DVD on a rainy Sunday night is more like it. I wonder what Ray H thinks?

Rating: 6/10 (4 April 2010)

Saw this last night and as I sat in my seat waiting for the movie to finish. I struggled to think how I was going to write this review. Now that 12 hours have passed, here's my review.
Most of you know Clash of Titans is a remake of the 1981 version, directed by Desmond Davis. This version directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, Incredible Hulk, Unleashed) is not a patch on the original. The story is simple. Actually I won't bother this time round, so I'll get straight into it. WHAT I LIKED: One thing I'll say about this movie is that the action scenes are well filmed. Leterrier does very well to capture muscular set pieces this film has. Two that come to mind are the fight against the giant scorpions and Medusa's Lair. You can see everything that's happening in every fight scene. It's a change to what we have seen recently from Michael Bay and Paul Greengrass. Special/visual effects are good in some places, choppy in others. Scorpions good at times, not so at other times. The decision to make Medusa CGI pays off, having her look even scarier than the original. Film ran at a steady pace and didn't drag in areas. Performances in my opinion were half and half. Take Sam Worthington's role for example. Out of all the demi gods from Greek mythology (Hercules, Achilles), Perseus is ordinary. I think Sam Worthington did well playing Perseus, really bringing some humanity to the role. As an action hero he's quite believable. Liam Neeson was OK, as was Gemma Arterton (eye candy) and Jason Flemyng. Other supporting cast members put in a good shift. The always reliable Liam Cunnigham (The Hunger) was good and more or less had the best lines. Mads Mikklesen (Casino Royale) and Skins actor Nicholas Hoult were also good in their roles. Ralph Fiennes however, was brilliant as Hades. And literally stole very scene he was in. This is the same guy who plays Lord Voldermort in the Harry Potter series. So he felt right at home playing the bad guy. I felt he did a great job. Special mention to Pete Postlethwaite whose brilliant in everything he does.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Dialogue/script were awful. But despite this, the actors do well with what they were given. There were some really cringeworthy scenes involving Perseus, consistently going on about what a great man he's adopted father was. And also before going into Medusa's Liar, how proud he was of the guys who had come with him on this journey. Didn't need to hear that, sometimes actions speak louder than words. The first movie was darker with a lot more tension and had reputable actors such as Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith who acted as if they were Gods, which made the film memorable. There were far too many jokes in this version, so you cared little for which characters live and which ones die. The Kraken had short screen time but was impressive none the less. And as a whole, the film fails to deliver in 3D. Why they released this in 3D is beyond me? A lot of the scenes did not require the wearing of polarised sunglasses. More of a hindrance than they were an enjoyment.
All in all, Clash of Titans is worth the release, but you'll be disappointed. Like a lot of movies that were released around this time. Great trailer, OK movie. DVD on a rainy Sunday night is more like it.