Movie review: Clash of the Titans

One should always be wary of remakes. So many classics have been ruined for a new generation by pointless reimaginings. The original Clash of the Titans was, maybe not a great movie, but still very good by 1981 standards – and it is certainly a classic. So, naturally, I was very sceptical when the remake was announced. At the same time, though, I could see the point in updating a movie like this, what with the possibilities of CGI.

Let it be said right away: The remake wasn’t a great movie, but it wasn’t as bad as some have made it out to be.

The story of demi-god Perseus and his quest isn’t exactly treated faithfully – but then, that wasn’t the case in the original either. In 1981, Perseus’ quest was brought on by the lesser sea goddess Thetis. In 2010, the main antagonist is none other than Hades himself. Perseus’ has a new love interest this time around. His winged mount Pegasus has been made into the token black guy (well, see for yourself). The main difference, though, is in the role of the gods. In 1981, Zeus was just a dirty old man, literally playing a game with human pawns, for his own enjoyment more than anything. In 2010, the story is much darker: the humans have come to think too highly of themselves, angering the gods, and there is real enmity brewing between the gods as well.

Perseus still fights Medusa, though, and the final showdown is still against the kraken – which makes no sense at all, since the kraken belongs in Norwegian folklore and certainly not in Greek mythology, which has its own gargantuan sea monsters. Kind of ironic that the main element from the original that was kept in the remake is really anything but authentic.

As for the acting: Sam Worthington certainly seems to be the new hot action hero (Terminator Salvation, Avatar, an upcoming Dracula project) and his Perseus is exactly what you would expect. Liam Neeson is suitably imperious as Zeus, and Ralph Fiennes makes a creepy Vold–I mean, Hades – although I did prefer Steve Coogan’s version in Percy Jackson (see my earlier review in this blog). As a Dane, I guess I have to mention Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Draco (a new addition compared to the original) and does what he does best: the drak, brooding anti-hero. My favourite, though, was Liam Cunningham as Solon, the pithy and grizzled veteran of Perseus’ band. His role is partly comic relief, but he fulfils it with a refreshingly deadpan delivery.

The computer-generated special effects are as impressive as one has come to expect these days. Let’s be honest: Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion monsters in the original do look extremely dated in the eyes of today’s CGI-spoiled audience. Don’t get me wrong: I still watch “his” movies (the Sinbad movies, Jason and the Argonauts) with much enjoyment and even more nostalgia, but Harryhausen used the means at his disposal to the absolut best of his abilities, and I’d like to think that if he were still making movies today, he would have embraced the newest technologies – and excelled at them! If Harryhausen has seen the new movie, I hope he likes what they have done with it – and I was glad to see how they put in a nice little nod to him and to the original. Watch out for Bubo the owl…

Clash of the Titans (2010) Starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikkelsen, Liam Cunningham. Written by Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi. Directed by Louis Leterrier. Rated PG-13. 1 h 46 min.

Movie review: Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is an unusual teenager with perhaps not so unusual teenage problems: He’s battling with ADHD and dyslexia. His stepfather is a disgusting creep and his real father left when he was a baby. One day, though, Percy finds out why: his father is actually the Greek god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). As if that wasn’t enough, it turns out that all the gods and other creatures of Greek mythology are still alive and well – they just don’t meddle in human affairs as much as they used to.

One day, Percy is accused of stealing Zeus‘ (Sean Bean) famous lightning bolt on behalf of his father. He gets two weeks to give it back, or a new war between the gods will break out. Percy is completely innocent, so his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) – a satyr assigned to protect him without his knowing – takes him to what is basically a summer camp for demigods. Here he meets and trains with other children of human-god unions. However, Hades (Steve Coogan), the last of the ‘Big Three’ brother gods, also believing that Percy has the lightning bolt, kidnaps his mother and keeps her in the realm of the dead, demanding the bolt in return for her life. Along with Grover and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), a daughter of Athena, Percy now sets out to rescue his mother – and hopefully find the real lightning thief along the way.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is the tongue-breaking full title of this movie (at least in the US), based on a book by Rick Riordan. I haven’t read the book, so I’m unable to comment on the differences and what was left out, but I’m sure plenty of fans of the book will have plenty of strong opinions about that. Suffice to say that this is not a bad movie. The movie, like the book, is clearly YA, made for kids of about the same age as the main characters – apparently Percy is only 12 years old in the book, whereas the movie made him a high school student – which makes it at least a little bit less unrealistic for him to be doing sword fights and the like.

Because of the younger target audience the movie does spend some time introducing the various gods and other mythological creatures and explaining their properties, but it is done in a fairly subtle way and doesn’t interfere too much with the telling of the story – which follows the standard quest formula with no big surprises. That being said, the movie does a good job doing what it sets out to do. If it can create an interest in the subject matter among teenagers – more power to it. Also, the rich imagery of Greek mythology does lend itself well to film, and the CGI monsters are just plain eye candy on a big screen. The on-screen chemistry between the three young leads is a big plus, but some of the ‘grown-ups’ are worth watching as well – especially Coogan and Dawson as the unhappily married First Couple of the Underworld. The big names like Brosnan and Bean are really just phoning it in, though.

If you like the classic myths – and have just an ounce of inner child left – you should be able to enjoy this movie for what it is. For a more ‘adult’ treatment of the source material, wait for the upcoming remake of the classic Clash of the Titans – I’m certainly looking forward to that one. Oh, and stay tuned for an extra little scene inserted during the end credits.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: the Lightning Thief (2010) Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Kevin McKidd, Uma Thurman. Written by Craig Titley. Directed by Chris Columbus. Rated PG. 1 h 58 min.