Clash of the Titans (2010)

[Remo D]

This doesn't require a terribly detailed review where I come in... I'm a lifelong Harryhausen fan who found the original CLASH thoroughly enjoyable even as I realized that it was scarcely a classic along the lines of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. The Medusa sequence was an absolute masterpiece... I could take or leave the Kraken... and I must have missed the mythology that inspired an R2-D2 clone in the form of a mechanical owl.

So now we get the big-scale, CGI-flavored remake... equally thin on authentic Greek mythology, perhaps, but still a more than serviceable fantasy-adventure filled with fantastic creatures and larger-than-life performances in the service of the gods.

The venom I've seen spewed out against this film was more than enough to make me blanch... did the new CLASH ask you to accept it as more than good, clean fun? Aside from taking a playful shot at Bubo, did it show disrespect for the original?

Liam Neeson is a terrific Zeus, the new film has a far more intriguing take on the character of Calibos, the scorpions are terrific, the Medusa isn't as scary as the original (but the scene still works)... and for those who insist on some all-purpose theological weight to go with their mythology, there's a well-developed theme involving how much a man can do as a man (that is, when he utterly refuses the gifts of the gods).

Okay, perhaps Sam Worthington isn't the most dynamic hero out there, but this is a lot zippier than a certain OTHER overdone snoozer in which he also appeared...

One last bit of advice--the new CLASH was NOT actually filmed in 3-D, and from reputable reports, the artificial 3-D imposed on it by the studio isn't very good at all. The film plays perfectly well in good old 2-D, and that's how I recommend you see it.

And yes, I do recommend you see it!

[Darth Tanner]

Thanks Remo! I never saw the original COTT and had no real interest in this remake, but reading your review made me think otherwise. So I took this in at a matinee (in 2-D) the other day and had a blast. I agree with your point on Sam Worthington, but I even thought he was better here than in AVATAR and TERMINATOR: SALVATION (not to mention this movie was more enjoyable that those two). Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were both fun to watch and the movie moves right along without overstaying its welcome. Don't let the negative reviews steer you wrong. This is a fun fantasy movie that doesn't pretend to be anything else. Go out and have a good time. I have to say that this is turning out to be a good year for movies so far (for me anyway despite the fact that the four movies I saw up to this point were all remakes...but good ones).


Now I just need to see the original CLASH OF THE TITANS.