The Clash is unmemorable but too fun to ignore

Rating: 7/10 (11 April 2010)

During the era of divine defiance, a man named Perseus is forced to see his family killed under Hades' hands. He vows to kill him and stop his evil from spreading onto the worlds of Man and God. The plot is as paper-thin as can be and provided opportunities for big action, sounds fun for an adrenaline-fueled director but not the audience during their sit-through. As for me, it was entertaining as hell but sure is forgettable by the next morning.
ACTING: Sam Worthington is certainly capable of showing rage alongside with being tough and all bad-ass, which is something you only see in 1/3 of Avatar. However, there is a sequence where he absolutely does not show how Perseus is tormented by his childhood or torn at the incident that fuels his revenge. This is the same when at Medusa's Lair where he has to face the losses of characters quite close to him. In the end, what we have here is a character so "stone" that he seems more artificial than realistic, or in this case, more God than Man. Thankfully, he seems more versatile now rather than when he was Marcus 'Mechanical' Wright in Terminator Salvation. But then again, he has room to improve. Being Io, Gemma Arterton is under jeopardy the most as story-wise she is unnecessary to say the least and her accent is a bit of a turn-off (remember QoS?). Gladly, she proves that she is one tough shell when directly in the fight with Perseus and that accent only adds to her alluring exoticness. Her chemistry with Sam albeit not solid on any level but you can sense some light relationship tension between the two, which is good enough considering the movie is not about developed characters. The supporting cast is full of familiar faces, but they are heavily underused or written. It is so sad to see Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes are so expendable for a story about Greek mythology (where is Poseidon?!). And don't get me started on Alexa Davalos and Mads Mikkelsen. In short, the characters are really put to where they are in this film - that is, if you are a main one, you are put to the highest spot and the opposite otherwise.
SCRIPT: Like I said, people will be easily put-off by the too straightforward of a story that 'Clash' has. Even more, the dialog twists the common knowledge on Greek mythology just to give sense to the plot e.g. the Kraken does not attack near shore and it is not a creature that belongs to the Greek myth universe. The lines are sometimes quite good but most others they are just sub-par (probably due to the delivery?). Yet, in general they do not add more dimension to the character. The Gods are script mannequins, as they are just there to do nothing when expectations run high about seeing them. In reality, none of these issues are even bothered with since viewers are already so drenched in the ensuing chaos.
DIRECTION: Louis Letterier will always be to action-philic and hating story. Having seen him doing exactly so in The Incredible Hulk, in which the character literally (and visually) screams "destruction", this movie has the formula that he can effortlessly bind to. And it shows. The action sequences are huge, better choreographed than Hulk, consistently fantastic and perhaps more fit-to-context than the horrendous Transporter 2, where realism of automobile sequences is bent to madness. It was smart that after a CGI sequence, a shot of real-set scene is immediately followed and this helps in grounding the audience in believing the universe in 'Clash'. Very well done, I might say. As an action-first director, it is wise to beforehand expect some quick cut shots. However, in my opinion, they will not be as hurtful as Bourne series that many seem to complain.
MUSIC: While the music is more along the lines of John Powell or Harry- Gregson Williams for 'Clash', that does not mean Ramin Djawadi will not put a hint of rock in the score, which is what he did so well in Iron Man. It amps things up to an extent and serves the situation properly. Most notable is the score for Hades, where Ramin employs a typical repetitive tune that just oozes homage to the antagonists of cinema. Oh, the nostalgia! In short, Ramin Djawadi's take on Greek myth is perhaps a bit more techno than what we should expect but he does it with absolute flair that to not love is just impossible.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: I'll be short with this one since you have to see how amazing it is for yourself. There obviously are plenty of swooping angles and wide shots that display the grandeur of the locations. Interestingly included in the combo is decent hand-held camera-work in fight scenes that greatly enhances the battle's intensity and makes the effects believable. Lens flares are used, making the images lively and "not sterile", as J.J. Abrams put it. In other words, Peter Menzies Jr. is just an awesome cinematographer.
VISUAL PRODUCTION: Flying horses, a snake-head woman and a colossal octopus might seem far-fetched but the visual effects team makes you feel they are really there. The sets are detailed, gigantic and adaptive to the current mood of the plot. My only hitch I got is the scorpions, where their movements are a bit iffy at times and their close-up shots display some hazy effects build. Besides that, can I get a "WOW" for it?
'Clash' is the very definition of style over substance. Greek myth has a huge effect on viewers but it was left to dust for this one, making this ride unmemorable but too fun to ignore. See it for what it is: a popcorn flick (and in 2D is enough).
From Vietnam, Denisvn93-1