Mildly amusing at best.

Rating: 6/10 (30 August 2017)

This modern day remake of the 1981 fantasy favorite is at least somewhat faithful to its storyline. It spins a yarn based on Greek mythology, when mankind is sick and tired of the tyranny of gods such as all-powerful Zeus (who else but Liam Neeson). Perseus (stone faced Aussie hunk Sam Worthington) is the young hero of the piece, sired by Zeus with a mortal woman. Perseus actually has no desire to live the life of a god, but finds himself drawn into a quest. He and others will journey to the land of the Stygian witches to learn how the monstrous Kraken can possibly be destroyed. At stake is the land of Argos.
From the beginning, it appeared to this viewer that the main reason this movie existed was to swap the charming stop motion animation of legendary special effects man Ray Harryhausen for cutting edge CGI. It's more of a grandiose technical achievement than a story well told, really. Director Louis Leterrier rarely gives us a chance to breathe. Granted, some of the action set pieces are intense, but they also tend to be incoherent at times. The digital effects are variable: the scorpions are pretty cool, but the Kraken, quite frankly, is a washout despite the attempts to convey its immense size. The venture into Medusas' lair should have been a better set piece, but she doesn't come off all that well either. And it's much too bad that Pegasus (referred to here as "the" Pegasus) has such a small role to play. The taming of this winged horse was a much more substantial sequence in the original movie. Impressive location shooting (in such places as Ethiopia and the Canary Islands) and thunderous music by Ramin Djawadi can't do a lot to make this version stand out in any way.
Like the visual effects, acting is variable from the usually excellent international cast. "Clash of the Titans" 2010 can boast such players as Jason Flemyng, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikkelsen, Izabella Miko, Liam Cunningham, Nicholas Hoult, Polly Walker, Pete Postlethwaite, Elizabeth McGovern, Alexander Siddig, and Danny Huston. Most of the cast isn't given that much to work with, but the beautiful Gemma Arterton, and a heavily made up Ralph Fiennes, offer standout performances. She plays the wise guiding spirit in Perseus' life, while he plays the vengeful antagonist of the piece: Hades, dark lord of the underworld.
Overall, this is passable entertainment, but it's also awfully forgettable.
Look for a cameo from one of the Harryhausen creations of 1981.
Six out of 10.