Review of Clash of the Titans (2010) by Edgar C — 25 Aug 2013

Let's begin with the most inconvenient aspect of them all: it is not based on Greek mythology, but on a previous film.

Leterrier is strongly paving his road to suckness, proving that he can be as bad as he wants to. This worthless 2010 remake had a very specific target market: youngsters ignorant of Greek mythology. It is not a condemnation towards them, but if knowledge is what they seek, they should refer to literature. Naturally, and most probably, they won't. They came here for the special effects. They came here to see the CGI-improved Kraken. They came here to see Liam Neeson in another of his legendary, immortal roles, and maybe Ralph Fiennes as the personification of another villain with supernatural powers.

It has been a long time since we left the classic stop-motion effects behind, which surely made a stronger impact on the audiences and captured the epic-sized scope of all things. This film also lacks the classic adventure formula that Hollywood followed from the 50s until the 80s. Actually, Clash of the Titans (1981) seemed like a farewell, which is why it is so missed and somewhat misunderstood. I am not stating that there is a specific formula to follow with each particular genre, in this case, the classic adventure recipe. I am stating why the original film worked better. Do you get the difference? That's my point.

It is hilarious to note how the screenplay is a messy contradiction, especially at the end. The gods keep changing their minds, feeling rage and shouting at one moment and recognizing some human nature in them at the next. Zeus says to Perseus: "Be better than we were", and his immediate next line is "And if you insist on continuing this mundane human existence...". Lol. The gods seem to have an identity crisis, begging for human love and worship like menopausal widows, punishing them when they please, and thanking them after.

44/100.