Set in the Greek city of Argos, “Clash of the Titans” follows the life of Perseus, a man who has suffered an inconceivable loss. After the tragic death of his family, he sets out alone; forced away from the life he once knew; betrayed by the very gods that made him. After a series of events, and to make a long story short, Perseus soon discovers that his real father is none other than Zeus (King of the Gods), which makes him a demigod. The plot then becomes clear, as Perseus unravels his true destiny — one that includes rescuing the city of Argos from Hades (ruler of the underworld), battling horrific creatures, and essentially saving all of mankind. This movie is as it states, the clash of the titans; a war between man and god.
After seeing a trailer for the 2010 remake of the classic “Clash of the Titans,” I immediately knew that it was a film I would have to see. While I generally stray away from remakes, as I prefer new material — this was a case where I hadn’t seen the original, and was compelled enough by the short preview to put that aside. After all, what could be better than action, mythological creatures, stunning visuals, and a good cast all rolled together in one big budget, 3D motion picture? Well, maybe some things, but it was interesting enough to have me dishing out the $11.00 to see it. With that said, I went in with a) very little knowledge of the original film, and b) rather high expectations. Were those high expectations met? In some regards yes, in others no.
To start, I’ll go over the good:
The visual aspects of this film were just stunning. From the eerie landscapes, to giant scorpions, to Pegasi, and to even Medusa herself, “Clash of the Titans” was jam packed with eye-candy. While much of this film was done in CGI, I was simply amazed at how well it worked. Not only did the monsters look great, but the battle scenes between them and men were top notch. My jaw dropped more than a few times. Aside from looks, I also really liked the fact that this story was so infused with mythology. While it certainly didn’t aim to teach vast amounts of mythical history, it did enough to hold ones interest, at least for me. I’ve never really seen a movie quite like this, but then again, I’ve never seen the original!
Now for the bad:
The plot. As far as the plot goes, it was rather lacking. At times I didn’t know what they were doing, why they were doing those things, etc. There also wasn’t enough back-story for our hero Perseus, and it was a bit hard to connect to him as a viewer. Sure, the death of his family was sad; the fact that he was a demigod was interesting, but it ended there. His character had very little depth, and he showed almost no emotion. Aside from Perseus, the other characters were basically dispensable, and I never cared if they lived or died. Oh, and the dialog. I don’t want to go on and on about it, but some of it was down-right horrible.
Aside from all of that, and perhaps more importantly, I found the ending to be <i>really</i> anticlimactic. It was very strange – the entire movie was this non-stop, monster slaying action-fest, but once it all arrived to where it had been heading for the past 110 or so minutes — the battle between Perseus and Kracken (A giant, horrifying creature) — it ended as soon as it began. I was expecting this epic, final battle scene – a battle that would essentially determine the survival of humanity, but it never happened. It was all too simple; too easy. I was left thinking, “That’s it?”
Despite the problems described above, I still had fun watching this film. While the characters fell a bit flat, and the story could have been better, there was a lot to enjoy. The creatures were amazing, the battle-scenes intense, and the entire film was visually stunning. Through-out the majority of the movie I was glued to the screen and never took my eyes away. I will say however, that if you’re going to see this, I’d suggest saving your hard earned cash and going to the 2D version instead. While the 3D glasses made things on the screen appear more vibrant; upfront, it added very little to the film. At one point I removed the annoying, bulky spectacles to see what it looked like without them, and there was almost no difference. I’m not sure what happened here — if they went cheap when converting it to 3D or what, but the effects were the weakest I’ve ever seen. Regardless, I enjoyed “Clash of the Titans” quite a bit, and if you let go and just watch it for what it is, you may enjoy it as well.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5)
Tyrion Frost's Fantasy Blog. 