Moderately decent action spectacle that needed more wondrous characters. Thrashing battles between kings and gods, as well as mortals and immortals. Watching the sorcery stuff is cool. Clash of the Titans is Greek mythology updated has occasional verve and excitement, but it has too many rattling edits and shaking cameras. Acting is at a bare minimum to meet broad blockbuster requirements.
Perseus (Sam Worthington, “Avatar”) was born of a god but raised as a man. The self-reliant Perseus becomes a warrior, defying if not practically rejecting his god genetics, and places the “common” people at higher importance than the gods. Worthington brings integrity to the screen – in various times he appears he would die for a goddess simply because it is the right thing to do, the right thing for the better of mankind. But he has not blitheness, no humor. At best, Worthington turns martyrdom into a masculine art.
Perseus duels with gigantic scorpions, encounters with Stygian witches with eyeballs in their palms, various winged demons and gargoyles, and Kraken the sea monster that is so colossal in size that he can prompt tidal waves capable of ravaging ancient Greek cities. The best: a deadly encounter with Medusa, whose hair is writing with snakes. This battle hurls with acrobatic ferocity.
Two things missing from the 1981 original is the mechanical owl (good omission) and the two-headed wolf battle (a sorely missing omission). Perseus does not begin as the principle leader of the band of warriors. That authority belongs to Mads Mikkelson (“Casino Royale”) as Draco in command, but surely enough he ascends to leadership.
Liam Neeson, as Zeus, spends most of the time in CGI clouds. What Zeus and Perseus, father and son, have in common is the desire and need to wipe out Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the vengeful god with the intent to wreck and destroy humanity as well as to seize all of Zeus’ power and rule the underworld. The climax of the film is a little bit too “sensational” for its own good – with debris crashing, tidal wave splashing, etc. At the end, not enough character or Greek lore.
Note on its original 3D release: “Clash of the Titans” was not filmed in Real 3D but was instead converted in 3D after studio test runs. The 3D glasses tint the film and the picture’s colors become diffused and difficult to see clearly as a result. This is opposite to “Avatar” which was filmed in Real 3D with the planned conception to view it in 3D IMAX. What Warner Bros. proves with “Titans” is that converted 3D is not a good idea, it adds nothing. See this in the original proper 2D projection. I unfortunately reviewed this in 3D, preferring the film when I took the glasses off.
106 Minutes. Rated PG-13.
ACTION & ADVENTURE / MYTHOLOGY / FRIDAY AFTERNOON MATINEE
Film Cousins: “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963); “Flash Gordon” (1980); “Clash of the Titans” (1981); “300” (2007).
