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The original Clash of the Titans is no cinematic masterpiece, but it is an enjoyable matinee-styled romp through Greek mythology replete with some of the greatest creations of Ray Harryhausen’s estimable career. This remake turns everything up to eleven as a starting point and seems rolled off the same semitruck that delivers Michael Bay’s bloated, imbecilic blockbusters. Despite knowing the story from a childhood spent watching Harryhausen films and reading mythology, I struggle to remember much about this version of the story.
Remember that brief moment post-Avatar when Sam Worthington was being foisted as a new leading man? Thank god that’s over as he has an anti-charisma and blandness that renders a hole in the center of the film. The entire cast has accent work that’s all over the map, but they’re at least playing up the material as high-camp and giving some semblance of energy to the proceedings. Not Worthington who is an unbelievably lazy actor that manages to make a high-energy action spectacular an endurance test in watching paint dry.
For all the scenery chewing of Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Mads Mikkelson, and the frenetic battles between the humans and various monstrosities (Medusa comes out the best even if that heavy metal score is laughable) are a lot of fun, but Clash of the Titans is a generic mess. A misfire of gorgon-like blockbuster super-movie clichés, I doubt this one will be as fondly remember as the original.
