden than Harry Hamlin’s silky-coifed original. Maybe the fun-loving 80s had something to do with lending a lighter tone to the original, but everyone seems angrier in the new version.
But let’s be honest, the story is really just an excuse to have mortals battling giant mythological beasts and minions from the underworld. Stripped of any other reason for existing, the story achieves its goals on this score. The characters dutifully go from set to set, fighting to the death in glorious, poorly choreographed and blurry action sequences. Admittedly, there are still awe-inspiring moments, such as when the Kraken explodes forth from the boiling sea to take on the townspeople or a bow-slung Medusa slithers among the ruins.
Acting standouts include Liam Neeson as Zeus and Jason Flemyng as Calibos. For reasons known only to the scriptwriters, the rest of the gods are set dressing only – inexplicably including Poseidon. Of some note is the part played by Gemma Arterton as Andromeda. Unfortunately this character was transformed so much from the origin role that I was distracted when she was onscreen. For some reason Andromeda was changed from a motherly, somewhat fierce god to a bombshell who wants to create lots of little demigods with Perseus.
For an early spring/summer blockbuster, this rebooted Clash of the Titans delivers on over-the-top action and excitement. At its best, this popcorn movie is semi-enjoyable throughout, but feels like it was born without a soul. Don’t expect the mind-blowing movie-making levels of a film like Inception, and you may even enjoy this new Clash. 2 stars
