Ridiculously stone cold action flick---nothing more and nothing less...pure entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2010)

There is plenty to say about Clash of The Titans. Is it historically/mythologically accurate? Well who cares for one...I mean it never was set out to retell in accurate details the religious beliefs of ancient Greece and if you're going to see it for that then you need your head examined. Films like this especially were made for pure and utter entertainment. That means if they take liberties with familiar characters or legends they are simply trying to put a new spin on things instead of dragging out the same old bit. The story for Clash of The Titans exists but barely matters and is only a surface story because this film thrives on absolutely mind blowing special effects, brutal and impressive battles and red blooded male heroes. Under different circumstances this style of film could really belly up and turn out to be boring and over shot but instead this recipe works whole heartedly for this film. You will sit there and your jaw will drop at the incredible effects and battles which there are a few key moments in the film that are nothing short of stunning. I did not see this in 3D and don't particularly wish to mostly because I think the 3D for this film was forced in at the last minute and the special effects are amazing enough with cheap gimmickry.
A star has risen...Sam Worthington had an incredible 2009 having starred in Terminator 4, and of course the biggest film of all time Avatar. And now 2010 gets kicked off with the first really big flick of the mid-Season blockbusters. I don't find Worthington is really star status...yet. I don't dislike him I just find him a little dull sometimes. He has an intensity about him but its a quite intensity, and not quiet like Bruce Willis but truly under the radar and that could hurt him. Still he leads the cast well and pulls off the underdog hero very well. Rising as a Hollywood legend Liam Neeson plays the god amongst gods Zeus. Its not a huge role but he definitely commands screen presence and instantly ups the ante on the cast. He is terrific. Ralph Fiennes is brilliant as Hades. He does an amazing job and the only thing I can say about the role is that I wish there was more to it and I wish there was more scenes between him and Neeson as enemies and brothers at odds. He is a terrific villain but sadly underused. Alexa Davalos is lovely but mostly a third tier character with little depth to her. The supporting cast that is Worthington's small army are terrific but mostly undeveloped characters meant to support only.
Director Louis Leterrier is becoming a force in Hollywood. He did nearly the same thing with The Incredible Hulk reboot in 2008...great special effects, decent story, all entertainment. However he did great action and a good story for Danny The Dog (his first film) which I greatly recommend. He was ideal for directing this. There were some definite mistakes in the film. First of all the most impressive creature, battle and special effect was the incredible build up and appearance of the Kraaken. The unfortunate part is how incredibly fast it is defeated and vanishes. You want to pause and rewind just to see the creature. They spent just a little bit too much time on the scorpion battles (as incredibly cool as they are) and not enough time on the final battles. Clash of The Titans could have been a Lord Of The Rings sized epic but instead they put it together for sheer entertainment at a reasonable length and cut out what would have made it story based. Unfortunate perhaps but the entertainment is non stop and you won't be disappointed but please don't see this with expectations of mythologically enhanced story. 8.5/10