“Clash of the Titans” – I’ll admit it, I was highly entertained

Sam Worthington as Perseus from Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' epic action adventure 'The Clash of the Titans,' distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Photo by Jay Maidment

Rated PG13

Directed by Louis Leterrier

Starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Alexa Davalos, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Jason Flemyng

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 3.75/5

Word of Warning: It’s not going to cause you to burst a vessel in your brain from over thinking, but it’s an entertaining flick. This one was made to be 2D and quickly upgraded to 3D when they realized it was so popular. It wasn’t done well so don’t even bother to see it in 3D.

I’ll be honest. I review movies because I like to write about movies and I have a lot of opinions about all kinds of things, including movies. I don’t have a fancy film degree that gives me superior credence as a critic.

Often I go with my gut and my reviews are frequently influenced by my mood on the day I saw the movie. I can be unbiased, and I try to present that in my reviews, but my knee-jerk response to a movie is mostly influenced by attitude and mood. “Clash of the Titans” is no exception.

I had extremely low expectation for this movie. I wouldn’t have seen it at all, except that there was nothing better at the theater, so I thought I was settling. The movie is a remake of the 1981 classic of the same name, and like its predecessor it is loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, the son of Zeus and a human woman.  

The movie starts  with a narrated story of the Gods, explaining how Zeus (Liam Neeson) became the King of the Gods and how his brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes) was tricked into becoming the God of the Underworld. Zeus needs the prayers of the people in order to continue his reign, yet the people of Greece have grown proud and restless.

When a fisherman finds a coffin floating far out at sea he discovers a live baby inside and raises the boy as his own. He names the boy Perseus. When the Perseus is in his early twenties, he and his family witness the destruction of the statue of Zeus. The King of Argos ordered the demolition of the statue, an act of war against the Gods. The people soon learn that when the Gods go to war, they play dirty.

When he discovers the truth about who he really is, Perseus (Sam Worthington, of “Avatar“ fame) becomes entangled in the war between the Gods and the humans. He must find a way to kill the Kraken, the Gods’ biggest weapon against the humans. It’s the only way to save the people of Greece from obliteration.

Perseus and his band of warriors, who look like a tribe of unwashed hippies, dreadlocks and all, set out on a mission to find the Stygain Witches. The witches hold the secret of how to kill the Krakan. The warriors meet up with all sorts of exciting and frightening creatures along the way, and each battle reveals a little more of who Perseus is and who he could become.

Sam Worthington is the leading man in this adventure story and I think he may have a big Hollywood career in front of him. The handsome 33-year-old is already well known in Australia, but he’ll need to prove to American audiences that he can act beyond the serious warrior character he has played in both “Avatar” and “Clash of the Titans.”  

This isn’t movie-of-the-year, but the graphics are first rate and the storyline is larger than life, so I’d recommend seeing “Clash of the Titans” on the big screen. Thankfully, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and at times it borders on campy – since when did the Greeks have British and Australian accents? My recommendation is to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

**Also appearing in the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor.

4 Comments


  1. My favorite movies for beautiful men in skirts: Troy and 300.

    Reply

  2. Tell Ryan I won’t be seeing this because it’s not Twilight related. But honestly, your review makes me think about it. I love a good movie for entertainment’s sake and this sounds like a good one, if not for the fact that Harry Hamlin isn’t in it. I remember that monstrosity. Your observations are priceless and I concur: he’s cute but he looks very dirty. The mom in me wants to spit on a tissue and wipe all that shit off his face. And biceps.

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  3. Sharon, you forgot Lord of the Rings. 🙂
    OMG… Harry Hamlin. Ryan’s aunt and uncle know him personally. He’s married to that gal with the big lips… Lisa Renna?

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  4. Heidi – I liked Clash of the Titans too. The Greek mythology theme is becoming ever more popular, and I think we’ll continue to see this with the Percy Jackson (or as one of my dear friends call it – Pervy Jackson) series. Great books if you have not read them. Yes, kids book, but excellent stories 🙂

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