Review of Clash of the Titans (1981) by Deb S — 08 Apr 2010

3 stars out of 4.

Since Clash of The Titans was remade recently and I liked the remake, I decided to watch the original film. Whoa! The effects were probably considered alright back then, but watching it today they look ridiculously cheesy, but in a good way. I loved it! Every phony stop-motion shot, all of Medusa's bloody ketchup, everything. Clash of the Titans was glorious, bombastic, fun entertaining, greatly corny and mythological movie experience.

Clash of the Titans is about a young man, Perseus, the son of Zeus, who falls in love with Andromeda, the daughter of a queen, Cassiopeia. Andromeda's mother compares her daughter's beauty to that of Hera. The queen of gods is angered by this, so she tells the villagers to offer Andromeda as a sacrifice to the Kraken after 30 days or the Kraken will come and destroy everyone. The queen of god does this partly because she is angered by Cassiopeia and party because Andromeda denied her son, who put a curse on Andromeda's soul, and was condemned for his sins by Zeus, who guides Perseus on a journey to keep Andromeda and her village safe, on the journey encountering numerous mythological beings. Lemme tell ya, this movie has helped me figure out Greek mythology way better.

Yeah, the plot: it's complicated.

The thing I love most about this movie is how corny it is, in a good way of course. The effects were so fake, being made in 1981. This is the main reason I enjoyed the movie so much. If the effects had been cutting edge, I don't think I would have been as entertained. I enjoyed every fantasy scene, every sword fight, it was intoxicating, especially when Perseus fights with animated villains ; Classic. The acting was corny, too. The actor who played Perseus, Harry Hamlin, talked in a deep monotone and always had a serious look on his face. Everyone in the movie was like that, save the women of course.( Except Medusa, her face was dead serious.).

If you know how to appreciate a cheesy mythology movie that is never boring, then I recommend that you see Clash of the Titans. Be sure to watch this before the remake, then you will appreciate the updated film more. And trust me, you will enjoy laughing at the corny special effects in the original.