CLASH OF THE TITANS written review

“CLASH IS A GOOD REHASH”

Starring: Sam Worthington (Persieus)  Liam Neeson (Zeus) Ralph Fiennes (Hades) Gemma Arterton (Io) Natalia Vodianovia (medusa)

Directed by: Louis Leterrier

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality.

Genre: Action/Adventure and Remake

Release date: April 2010

By John Delia

Teen males and action adventure lovers who have not seen the original (and I bet not many of you have) will probably love Clash of the Titans.  Packed with CGI fight scenes that sprout flying devils, a slithering Medusa, and a gigantic Kraken teen males will get the chance to see some cool action on the huge screen and give them a break from their video games.  Although the film is a worth see, I felt the 3D was not as good as it should be. In fact, due to the darkness caused by the 3D glasses, I recommend seeing it in 2D.

Zeus (Neeson) fathers a child with a mortal Queen that he names Perseus (Worthington) causing a rift between the King and the Gods.  The King puts the Queen to death with her newborn baby, but luck would have it the child is saved by a fisherman.  Time passes and Perseus has grown to adulthood.  But, there is trouble in the heavens, as Hades (Fiennes) wants all humans destroyed.  When Hades goes before the Gods council and gets his wish, Perseus has to find a way to defeat him and save humanity.

I liked the adventure and action in Clash of the Titans.  The story of a young man wanting to save not only the humans but his father played out on an ancient Greece landscape is entertaining due to some excellent direction by Louis Leterrier (2008’s Incredible Hulk, Transporter 2).  His ability to insert some dynamic and fearsome forces like winged Devils, Medusa, a burning Hades, Pegasus, giant scorpions and some other interesting characters makes the film fun to watch.

But not all is well with the film.  Some of the dialogue is laughable “Should we be trembling and soiling ourselves in fear,” says Cassiopeia (Polly Walker) and the most feared monster the Kraken gets quickly destroyed taking away the fun of the devastation it could have caused to the Greek Island. The British accents are bothersome since the Gods are Greek and the film drags a bit towards the middle causing me to yawn.

The film is rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality so your teen will probably ask you to not join him in the theatre.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  A good rehash of an old favorite. (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)