Review : Clash of the Titans

Release the Kraken



Louis Leterrier's remake of Clash of the Titans, the 1981 cult favorite that fused Greek mythology with sci-fi theatrics, is a grand experiment in the ancient art of alchemy, a big-budget attempt to spin fanboy nostalgia for a 30-year-old novelty into contemporary box-office gold. The main ingredients in this ambitious concoction are a potent arsenal of CGI weaponry and the star of the biggest movie ever, Sam Worthington, who inherits Harry Hamlin's role as the heroic Perseus. But it's what's missing from the formula that ultimately dooms this remake.



After an awkward half-hour or so as it struggles toward a visual style to represent the world of Greek mythology, "Clash of the Titans" kicks into action with a battle between human warriors and a giant scorpion. Then it's off to the races as our hero, Perseus ("Avatar's" Sam Worthington), must vanquish increasingly lethal monsters in a quest to rid humankind of the cruel and mettlesome gods who would rule man for all eternity.

Solid teamwork by a host of digital animators, special effects personnel, art directors, hair, makeup and prosthetic designers and game and athletic actors make "Clash" a popcorn movie that reaches back to the fantasy epics of old and forward into the digital future, where the word "unimaginable" no longer exists.



Warner Bros. should reap a worldwide whirlwind of boxoffice lucre with this fanciful adventure. The major drawback, especially now, when 3D is all the rage, is its feeble effort in that department. Added as an afterthought in postproduction, the 3D barely registers. Few moviegoers will think it's worth the extra bucks.



Clash of the Titans redux mimics the original film's epic ethos and preference for spectacle over all else, but its storyline differs dramatically. Perseus is still the half-breed product of a one-night stand between the god Zeus and a human hottie, and he still must to defeat the monstrous Kraken in order to save the lovely Princess Andromeda. Almost everything in between, however, has been altered - and not necessarily for the better.











It's a pity the idea didn't occur in preproduction, as the opportunities for real 3D excitement exist in virtually every frame. The film's mythological world has rugged scenery -- shot in Tenerife (a resort island off the coast of Africa), Wales and Ethiopia -- and otherworldly battles between men and beasts that fill the screen with a mosaic of unbridled action.



Perseus' dilemma, unknown to him until the action begins, is that he is the mortal son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), king of the gods. Raised by humans, he insists he belongs with them, but he will need godlike powers to rescue humanity in a dual clash between gods and men and between Zeus and his vengeful brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), god of the underworld.



The story sends Perseus on a quest to save Argos, the cradle of civilization, and Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), whose sacrifice might quell the wrath of the gods, angered by the independence the humans, which they created, exhibit toward their masters.



Escorted by a small fighting force lead by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), Perseus must travel and confront a king-turned-hideous slayer (Jason Flemyng), the rampaging scorpion, the half-human, half-snake Medusa and finally the most feared monster of all, the Kraken.



It's certainly not easy being a demi-god. At least by his side he has a spiritual guide and guardian angel, Io (Gemma Arterton), who looks like she'd make a hot date if things ever settled down.



The film is least successful translating Mount Olympus and the council of the gods to the screen. It looks more like something one might encounter in Las Vegas with its fake Greek pillars and campy atmosphere. Indeed, Neeson's Zeus is outfitted in gleaming armor that shines worse than one of Liberace's jackets.



When Zeus -- or for that matter any character, man or god -- lands on earth, things are more photorealistic, so the camp factor diminishes. The digital creations are marvels, and French-born director Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk") pulls all the visual elements together in creating a dark though credible mythological world.



The original "Clash of the Titans" (1981) was a last hurrah for Ray Harryhausen, the stop-motion king of such 1950s, '60s and '70s movie extravaganzas as "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," "Jason and the Argonauts" and "One Million Years B.C." Sadly, his preeminence in stop-motion animation and creation of wondrous monsters was by then eclipsed by filmmakers who had fallen under his thrall as youngsters, most notably George Lucas, whose "Star Wars" films made Harryhausen's special effects and grainy matte plates look outdated.



Although he paid a kind of homage in "Clash" to the new visual masters by inserting a mechanical owl that replicated the role of R2-D2, Harryhausen never made another feature. All this is briefly referenced in the new "Clash" with a winking line that occurs when the warriors are packing for their journey. A soldier pulls out a mechanical owl and asks what to do with it. "Leave it behind," he is told. Indeed, the Harryhausen world of movie magic has been left behind long ago by today's remarkable digital artists.

Opens: Friday, April 2 (Warner Bros.)

Production: Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Legendary Pictures a Thunder Road Film/Zanuck Co. production

Cast: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Jason Flemyng, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson

Director: Louis Leterrier

Screenwriter: Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi

Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Kevin De La Noy

Executive producers: Richard D. Zanuck, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, William Fay

Director of photography: Peter Menzies Jr.

Production designer: Martin Laing

Music: Ramin Djawadi

Costume designer: Lindy Hemming

Special effects supervisor: Nick Davis

Special effects/animatronics supervisor: Neil Corbould

Editors: Martin Walsh, Vincent Tabaillon

Rated PG-13, 106 minutes

Reference: http://comingsoon-boxoffice.blogspot.com/2010/04/this-film-is-relaese-in-2010.html

CLASH OF THE TITANS

A Review of James F. Simon's What Kind of Nation: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall And The Epic Struggle to Create a United States (2006)



Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall were two of the most important men in our nation's history. They both served in the American Revolution, Jefferson more famously as the author of the Declaration of Independence and as diplomat, and Marshall as a junior officer in George Washington's army. Their careers, however, would intersect when they both reached their pinnacle. Thomas Jefferson as President of the United States and John Marshall as the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The battles between the Jefferson Administration and the Marshall Court were critical in shaping the government that we know today. In his work, What Kind of Nation, Simon describes these battles and recreates the world from which they had been fought.



Since Jefferson in this stage of his life, his political career from the 1770s onward, is better known even amongst us plain general knowledge historians, I found some of his descriptions on Marshall's career far more interesting. George Washington's recruitment of him as a congressional candidate, during a visit to Mount Vernon, with the former president's nephew Bushrod, is one such adventure.

"Over the next four days, Washington flattered, cajoled, and entreated both men to agree to become candidates for Congress. Bushrod could not, and did not, refuse his esteemed uncle. Bust Marshall balked, even when Washington arrange another festive banquet in his honor in nearby Alexandria. He must make good on his debt, Marshall told Washington, and a seat in Congress would not allow him to do so. Finally, on the fourth day, Marshall decided to leave before sunrise to avoid another confrontation with his mentor. But Washington, anticipating his guest's early departure, greeted him on the piazza-in full military uniform-and made a last plea to Marshall." p.68

Marshall would not serve in Congress long. President Adams makes him the country's new Secretary of State, after getting rid of his previous Hamilton-dominated Cabinet officers. After Adams stunning defeat to his own vice president, Thomas Jefferson, in the election of 1800, Adams begins to stuff the court with Federalist judges, appointing his own Secretary of State, Mr. Marshall, to the top job.



This sets the stage for the great battles that take place between the two American icons. The most famous of these is without a doubt, Marbury vs. Madison. The circumstances for this are very odd, and Simon points out in his book there were many reasons that the Chief Justice could have abstained from the case. Marshall was the Secretary of State whose commissions his predecessor refused to deliver. However, he carefully danced around those issues and gave the most important decision ever. He did not rule against the Jefferson Administration, in fact, they received what they originally asked for. He also ruled a part of the law, the part that gave the Supreme Court more power no less, unconstitutional.

"But although Marshall had satisfied the Republicans' short-term interests by rejecting Marbury's claim, he had purchased an enormous piece of constitutional real estate for the Court. Marbury v. Madison established the Court's authority to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional, a power that would prove to be of historic significance in securing the institution's parity with Congress. Marshall's opinion also served notice that the Court, not the president, would be the ultimate judge of claims or executive privilege, an authority of seismic proportions." p.187

Political battles raged the removal of justices sought through the method of impeachment, once successfully with John Pickering, once unsuccessfully with Samuel Chase. Ironically, the presiding officer of the impeachment trials was outgoing Vice President Aaron Burr who Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republican Party had dumped in favor of George Clinton. The vice president had just been just been acquitted in a murder trial over the death of Alexander Hamilton*. Simon describes a Vice President Burr who is eager to have on grandee final on the stage of American politics, and give Thomas Jefferson more fits**.



A few years after his tenure as vice president, Burr is on trial himself for alleged treason to the country, the judge in his trial was none other than Chief Justice John Marshall who was riding circuit as Supreme Court justices did in Marshall's time***. Simon tells this story in stunning detail and great analysis.

"The Burr prosecution produced an ironic reversal of roles for Jefferson and Marshall. The president, author of the Declaration of Independence and a supporter of many of the individual rights contained in the Bill of Rights, pursued Burr and his associates with a vengeance that ignored basic civil liberties. The chief justice, whose major libertarian concern was the protection of private property, became the vigilant defender of criminal suspects' constitutional rights." p.258

In his battles with Alexander Hamilton, one can conclude that Thomas Jefferson won in life and fame but Alexander Hamilton ended up with the nation that he, not Jefferson, wanted. With John Marshall, Jefferson is still more famous nationally and internationally, but Marshall's career as chief justice surpassed Jefferson's presidency by twenty-six years and his life by nine; in addition, it was Marshall's view on the Constitution that prevailed, not Jefferson's. With a brilliant narrative, James Simon brings these epic legal battles from the past back to life.



*Burr had killed Hamilton in a now famous duel, but the jury ruled it was a 'fair fight' and he was not guilty of murder.



**As if almost stealing the election of 1800 was not enough.



***This process ended in the early twentieth century.





{Video taken from PBS documentary The Supreme Court}

Reference: http://jeremyshistoryreviews.blogspot.com/2010/04/clash-of-titans.html

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Normally I'm all about 3D summer movies. I get sucked in by the trailers, set my expectations low, and walk out feeling satisfied after munching on a few pounds of popcorn. Well, I'd heard from every party that Clash of the Titans was absolutely the pits. But my good friend was celebrating a very important birthday and wanted to watch it because the original Clash was his favorite movie as a kid. I didn't mind because I'll watch anything with Greek mythology.



I'll save you the time and say that yes, the new Clash of the Titans is pretty terrible. Is it the worst movie I've seen so far this year? Probably not. Compared to Percy Jackson, to which I assigned the grade of "D," Clash is probably about comparable. There was no suspense or good action. If anything, there was anti-suspense. I found myself chuckling most of the way through and cheering only for Pegasus sightings. I like flying horses, don't you? Compared to the original the only aspect that was improved upon in this version was the visuals. The plot is weak, the acting is pathetic, and some of the lines are just terrible.



Yes, that is Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, not just Liam Neeson playing both Zeus and Hades. The receding hairline on poor Ralph is horrific by the way. I had a hard time taking the Lord of the Underworld seriously with that hair. I doubt you will be able to either.

Reference: http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2010/04/clash-of-titans-2010.html

Clash of the Titans

Sucks.



Wow, that was one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. The only reason I didn't leave and got anything out of it at all was due to the fact it was time alone (out, in public) with the wife sans baby, it was her birthday present to me, I liked the original as a child, and it was my first time seeing a movie in 3D.



The script was terrible, as was the plot - but that was true of the first film, too. The wife chortled half way through that the movie was an adolescent boy's (metaphorical, hyperbolic) wet dream - giant scorpions, sword fights, boats, kings, monsters, myth, etc. This is true, and I had a rather too extended period of infatuation with D&D, et al, so... Like D&D, they also threw in total non sequitors like jinn. Huh? "Hey, it's old and magically mysterious and cool, let's throw that in there, too. Any way to fit in the pyramids or the Celts, too? That stuff always sells."



If a movie is going to be that bad with production costs (and aspirations) that high, they should have really great special effects (Medusa was terrible, so, too, were the jinn and the gods' silvery outfits) and spring for some really, supremely, almost embarrassingly beautiful women - which they didn't. (If they had had one or two really hot European or Latin chicks I think they could have just squeaked it by as tolerable eye candy, but alas, all they had were the pretty girls from some West End production of something or other).



It also felt like the director had spent too much time in the theatre - a lot of the scenes may have worked on stage, but on film they were an odd combination of too little action and over the top, all at once. Whoever he was, he ain't no Peter Brook; this adaptation blew chunks. As for the actors, they really needed a few slightly unbalanced Grotowski and Lecoq devotees, heck, even a student of Michael Chekhov.



It was also sort of embarrassing to see Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson and Pete Postelthwaite in such dreck, but hey, Sir Laurence Olivier was in the first one along with Claire Bloom and Dame Maggie Smith. (Incidentally, I once did a master class with Claire Bloom on the performance of Shakespeare's sonnets; I received no corrections). I told the wife I thought the original Clash of the Titans might have been the last film Olivier made before he died; she said it probably killed him.



It may be a good renter, a good rainy Saturday afternoon on TV movie to drowse in and out to, and maybe (?!) a good movie to see in the theatre if you're looking for a completely brainless thing to do.



But, wow, what a crappy, crap-house, super crap-o-la movie. I'm a little embarrassed I saw it , in public, and paid Manhattan prices to do so. Ouch.

Reference: http://orrologion.blogspot.com/2010/04/clash-of-titans.html

Clash of the Titans *1/2

Director: Louis Leterrier

Cast: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen

Jason Flemyng, Polly Walker, Hans Matheson, Luke Evans

Alexa Davalos, Nicolas Hoult, Danny Huston

Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson



Imagine for one second that you're living in ancient Greece, with no television, internet or movies and all you have to entertain yourself are stories.

These stories of course won't tell you about mundane events but about things so fantastical that not only do they make your jaw drop to the floor but also serve as explanations of what's going on in the world around you.

Now before getting too deep into the concept of myth, imagine that centuries later you get these stories, but they are being told by someone who has great editing software, satisfying CGI but not an ounce of imagination.

This would sum up the experience of Clash of the Titans, a remake of the 1981 camp classic which tells of the struggles between men and deities in ancient times.

Sam Worthington (the go to guy for ordinary men-with killer calves-turned unexpected hero) plays Perseus, a demigod, son of Zeus (Neeson) and a mortal woman, who is chosen by the people of Argos to save them from the wrath of the Kraken.

The beast will be released by, god of the underworld, Hades (Fiennes) to teach humans not to defy the rulers of the Olympus.

Of course Hades has secret plans of his own (how could he not when played with such delicious wickedness by Fiennes?) and while Perseus has his adventures down below, the gods go through their own drama.

It should suffice to sum up the film's quality to say that you often might want more of the Olympian drama (probably owed to the quality of the actors playing them) than the struggles of Perseus who seems to fulfill cliché more often than prophecy.

Worthington lacks qualities to make his character interesting; when someone tells him that he has the "best of both worlds" they must be referring to sculpture and athleticism, because he lacks any inkling of humanity and doesn't have the grandiosity to be godlike. The other human characters fare equally, with princess Andromeda (Davalos) being little more than an ornament (while straying greatly from the myth and the original film) and the people Perseus encounters being nothing more than an assortment of great actors (Mikkelsen, Walker and Postlethwaite come to mind particularly) in tepid roles.

Perhaps the film's biggest flaw is in fact its constant ability to underwhelm. With or without added visual dimensions the film never transports you to another place. Visuals for this kind of movie should feel mythical, the ones here are yet another version of what was done in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and 300 to greater effect.

Action sequences are done in the recurrent style of making as many cuts as you can, which never gives us time to grasp the unique aspects of the creatures Perseus fights and every moment that promises excitement is minimized by the director's tendency to make everything seem rushed and easy.

How can a story of its kind be passed on to others when there is no sense of heroism or any special qualities to it?

In the end Clash of the Titans sadly never seems able to comprehend what epic means.

Reference: http://movieskickassblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/clash-of-titans-12.html

OG Clash of the Titans desktop icons

Clash of the Titans desktop icons, including Bubo, designed by Anthony Piraino.



*Find more desktop icons here.



*Buy Clash of the Titans posters at eBay.

Reference: http://superpunch.blogspot.com/2010/04/og-clash-of-titans-desktop-icons.html

Watch Clash of the Titans Movie

Watch Clash of the Titans Movie


Starring:

Sam Worthington

Gemma Arterton

Alexa Davalos

Liam Neeson

Ralph Fiennes



Clash of the Titans Synopsis:

In "Clash of the Titans," the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny. Watch Clash of the Titans Movie Online.

Reference: http://linkmoko.blogspot.com/2010/04/watch-clash-of-titans-movie.html