Saw Clash of the Titans late last night with my buddy. Basically, it’s a 110-minute long special effect. Which is okay, for what it is. Sure, it kinda made up its Greek mythology as it went along; sure, the characters are all one-dimensional cliché cut-outs; sure, the plot is convoluted and doesn’t really make sense. But you don’t go see a movie like this to see great classic literature translated movingly to the big screen.
The two big drawbacks for me were the backstory and the fight scenes. If you’ve seen the 1981 original, you know it’s a quest movie: Perseus needs to locate Medusa, slay her, and bring her head back to Argos to kill the kraken and save Princess Andromeda. I saw the original probably a half dozen times, but the last time was at least twenty-five or more years ago, so I don’t remember its backstory, other than the immortal gods were plotting against each other. It’s the same in this remake, though the Machiavellian machinations of Hades, uncomfortably decked out like John Travolta in Battlefield Earth, seemed built on shifting sands. I could never quite remember why he was doing what he was doing at every particular scene he appeared. Usually, he appeared solely to have his winged minions wreak havoc on insolent soldiers.
The worse thing about the movie was the F****N’ SHAKEY CAM! I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate the shakey cam! Every time two men drew blades and attacked each other, every single time, all of a sudden I’m on Rolling Thunder at Great Adventure! Ever see a paint mixer at Home Depot? Well, that’s only a fraction of the camera work for every single action scene. Good job, director. And damn you, director of Bourne Supremacy, originator, I think, of this headache-inducing visual technique.
Sam Worthington was bland as Perseus; Liam Neeson is hammily reminiscent of Laurence Olivier’s portrayal of Zeus in the original. The women are boring feminists. Perseus’s soldiers you’ve seen in every buddy-buddy war or quest flick: the wise old rogue; the young idealist; the goofy, fun-loving foreign-types; the hero’s foil who later begrudgingly learns to respect said hero. In this case, a pleasant surprise for me, the foil was … Le Chiffre! From the remake of the James Bond flick Casino Royale! The bad guy who cried blood! Here, he’s a dread-locked warrior, but he’s tough and charismatic and I wonder why he’s not in more movies of late.
This was my first 3D movie since … Jaws 3D in, what, 1983 or so? As such, well, the 3D effect were okay, I suppose. I expected about sixty or seventy arrows shot right at my face, but that wasn’t so, and for that, director, I thank you. But honestly, after ten or fifteen minutes, I really wasn’t aware of the 3D effects. So that’s either a compliment or a drawback. I’m not really sure. I could have just saved $6.50 and just seen the 2D version. In actuality, some of the 3D flying scenes made me kinda seasick, and this is from the guy who loved Cloverfield.
The best part of Clash of the Titans were the evocative settings and backdrops. Olympus, not so much, but a big unequivocal yes for the River Styx, the temple of Medusa, the sea port of Argos, the lush forests of indeterminate ancient Greece, the ominous storms in the background as young Perseus broods on the seas. I also dig that hundred-foot statue of Zeus. Though it didn’t move (on its own accord), it reminded me of that giant animated warrior statue from Jason and the Argonauts.
I know I’m reading too much into the movie with this point, but let me just say, the movie was so … anti-god, I guess, for lack of a better word. Every major character, Perseus included, made it crystal clear to us that he was against the gods. Damn the gods, and the gods be damned! “The Age of Man has arrived,” cried out one king. Sounds like 21st century America, I thought. With the death of gods (God) proclaimed every five or ten minutes on screen, with man the measure of all things, with strength and valor and skill with a sword (or feminine beauty) the markers of power and good life in this world, one thought kept popping into my mind: This is Nietzsche’s World. A world populated by his supermen, living by his anti-values. I know Nietzsche was an admirer of ancient Greek ideals, and this movie is a sixth-grade boy’s interpretation of such ideals. Just a thought, and I know it was probably unintentional on the part of the filmmakers.
Anyway, a mixed bag, but a fun outing and an enjoyable experience if you keep in mind what it is you’re watching. I grade it a solid B.
The two big drawbacks for me were the backstory and the fight scenes. If you’ve seen the 1981 original, you know it’s a quest movie: Perseus needs to locate Medusa, slay her, and bring her head back to Argos to kill the kraken and save Princess Andromeda. I saw the original probably a half dozen times, but the last time was at least twenty-five or more years ago, so I don’t remember its backstory, other than the immortal gods were plotting against each other. It’s the same in this remake, though the Machiavellian machinations of Hades, uncomfortably decked out like John Travolta in Battlefield Earth, seemed built on shifting sands. I could never quite remember why he was doing what he was doing at every particular scene he appeared. Usually, he appeared solely to have his winged minions wreak havoc on insolent soldiers.
The worse thing about the movie was the F****N’ SHAKEY CAM! I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate the shakey cam! Every time two men drew blades and attacked each other, every single time, all of a sudden I’m on Rolling Thunder at Great Adventure! Ever see a paint mixer at Home Depot? Well, that’s only a fraction of the camera work for every single action scene. Good job, director. And damn you, director of Bourne Supremacy, originator, I think, of this headache-inducing visual technique.
Sam Worthington was bland as Perseus; Liam Neeson is hammily reminiscent of Laurence Olivier’s portrayal of Zeus in the original. The women are boring feminists. Perseus’s soldiers you’ve seen in every buddy-buddy war or quest flick: the wise old rogue; the young idealist; the goofy, fun-loving foreign-types; the hero’s foil who later begrudgingly learns to respect said hero. In this case, a pleasant surprise for me, the foil was … Le Chiffre! From the remake of the James Bond flick Casino Royale! The bad guy who cried blood! Here, he’s a dread-locked warrior, but he’s tough and charismatic and I wonder why he’s not in more movies of late.
This was my first 3D movie since … Jaws 3D in, what, 1983 or so? As such, well, the 3D effect were okay, I suppose. I expected about sixty or seventy arrows shot right at my face, but that wasn’t so, and for that, director, I thank you. But honestly, after ten or fifteen minutes, I really wasn’t aware of the 3D effects. So that’s either a compliment or a drawback. I’m not really sure. I could have just saved $6.50 and just seen the 2D version. In actuality, some of the 3D flying scenes made me kinda seasick, and this is from the guy who loved Cloverfield.
The best part of Clash of the Titans were the evocative settings and backdrops. Olympus, not so much, but a big unequivocal yes for the River Styx, the temple of Medusa, the sea port of Argos, the lush forests of indeterminate ancient Greece, the ominous storms in the background as young Perseus broods on the seas. I also dig that hundred-foot statue of Zeus. Though it didn’t move (on its own accord), it reminded me of that giant animated warrior statue from Jason and the Argonauts.
I know I’m reading too much into the movie with this point, but let me just say, the movie was so … anti-god, I guess, for lack of a better word. Every major character, Perseus included, made it crystal clear to us that he was against the gods. Damn the gods, and the gods be damned! “The Age of Man has arrived,” cried out one king. Sounds like 21st century America, I thought. With the death of gods (God) proclaimed every five or ten minutes on screen, with man the measure of all things, with strength and valor and skill with a sword (or feminine beauty) the markers of power and good life in this world, one thought kept popping into my mind: This is Nietzsche’s World. A world populated by his supermen, living by his anti-values. I know Nietzsche was an admirer of ancient Greek ideals, and this movie is a sixth-grade boy’s interpretation of such ideals. Just a thought, and I know it was probably unintentional on the part of the filmmakers.
Anyway, a mixed bag, but a fun outing and an enjoyable experience if you keep in mind what it is you’re watching. I grade it a solid B.
Nicely written
ReplyDeleteI think you were a little harsh on the movie... it was a good action flick. I liked the special effects
The plot was some what easy to understand... don't forget they went to see the witches so they could tell him how to defeat the Krakken.
Steve
To clarify, the movie did accomplish what it set out to do - be an over-the-top, special effects-driven epic action flick.
ReplyDeleteI did grade it a B. All things considered, that aint bad.