Clash of the Titans

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There have been a lot of pointless remakes and re-imaginings coming out of Hollywood in the last decade, but if there ever was a movie in need of retooling it's 1981's Clash of the Titans - that epic tale of Perseus' adventures was hamstrung by the hammy acting and flat direction. With today's CGI this was a chance to be the definitive take on the story. This remake might be patchy but it's action-packed.

Men, whose prayers fuel the Gods' immortality, have turned their back on Mount Olympus, and Zeus (Neeson) unleashes his brother Hades (Fiennes), ruler of the Underworld, to exact revenge. Hades threatens man with the Kracken, a fearful sea beast who will lay waste to the city unless the King of Argos sacrifices his daughter Andromeda (Davalos). The reluctant Perseus (Worthington), a forgotten and mortal son of Zeus, sets out on a perilous quest for Medusa's head, the ugly Gorgon whose gaze can turn man to stone...

Synonymous with Greek myths, there's a big backstory to understand here, which the writers do their best to ease the audience into with narration, exposition and flashbacks, but with so many characters, motives, pacts and switcheroos to remember the opening half hour is rather awkward. Once it settles down and Clash of the Titans remembers it's an action movie first and foremost it flows much better. Letterier (Transporter 2) is more at ease directing the action sequences and there are plenty of those; helped by the impressive special effects Leterrier has fun letting loose his monsters but sadly bungles the Medusa scene, where Ray Harryhausen's depiction of the Gorgon's lair remains tops. The dread, the tension, the unnatural movement of Medusa herself in the original (the only time where stop motion betters CGI here) are lost in the director's rush to tell the story as fast as he can.

The original was very haphazard in its plotting and this remake suffers the same fate (maybe there's no fluid way to treat the Greek myths on screen). Even though Leterrier and co. cram in as much as they can (including even The Djinn, an Arabic myth), Clash... forgets all the Gods but Zeus and Hades, played by the not-as-spooky-as-he-should-be Fiennes. Pegasus, too, is reduced to a bit part. The whole adventure lacks mystery and awe.

Tacked on as an late addition in post-production, the 3D aspect isn't essential and viewers can save money by going au natural - but that's not the only element that's an afterthought: surprisingly, its Arterton's Io that's the love interest and not Andromeda, which lessens the urgency of Perseus' personal mission. Worthington's Perseus is a disappointment. Reluctant and a champion of man over the Gods - "I want to do this as a man," he insists - there's nothing about this Perseus that says 'hero'. Cunningham's quips are a welcome distraction from the serious tone.

Fans of action and swords-and-sandals epics should get a bang out of it, but Clash of the Titans is sadly forgettable.