CLASH OF THE TITANS
(PG-13)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Demigod Perseus is orphaned from his adoptive family when Hades attacks a group of sacrilegious soldiers. He ends up in Argos where the king and queen are smiting the gods. Hades appears in Argos and says he will destroy the city if they do not sacrifice their daughter. Reluctantly, Perseus joins with the soldiers of Argos in search of Medusa’s head, which will allow him to defeat the mighty Kraken.
WHAT I LIKED
Unlike many critics this past spring, I was not a hater of this movie. In fact, I kinda liked it… conversion 3D and all. This comes from the fact that I was only nine when the original film came out. I have a lot of love for the Harry Hamlin version of “Clash of the Titans,” but I do realize that this is not the same movie.
The characters aren’t nearly as charming, but the special effects were wicked-cool, specifically the Kraken climax and the awesome scorpion battle in the middle of the movie. It’s a hell of a thrill ride to watch, and I had a ball watching these creatures really come to full resolution life on the screen. Sure, there’s a charm in the old stop-motion film, but this is easily made for a modern audience.
Also, this film looks fantastic on Blu-ray, arguably better than what we saw in the theaters. And it’s not just the 3D that made it look off. The color is newly balanced, dropping the sepia-toned look from the theater and giving us a more realistic color scheme.
Oh, and that Gemma Arterton is cute as a button. Now if she could just make a movie where she’s not in flowing robes all the time.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ll admit there are plenty of plot and pacing issues. You never really get to know the characters, and while Sam Worthington has been in three huge movies in as little as a year (“Terminator: Salvation,” “Avatar” and “Clash of the Titans”), I just don’t think he’s that compelling of an actor. His star will fade out soon, unless he’s able to do a career turn-around the likes of James Franco.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Like many of the Warner Bros. big releases, “Clash of the Titans” is packed with special features, including a spotlight on Sam Worthington, an alternate ending and deleted scenes. There’s also the pretty nifty picture-in-picture Maximum Movie Mode which includes enhanced scene breakdowns, enhanced VFX breakdowns, interviews, stuntwork, filming location and many other embedded content throughout the flick.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Action movie fans who don’t mind a CGI-heavy update of the 1981 stop-motion flick.