IN THEATERS
CLASH OF THE TITANS
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The 1981 mythological fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans is resurrected in this remake from Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier. The joint Legendary Films/Warner Bros. production focuses on Perseus (Sam Worthington), the mortal hero made to carry out a series of quests by the gods in order to win the hand of the imprisoned princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos). Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Mads Mikkelsen, and Gemma Arterton co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton.
Release Date: Apr 02, 2010..
Rated PG-13 for some frightening images, fantasy action violence and brief sensuality
Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.
Genres: Action
Review:
Being a child of the 80’s I have had a handful of my childhood movie loves remade with varying degrees of effectiveness. The original Clash of the Titans for all its flaws is still a terribly enjoyable film for me that take me back to childhood. It left indelible images on my young mind and was one of those films that helped shape my general love for films. I doubt Louis Leterrier’s remake will leave that type of impression on today’s children. I could be wrong but I doubt this type of uninspired and chunky film making will leave much of an impression after they leave the theater but who knows, a lot of people said that about the original as well. This film is a chesse fest that’s only occasionally fun and mostly tedious. Leterrier’s direction does his best to give the proceedings an epic feel but for the most part it feels like that is way beyond his talents. The large scale action set pieces are handled with a pedestrian hand only occasionally capturing any sense of grandeur or scope. The battle in Medusa’s lair and final battle with the final battle with the Kraken are the best of the group but the scorpion battle feels more like something out of Starship Troopers. The script makes various changes to the original plot changing the general motivation of Perseus and the gods. They work to certain extent, the gods in particular are a tad more interesting even if we only get Zeus and Hades for the most part and the remainder stands around looking godly. The changes to Perseus aren’t as effective mainly because it makes him less heroic and more petulant. Worthington’s performance doesn’t help as he appears to have mastered the ability to be aggressively wooden. He lacks any fire or drive and just comes across as disingenuous for the better part of the film. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes have more fun hamming it up, Fiennes in particular looks like he’s having a ball. Gemma Arterton doesn’t make as much of an impression as she should and Mads Mikkelsen is overly serious throughout. The cast is saddled with a script that’s just as clunky as the film’s direction; neither seems to be able to decide if it wants to be serious or cheesy. While I suppose there is a chance this could become a cult favorite like the original I think it’s a long shot. The original has a certain endearing campiness to it and this remake has a terribly generic feel to it.
C-
