CLASH OF THE TITANS (English/PG13)
Genre: Action/Drama/Fantasy
Release Date: 01 April 2010
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 118 minutes
Director: Louis Leterrier
Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Kevin De La Noy, Richard D Zanuck
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan, Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Casts: Sam Worthington, Alexa Davalos, Danny Huston, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Mads Mikkelsen
Plot: Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.
THE VERDICT
Be warned, you have been warned again and again. Don't expect this to be another awesome 3D presentation like How to Train Your Dragon. It has the potential to become what I called a classic but it fell short, very short of my expectation. I guess the trailer itself would have given you much better experience and enjoyment for such a titan movie after all. Replaying those trailer on the laptop seems the best thing to do but walking out from the cinema hall holds an indecisive and bittersweet after all. Partly I liked this movie but somehow the dislikes-bitter-taste dominate more.
Clash of the Titans is a story about how man vs. Gods and Gods vs. Gods in a mystical Greek mythology. Perseus (Sam Worthington) is a demi-god born from tithe blood of Zeus, who lost his family to Hades, the reigning God from Hell. As a fisherman who has nothing to lose, he embarked a journey to symbolize that mankind need to stand up against the gods, to seek avenge against mighty Hades and to stop Hades from taking over the reign of Olympus from his estranged father, Zeus. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.
To start it all off, there is nothing wrong with the story line but my complaints were more about its lack of complexity and dramatic. The story is basically an almost "remake" of the original 1980's cult classic and retains the same spirit it embodied. Yes, they changed a bit of here and there, while retaining the concepts from the original, however, it did not did enough to distinguished itself with the original. There is nothing much to choose between both after all. The classic was not really a big hit, but the modern remake will appear to be fun if you are really into the Greek mythology and any fan boys. The plot is also quite enjoyable although there are some bore moment.
This movie did not cover much about the character interaction and development so much; rather it leaves the audience to guess how they are actually connected in the first place. The flow of the plot is pretty much expected, there is no sense of suspense because you can easily guess what will happen next. Perhaps, staying loyal to the original in some form may be a good thing but it does not serve as a good appetizer for the audience in the 21st century. Nevertheless, the action sequences were greatly crafted and I have to say the styles carried in the movie are awesome. Look at the battle of Scorpionoch, a true intensify action sequence that I think is the best in the whole movie. Also, catch the action when they were hunting for Medusa's head where the tricky camera styles were used.
I am so disappointed because they cast Sam Worthington, again with his emotionless and woody performance. At times, he is good but there are moments when he failed to present the exact facial expression for certain scene. Look how he reacts when Io was dying!! He suits as a supporting actor because he carried the movie as a lead on his own. His performance is as dry as a withered leaves. However, the rest of casting member are not equally stunning at all. So-so performance and you cannot expect more from the two veterans - Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. In fact, the role played by Mads Mikkelsen is been suppressed and all the attention is given out to the woody-man. Another problem is the character development is not clear and much to the audience to think about.
The special effects and cinematography were awesome (before they made it into 3D). Considering the blend in mystical Greek mythology creatures - from Pergasus to Medusa, the Scorpionoch to the Djinns; the wholesome element of Greek mythology is relieved. But here comes a serious enquiry, why a 3D conversion if the original 2D presentation is enough to WOW the audience? It is a DUMB MOVE to change it into a so-called 3D but ended somewhere between 2.4D. The 3D is a total mess-up. Nevertheless, I think giving this movie a 2D try would be a better choice. Been the worst 3D presentation of the year, the 3D is nothing more than a gimmick and it annoys everyone. (SPOILER: The only 3D that really 3D is the subtitle and the closing credit)
This movie is not great, neither it is bad. Perhaps, it serves as a strong warning to not simply convert anything into a 3D "crap" movie unnecessary. While most of my points here are towards the negative side of this amazingly "crap" movie (understatement by the way), I AM WRITING THIS WITH RENO and I AM NOT CRUXIFYING THIS MOVIE because I know they can do much better than this. If they want to make another remake in the next 25 years, HIRE US!! The first MAJOR FLOP of the year - though I remain neutral for this movie.
** UPDATE NOTES: IF YOU INSISTS ON WATCHING IT IN 3D, WE STRONGLY ADVICE AGAINST DOING SO. CHOOSE 2D For BETTER EXPERIENCE. Watching the movie in 2D is WAY BETTER than the flawed 3D version. The 2D has a slight better-hand experience than the 3D.
THE RATING (FOR 2D VERSION):
Story - 3.5 stars
Casts - 3.0 stars
Cinematography - 4.5 stars
Effects - 4.0 stars
OVERALL - 3.5 stars
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 14.3
THE RATING (FOR 3D VERSION):
Story - 3.0 stars
Casts - 3.0 stars
Cinematography - 2.5 stars
Effects - 3.0 stars
OVERALL - 2.5 stars
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 11.7