Louis Leterrier's CLASH OF THE TITANS

A movie review by Dennis D.McDonald

I enjoyed this movie but it could have been better had more attention been devoted to character and story. In some ways it reminded me of Prince of Persia and that beautiful-but-dull movie’s lack of serious drama.

What Clash of the Titans does have going for it is Greek mythology. I’m a sucker for stories about gods, human heroes, and how the two depend on each other. Add some spectacular visual elements — Medusa’s cave, giant scorpions, Fates, Harpies, and flying horses — and you have some real visual entertainment. 

It’s not all positive, though. Views of Olympus are lackluster. If you want to see what a real “hall of the gods” looks like you’re better off with Thor; better still, check out the opening Krypton sequence in 1978’s Superman.

Also, the dramatic interest and characterization, once you get past the opening sequences of Perseus’ back story, are thin. Where James Cameron in Avatar was able to build interesting human and alien characters against the massive splendor of Pandora, Clash’s characters are dull and underdeveloped despite the presence of top-notch acting talent.

But there is enough going on here to entertain and the 2D image coming off a standard DVD is bright and clear. It’s a lovely film to look at with actions sequences that really deliver the goods. The Medusa sequence and the giant scorpions, in my opinion, are more than worth the price of admission. (I hear there’s going to be a sequel.)

Text copyright (c) 2011 by Dennis D. McDonald