When it comes to mythology, the Greeks have thought up some of the most exciting tales of gods, warriors and monsters into their ancient literature. One of the best movie's to accomplish bringing them to life in a new way was the 1981 film Clash of the Titans.
Now the movie has spawned a remake, directed by Louis Leterrier, who has proclaimed to be a big fan of the original. His passion definetely shows in this film, bringing to life this beloved mythology in new and yet nostalgic ways. When it comes to production, 2010's Clash of the Titans contains awesome designs to its creatures and believable sets and costumes. What it lacks however is the same flaw as its original incarnation: a story that feels so stereotypical and unimaginative, it's spelling out the results long before they're delivered.
When a young fisherman named Perseus (Sam Worthington) watches his family perish from the wrath of the God of the Underworld, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), Perseus swears to get his revenge on the god by any means possible. But Perseus soon discovers that he's declaring a family feud, when he learns he's actually the demigod son of the God of Thunder, Zeus (Liam Neeson). Perseus sets to find a way to put a stop to Hades and learn his destiny.
The script of the film is where the movie needed a lot of its work. A small number of plotholes caught my attention upon first viewing. For instance, one of Perseus' traveling companions gives him a shield he made from the back of a giant scorpion and claims it's stronger than any metal. Thus I was forced to ask why a METAL sword was able to kill so many of the giant bugs?
The movie tries to turn Perseus into a darker protagonist than the original, but the introduction of him and his family is so rushed that you barely get a sense of who any of them are. It also surprised me that the character of Andromeda, who actually had a decent ammount of involvement in the 1981 original, was downplayed so much in her portrayal by Alexa Davalos. She gave this character much more strength and yet they ignore her for half the film.
It also doesn't help when you brush aside performances from such great actors like Neeson and Fiennes. These two stole the show, but Fiennes felt the more superior this time around. Because the screentime of the mortals significantly outweighs that of the gods, by the start of the third act you start to forget there were gods in the movie at all.
However, what Leterrier is to be admired for in this adaptation is making the movie's world feel as mythological as its original characters. The unique designs to these classic characters feels larger than life and the action involved is close, hard and dirty for the viewer.
RATING: 6/10
-Braydon K
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