Review of Clash of the Titans (2010)

Last night, on the prompting of a friend, I saw Clash of the Titans, a movie that reminded me a lot of the overly-ambitious historical dramas of the late 1950s and early '60s. A positive example would be Spartacus, and a negative example would be Cleopatra. Similarly, today's Clash of the Titans is a remake of a well-known story that relies on set design, costumes, and exaggerated acting (plus modern-day CGI effects). If you like Greek mythology, it's hard to deny wanting to go see this one. Actor Liam Neeson, who portrays Zeus in the film, says that he took the role because his sons like Greek mythology. Unfortunately, though, French director Louis Leterrier doesn't tell a compelling story here, despite the efforts of his cast and CGI crew. There are a lot of interesting things to look at, but that does not make a great movie; this movie is long on CGI but short on ideas.

Clash of the Titans' initial scene introduces the hurried feeling of the film. Voice-over narration gives us an overview of the Greek gods, demigods, and men. From then on the editing of the film is too impatient to let us identify with the characters. I think the main problem is that Leterrier makes the movie acceptable for mainstream tastes and avoids peculiarities, and thereby takes away the flavorful possibilities of the story. There is little in Clash of the Titans to differentiate itself from any number of action-adventure flicks from the last ten years, and this lack of style is the movie's weakness.

There were some pleasant surprises, though. My heart throbbed for English actress Gemma Arterton, whose character Io follows Perseus and the soldiers through their trials as they attempt to free the world of men from the despotism of the gods. Leading man Sam Worthington, also the lead in Avatar, fits the role of Perseus well and is both somewhat likeable and action-heroish. Heavy-hitter actors Neeson and Ralph Fiennes play Zeus and Hades, respectively, but their efforts go for naught. The CGI is well-executed, although the director has complained about C of the T being transferred to 3D without any planning for that by Warner Brothers.

Since Clash of the Titans is an action-adventure story, we expect many cliches, like a hero who needs to find his place in the world, who must face trials, battle monsters, save the girl, and utter bad dialogue. But Clash of the Titans doesn't use these cliches as opportunities. Director Leterrier merely executes the predictable cliches with a self-seriousness that is the bad kind of workmanlike diligence. We knew precisely what to expect in The Lord of the Ring series, but the scale and complexity of the storytelling did justice to the CGI. Clash of the Titans has the tools and the mythology but cannot make the same claim.

6 out of 10