Movie Reviews Clash of the Titans a titanic crash

Apr 30, 2010

Mature teens and adults/morally ambiguous/Poor craftsmanship

Normally, when a remake of a movie hits theaters, loyal fans of the original queue to see if the new version meets their standards or lives up to the glory of their memories. “Clash of the Titans” didn’t quite garner the same reaction.

Having never seen the original, this reviewer is forced to rely on the print sources which claim that the Desmond Davis' 1981 “Clash of the Titans” left much to be desired. The new version isn’t much better. Not even the added expense of the three dimensional experience compensates.

The movie itself is a variation on the story of Perseus, a demigod of Greek mythology. Played by Sam Worthington, the character himself is hard to read and has few visible emotions. Nevertheless, the main character from Avatar looks good in Greek battle armor, conquers mythological monsters before breakfast, and is steadfast in his resolve. The plot, however, is thin, based upon one quest after another and the dialogue is very flat, unproductive and drawn out.

Viewers looking for an action-packed movie will be frustrated by the snail’s pace at which the action takes off. While most movies could arguably use a bit more dialogue to make the characters more believable or give the plot more complexity, “Clash of the Titans” will induce an unexpected nap without ever building on the momentum it tries to create. Similarly, viewers looking for a well-developed tale will be frustrated at the lack of depth in all of the characters and the superficiality of the plot development.

The animation, the action, and the special effects fail to compensate for the film’s lack of drive. While the work is not shoddy or low budget, it nevertheless does not impress with its CGI driven scenes of behemoth sea monsters destroying stone cities or levitating deities of darkness entering the mortal worlds.

Captivating perhaps to the mythology buff, to the amateur classicist, or to the person seeking clean fun on a boring evening, “Clash of the Titans” is nevertheless not worth the price of the ticket, the time spent sitting in front of the screen, or the insult to viewing intelligence the film doesn’t bother to cloak.

“Clash” features violence, fight scenes, large and scary scorpions, and is not suitable for younger viewers. However, its blessedly free of the typical lust scenes that often appear in a potential blockbuster. The idea of challenging the gods is morally offensive, yet under the mythological umbrella, the polytheistic Greek pantheon doesn’t invalidate humanity’s rebellion through arrogance and the anger of being abandoned by their creators. 

Ultimately, the movie isn’t scandalous, but that fact offers no redemption.