An entertaining fare for the weekend

Rating: 5/10 (2 April 2010)

When I first saw the previews for Clash, I wasn't terribly thrilled. I never saw the original, and don't have much interest in seeing it. Neither have I been too big into Greek mythology. While I always found it kind of fun and exciting, it's nothing I rush out to see. So, Clash seemed like the kind of film I would see if nothing better to do. Suffice to say, the trailers didn't exhibit a whole lot of excitement. But, fueled by a recent play of God of War III and some 300-style excitement thanks to Sparticus: Blood and Sand, my interest was more so peaked. And sure enough, Clash delivers about what you'd expect: a fairly entertaining affair that probably won't be remember far beyond the theater.
The film doesn't waste much time with mythology lessons. It explains, very briefly, that the children of the Titans, the Greek gods headed by Zeus, used a powerful creature, The Kraken, to kill their parents. But much of the film is a tale about half man, half god Perseus who sets off to defeat the mighty beast, whom Hades is trying to use to bring down Zeus and steal his thrown. And, pretty much the entire film is driven by it's action scenes, with some fairly epic battles, most notably against giant scorpions and Medusa (the Medusa battle was particularly fun).
Most actors do a wonderful job in their respective roles, with Liam Neeson playing Zeus, Ralph Fiennes mimicking his Voldemort role as Hades, and favorite new action hero Sam Worthington as Perseus. The lovely Gemma Arterton, an up and coming actress who can next be seen in Prince of Persia, also does a fine job as aid to Perseus, Io, although her role seems a bit wooden. The three aforementioned actors though are the most entertaining, with Fiennes' Hades and Neeson's Zeus demonstrating a good bit of their acing finesse. Worthington proves once again that he is an excellent action hero, with him being the new reluctant hero for our time. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel as if his typecasting might wear thin. Having to watch Sam do another role like this might be it for me. But for this film, it's suitable.
The action is the primary reason to see this, and it is quite exciting. It's nothing that makes you go wow, but it is quite entertaining. There's enough interesting Greek mythology here for a good time at the theater and it's certainly not a waste of time. Unfortunately, that missing wow factor hinders the film. I doubt that this will be remembered much outside the theater. The special effects never really present anything we haven't seen. Even the epic Kraken, which is given quite possibly the most epic introduction ever, isn't all you think it would be cracked up to be (no pun intended....on second thought....). Nothing really pops here, and that's a real shame. With all sorts of great Greek mythology to pull from, it could have even been possible to pull off something as epic as was played in God of War III. Or perhaps that's asking to much.
All in all, I can't complain too much. The film doesn't try to be much more than what it is. It also doesn't go much beyond one action scene after another. So, for what it was, I suppose I got what I expected. Which is nothing I can complain about at all. Better than being disappointed. Hopefully you enjoy the film as much, or even more, than I did.