“Clash of the Titans” may star Sam Worthington (of “Avatar”), but don’t expect the same sort of epic, visual spectacular.
In the film, mankind has grown restless with the gods’ cruelty and declares war against them. Hades (Ralph Fiennes) sees the situation as an opportunity to take revenge against his brother Zeus (Liam Neeson) for condemning him to rule the underworld. Hades proposes he be allowed to fight the humans, reasoning that when faced with death, mankind will be scared into submission and return to their prayers.
Instead, Hades grows stronger from the humans’ fear while the Olympian gods continue to become weak. Meanwhile, Perseus (Worthington), an orphan who is brought in by a family of fisherman, is planning his own revenge. His family’s boat is sunk when they get caught in the midst of a battle and Perseus is the only survivor. He vows to punish Hades for his loss, and soon learns that his true father is Zeus. Zeus sees that his demigod son may be the only one capable of defeating Hades and assists him on his quest.
Director Louis Leterrier’s remake of the classic tale is short on substance and lacks the epic flavor one would expect from a movie based on Greek mythology. It is surprising that the script is so flat and uninspiring considering that three screenwriters worked on the project.
Overall, the cast delivers performances that are good but not memorable. Worthington is unimpressive as Perseus, delivering the same “Avatar” Jake Sully character repackaged in ancient Greek garb.
The computer graphics are decent but feel a bit lackluster. Despite the movie’s shortcomings, though, it still manages to be entertaining. Maybe we all need some mindless entertainment once in a while.
“Clash of the Titans”
Rating: 2/4 stars
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Sam Worthginton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng and Gemma Arterton