Movie Feature: Clash of the Titans (2010)
For those who just wandered here because they googled for a review or whatnot, here's the breakdown:
If you are an ardent moviegoer or Sam Worthington fan, by all means WATCH THIS MOVIE. There is loads of fun to be had and you get to see Sam being all MFBA (motherfucking badass).
If you have limited funds to spend on cinema outings, or you are one of those picky critics, then SKIP THIS.
First of all, here is a brief summary: in this remake of Clash of the Titans, Perseus is now a demigod who, unaware of his birth, lived happily with his fisherman family. Unfortunately, unsettlement and strife are brewing amongst the gods and men, and gods and gods and as a result of Hades's retaliation, Perseus's family was taken away from him. Angered, Perseus seeks revenge against Hades. In order to achieve this, he must first kill Hades's child, the Kraken, which also means rescuing the beautiful princess Andromeda.
After having watched this movie, I realised that I did not want to hear people bash Clash of the Titans anymore. For one thing, I thought that the plot was really "logical" if one analyses it in the Greek myth context. Please people, Greek myths are meant to be illogical. Fairytales are meant to be illogical. It is one of the reasons for myths and fairytales; people needed a simple yet fun way of explaining the rules and phenomena of the world. And we used to love these stories, these tales of love at first sight and one man's rise to hero status with warm and fuzzy feelings, not tired, old skepticism. Look at how the citizens of the Argos were portrayed; these were people who had grown ungrateful and proud, and thought they could defy the Gods, not unlike people of today, who blamed God when things did not go their way or forgo religion altogether. They were shallow, they were poor, and such portrayal was pefect.
Then came the demand for sacrifice by Hades, and we see the selfishness and self-centredness of men to willingly sacrifice Andromeda to save themselves (women of the past were always treated carelessly), and the king's reluctance to give up his daughter. I think it would be more illogical if the king had just said yes to that, so kudos to the producers. I love how they did not neglect the diegetic elements as well, such as Perseus bare feet when then soldiers of Argos found him, the mechanical owl that was a tribute to Clash of the Titans (1981), and the absence of a shield for Perseus because it was too heavy (he's was raised as a fisherman's son). The design of the Stygian Witches was really creative (they kept the one eye concept!) although I wished they had developed the characters more (for example, shown the woving of the threads of fate, the glimpse in the future, etc.).
Acting by the huge cast were generally good, although not noteworthy. Think of it like this: they do their jobs well, unlike some expressionless actors and actresses I know, but they could have easily been replaced by anyone else. Sam Worthington was a sight for sore eyes, although after this movie, I hope they would cast him in a role that does not require him being a hero. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST BECAUSE HE WAS GOOD IN TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009) AND AVATAR (2009) DOES NOT MEAN THAT IF YOU CAST HIM AS YOUR ACTION HERO YOUR MOVIE IS GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL, M'KAY?
Moving on.
If I had any faults with this movie, they would be the short running time and the abundant characters. This movie could have been made for two hours and half, hence, have time to flesh out the plots and shoot lengthy battles. But this is something I could overlook because the I know how painful it can be to watch a movie for two hours and half even if it was excellent. Further, there were WAY TOO MANY characters. As far as I can remember, I think Perseus was supposed to make the journey alone, and Io was not even supposed to be present (but that could be my memory screwing with me). Moreover, they were all pretty much useless, so I did not comprehend why there was such a need in the first place.
Clash of the Titans is an example of a movie that was grown out of expectations, which makes it all the more easier to fall because of the huge gap in that inflation. To fully appreciate it, one must take the movie as it is; a remake that was not meant to receive Oscars or touch people's hearts, but to induce fun and excitement. It is so much more than a popcorn movie, but there was equally as much wasted potential, because underneath the strappings of CGI and the ensemble cast, Clash of the Titans is an example of classic Hollywood that we all used to love.