Clash of the Titans Review (Pros & Cons)

 

Speaking strictly from a design point of view, there's a lot of positive things that can be said about 2010's Clash of the Titans' remake. From the giant scorpions to the shadowy and mystifying cloak of Hades, the movie certainly delivers on giving moviegoers a fantastically gorgeous display of Ancient Greece mythology. But are updated special FX from the modern world of moviemaking magic enough to warrant remaking a legendary classic of fantasy adventure cinema? Is that really all that's needed to bring this classic tale to the big screen again for audiences? Well, here's how I saw it. 

A Visual Feast For The Eyes For Fantasy Lovers

The highlight of the movie in this regard, and something that the marketing campaign clearly wanted to push to get butts into the theaters, easily goes to the Medusa and Kraken scene. Although not as intense and atmospheric as the original, the Medusa scene stands out with its impressive visual effects and design on the iconic creature as she slithers her way through the catacomb ruins. I actually found myself conflicted on whether or not I preferred the emphasis on her looking beautiful but deadly in this rendition or the grotesque and terrifying look in the original film. Either way, it was a welcomed updated look for such a legendary villain. As with the Kraken's scene, we're talking about an epic Kaiju scene here that is highly worth the replay value as the movie holds nothing back in showcasing the massive spectacle of a the series' most iconic villain. There is a truly awe inspiring shot of him emerging from the sea gradually revealing his unrelenting scale and design that is quite honestly worth the price of admission alone. The water washing over its body as our hero flies around it is the stuff of childhood action figure playing fantasies come true. Although...I do wish the Kraken battle was much more extensive than it was.

Decent Enough Characters...Albeit Lacking

One of the biggest negatives of this movie comes from the lack of strong character development and storytelling, but there are a couple of characters worth mentioning at the very least. Zeus and Hades steal every little scene that they have. What brings these characters to life, aside from Liam Neeson doing all that he can for this script with a strong commanding presence, is the interesting dynamic between the two Gods as their ideals are challenged. There are moments where Zeus can be seen as a loving father figure and a caring God while others may paint him as a tyrant and hateful king. The same can be said for Hades who is obviously the greater evil of this world, and yet there's a few scenes that imply a genuine sense of conflict within him. I supposed you can think of him as a much less dimensional version of Loki from Marvel's Thor movie. 

Last but not least, we have our main hero Perseus who, although may seem a bit wooden most of the time, does successfully give us a classic "hero to root for" with all of the tried and true qualities. He is a good hearted and powerful warrior embarking on a journey to save his people and discover his true origins. Unfortunately, the film doesn't quite execute this as well as it could've. Honestly, the more I think about it, none of the characters are necessarily awful to follow along with and there are even some like Mads Mikkelsen's Draco and Ian Whyte's Sheikh that I genuinely had fun with. However, I do believe this is largely due to the strong entertainment value surrounding the journey itself as opposed to the characters themselves shining on their own. They're like cool action figures being played with by a child just throwing random ideas around...and we're watching the taped footage of it.

A Major Disappointment All Things Considered 

Speaking as a huge fan of monster movies and fascinating mythology, you would think that a film like Clash of the Titans being remade with today's technology would absolutely blow me away. Unfortunately, for what this movie ended up being, it's probably more fitting to alter the phrase to being "They absolutely blew it". The marketing was genius as it showcased the impressive visuals of ancient legendary monsters and eye catching action scenes with a careful eye to avoiding scenes involving performances and actual story-telling. When you do end up watching the movie, you can really get a sense of what the trailers were hiding during any scene that doesn't involve the main character undergoing a "boss battle" (using video game terms). The bland performances is joined with an equally uninteresting story. 

Using the metaphor of a video game again because I'm now realizing how appropriately fitting it is, we simply see these characters go from one action scene to the next without any real defining path of character or story evolution. Much like many classic video games, the entire movie can be perceived as one big collection of missions with unlockables leading up to a climatic end boss...without the meaningful feeling level ups. 

Epic On The Surface, Empty At Its Core

Yes, it is quite easy to look back at classic films within the realm of mythological creatures like the classic Clash of the Titans film and perhaps chuckle at some of the dated visual effects today. But one of the key things to realize with some of those films is the intensity that they brought within each battle sequence. The real sense of danger for the characters as they faced off their inhuman and powerful enemy was greatly realized as oppose to what we're currently experiencing in this modernized sense of "style over substance". Because we are given hardly anything worthy of latching onto beyond minimally established archetypes, it is easy to disregard the safety of our heroes as they fend off such iconic beasts. Instead, there is a plethora of impressive visuals but with an empty hearted care towards deeply building up the dramatic stakes involved.

Rating: 6/10