Clash of the Titans ** (2010, Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson) – Classic Movie Review 13,176

Louis Leterrier’s little admired, yet huge hit 2010 action fantasy film Clash of the Titans pointlessly remakes the much loved 1981 film Clash of the Titans.

Director Louis Leterrier’s 2010 action fantasy film Clash of the Titans pointlessly remakes the much loved 1981 film Clash of the Titans, It is mostly dull, plodding and mindless, with its high-powered cast below their best form, but, with brain in neutral, it can be seen as fairly sturdy and acceptable enough.

Its story retells the Greek myth of Perseus, played by Sam Worthington, who stars with Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Nicholas Hoult, Luke Treadaway, Pete Postlethwaite, Elizabeth McGovern and Liam Neeson,

It was set for standard release but then Warner Bros announced that it would be converted to 3D for its release on April 2, 2010. The studio pressured Leterrier to convert the film after the success of Avatar (2009), also with Sam Worthington. This proved a controversial decision, quality-wise. In 2013 Leterrier called the 3D conversion ‘famously rushed and famously horrible, a gimmick to steal money from the audience’.

The main weaknesses are the weak 3D conversion, the unfocused screenplay, the messy direction, and the one-note, over-heavy star performance, though even the action sequences and special effects are far from great. And, yes, sweet nostalgia for the original 1981 film Clash of the Titans sinks it. Does a film like this need to have substance and intelligence? Not really. Does it need to have style, visual magic and excitement? Yes definitely. Does it? Definitely not.

Nevertheless, it was a huge hit, grossing $493 million worldwide (against a big budget of $125 million) as one of the highest grossing films of 2010,

The screenplay is by Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, and Matt Manfredi, based on the 1981 screenplay by Beverley Cross.

A sequel, Wrath of the Titans, was released in March 2012.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,176

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