Here’s the gist of it: Clash of the Titans follows a demigod (half man/half god) named Perseusas as he fulfils his fate to bring in the new era of man and replace the rule of the Gods. Man was created by Zeus and man’s prayers fuel the God’s immortality. However, Man started to grow tired of the Gods and started to turn on them. Hades, Zeus’s bitter brother, decides to use this opportunity to overthrow his brother and take power over both Gods and Man through his pet monster called the Kraken. Long story short (the movie is 2 hours long), this is yet another one guy goes on a journey, meets people along the way, finds himself, and saves the world movie. The visuals are pretty poor, the acting is blah, and the music is mundane. It definitely should not be in 3D, but more on that later…
I’m going to try and steer you away from this movie and give you some alternatives. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (review) which is actually a pretty similar story line and shares some of the same Greek myths and themes, has better imagery (you can put almost identical scenes side by side) and is honestly more entertaining. But, Percy Jackson was made for kids so if you want better action (and a lot more gore), wait for Centurion (review) which is in a similar era (not mythology, but still swords and arrows). It comes out in the UK next month, but I got to see a screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival and you can check out my review here.
When it comes to new things, a lot of the time after you take 2 steps forward (Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon (review)), you take 1 step back. Clash of the Titans was one huge step back…in more than one way. The biggest issue everyone will have with this movie is the unwarranted 3D. This movie was made in 2D but then the studio decided they wanted to squeeze a few more bucks out of it so they delayed the movie and made it 3D in post production. What does that mean? It means that instead of using the new 3D cameras that were made for and used in movies such as Avatar, they filmed the movie with regular cameras and added 3D elements after. As a result, the 3D was pitiful and in some ways distracting. If you can, watch this movie in 2D or just take off the 3D glasses, trust me, you’ll enjoy the movie more. To be honest, some of the scenes surprised me with how they could transform 2D into some cool 3D, but most of the time with most of the scenes, it was crap.
So, that’s one step back. This movie also took another step back for Greek mythology. They used the same old worn out stories and didn’t go in depth on anything in particular. I know this was a remake but there were only small glimpses of reimagination when there was so much potential to retell the golden tales of past and expose an audience to some new gems. As the movie stated when it began, the oldest stories are told in the stars…these are some of the greatest oldest stories; they could’ve tried to breathe new life into them. Instead, you got a blockbuster movie aimed to squeeze that first weekend box office for all its worth and then fall to the Kraken of public opinion.
Posts Tagged ‘Centurion’
REVIEW: Clash of the Titans
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010REVIEW: Centurion
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Centurion was the Super Secret TBD Screening at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. I couldn’t find out any information about which film it was going to be and honestly, when they said it would be Centurion at the theater doors, I had no idea what the movie was and had no time to look it up online. So throughout the entire film, I was trying to figure out if it was an old film or a film that had not come out yet. It’s the latter…it’s planned to come out in the UK in April and there is no planned US release date yet. I couldn’t tell if the film was new or old because it’s a time piece based in the first century and is filmed in a way that puts you back in that time. It’s a bit grungy and definitely not polished with newer techniques and high tech CGI. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t take away from the movie at all, but instead, it adds to it.
Centurion is the tale about the legendary Ninth Legion which mysteriously vanishes while out to capture more land for the Roman Empire. No one really knows what happened to this group of soldiers but Centurion tells one story of what could have happened. Have you ever thought to yourself how people could battle and fight each other back in the days when guns weren’t invented? When all they had were pieces of metal and their bare hands? This movie holds nothing back and shows you how it was done back then! It’s probably one of the goriest in your face films made in quite a long time. Usually, when an actor uses his sword to attack another on screen, the camera moves away in the following frames. Centurion doesn’t – it keeps you right there in the action. No matter how many slasher and bloody films you’ve seen, you’ll be squirming in your seat during some of the scenes in this movie. Guaranteed. The action is incredible – it’s gruesome and wonderful. The group of characters you follow are enjoyable and at times comedic. The villains, who are the Picts, are pretty badass and cutthroat including a bad b*tch played by Olga Kurylenko whose tongue is cut out. If it wasn’t, all the guys in this film would be hearing a mouthful.
While the movie is entertaining, it isn’t over the top amazing. I don’t see anybody going out of their way to watch this one which is probably why it hasn’t been picked up for a US release yet. I’m writing this review after seeing Clash of the Titans and I would definitely recommend Centurion over that. Clash of the Titans is rated PG-13 and Centurion will most likely be rated R but comparing the movies after seeing both, Clash of the Titans is G and Centurion is NC-17…the action scenes are just that bad ass and visual. You’ll be wanting to high-five your friends after every hit and blow. Needless to say, lots of people die in both movies, but they die so much better in Centurion 
.
Here’s the international trailer so you can get a glimpse of the movie, but it doesn’t show any of the awesome scenes (you’ll have to wait for a red band trailer for that)
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverageThe South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
South By Southwest: Recap (2nd Half)
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
To see the first half of my recap, click here.
And that’s a wrap! The South By Southwest 2010 Film Festival is over and wow, what an experience it was. In total, I got to see 22 films in 7 days mixed with 2 other conferences! It was quite intense but really fun and informative. Here’s the 2nd half of my film journey:
Day 6: Wednesday, March 17th.
I started off the day with finally getting into the Ritz on 6th Street. Earlier, with all the crowds from the weekend, I was turned away from seeing Mars. But luckily, today, I got a seat to see Cherry and I was really happy afterwards, because it was a great film. I’ll definitely be writing a full review for this one because it’s either my 2nd or 3rd favorite film of the festival, I’m still trying to decide. (Funny enough I’m trying to decide between this and the film I missed at the same theater earlier, Mars) After, I moved back to the Paramount where I saw Get Low starring the incredible cast of Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek. Following that, I saw a Swiss Sci-Fi film called Cargo and the super secret midnight screening of Centurion.
Day 7: Thursday, March 18th.
Today I ventured off and saw some of the Music from SXSW. The only movie I caught was The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. I should have a full review of it later today (since it came out this weekend).
Day 8: Friday, March 19th.
Last day of SXSW Film (for me .. I did Music again for the full day on Saturday). I decided to stick to one theater and just watch movie after movie there. I started with Canal Street Madam, a documentary on the life of Jeanette Maier as she continues her life after an FBI raid on her family-run brother in New Orleans. Next was One Night in Vegas, an ESPN documentary about the tragic night where Mike Tyson won the heavyweight belt but Tupac Shakur lost his life. Finally, I got to see the animated film Mars which was well worth the wait and either my 2nd or 3rd favorite film of the whole festival (read above for more about that). I finished off the night by singing karaoke with other film festival peeps right next door at the High Ball – a great way to end a great festival.
More in depth reviews for many of these films will be coming later on in the week. There were a few films I didn’t get to see which I’ll have to run down now but all together, I had a great festival experience seeing great movies and meeting great people. See you next year South By Southwest!
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverageThe South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
