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 ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief’
REVIEW: Clash of the Titans
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010REVIEW: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Kids have it good these days. They have Harry Potter, Twilight, Hannah Montana, etc. Percy Jackson is another franchise from a novel series that has now turned into a big screen epic. But it’s not quite epic even though it is about Gods, Demigods, mythical creatures and magical powers. Even so, it’s a fun movie and I really enjoyed it and think kids would too…both young and old. Percy Jackson is a larger than life fantasy movie but it’s no Harry Potter…and may not turn into the big franchise the studio is hoping for even with the big name actors they attached to the film like the Vampire’s Apprentice. Instead, it’s a nice 2 hour distraction that you can play for your kids during a car ride or good afternoon.
The story is about a son of a God who is also a mortal who doesn’t really know who is father is although almost everyone else around him does. The most powerful weapon of the Gods, Zeus’ Lightning Bolt, is stolen and Zeus is ready to wage war with his brothers, Hades and Poseidon, if it isn’t returned to him. Our young Percy Jackson is framed and believed to have stolen the lightning bolt even though everybody knows he doesn’t even know he has powers (some of the movie doesn’t make much sense and uses the cute kid book … as an excuse like the fact that Percy’s mom stays around a horrid man because the smell of the man covers up the Godish smell of Percy so other Gods can’t find him….) Back to the movie: because of this accusation, Percy is hastily taken out of his normal life and thrown into the mythical world at Camp Half Blood.
Now the real movie begins and you follow Percy Jackson in his adventure to clear his name and set things right in the world. He meets friends, enemies, and travels across the country in the matter of days (another thing that doesn’t make too much sense) in a pickup truck with a half donkey thing and cute love interest. They have to complete various tasks, which are different well known stories in Greek mythology, to get to their final destination and complete the goal of returning order to the world of Humans and Gods. It’s really straight forward and easy to follow but has some good comedic moments and action scenes. It is really for the kids but can entertain the adults too, just don’t expect deep adult meanings and hidden pearls for the grown-ups like in Pixar movies or other made for kid shows. As you watch, young or old, you will learn a thing or two about Greek mythology without knowing it which is kind of nice coming from a kid’s movie.
All in all, it was good for what it was. Fans will appreciate it and I’m sure there will be new fans for Percy Jackson because of it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it, but if it’s on, I’d say watch it. Everyone wants to have the power of the Gods, right?
