Clash of the Titans (2010)

Rating: 6/10 (5 January 2012)

The original Clash of the Titans is a pretty campy piece of fun. It was behind the times, but the stop motion animation was incredible. The remake is a more serious and action packed romp. The story has been added to, but they should have cut some stuff. Calibos shows up a couple of times but is pretty pointless as Hades is the main villain. The film excels thanks to the reliable Mads Mikkelson, whom gives his character some depth and delivers his lines with absolute conviction. It's a film that should satisfy the action junkies. Each set-up is played out on massive sets and on location. Leterrier's greenscreen reduction allows the world to seem very real. Ironically, the film is just as patchy as the original in terms of effects. The Medusa scene almost ruined the entire film. It was too fast, forgetting to build tension, and eliminating characters to simplify the ending. As for the CGI in the Medusa scene, it was as textureless and terrible as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns. It's amazing that 29 years on, a film with advanced technology could fail to capture the terrifying simplicity of stop- motion. The Kracken did look fantastic, and the scorpions were so-so. You can really tell where the budget went. If only there'd been a bit less CGI and bit more character development.