Clash of the Titans

Though it clearly won’t make any critic’s top ten list this year, there is no doubt that “Clash of the Titans” is an entertaining film. The pace of the action, dazzling special effects, and hokey one-liners rarely lets up.  But though the audience may enjoy the film as it unfolds, the quality of this unabashedly derivative movie itself is definitely less than godly.

As with many Greek tales, “Clash of the Titans” begins with the hubris of a great king.  The king of the city-state of Argos (which looks remarkably similar to Minas Tirith of the “Lord of the Rings” films) decides to wage war on the gods by destroying a statue of Zeus and issuing a city-wide prayer strike.  After he is convinced by a resentful Hades (Ralph Fiennes), Zeus (Liam Neeson), decked out in his fabulous glitter suit, orders the destruction of Argos and the massacre of its citizens as a deterrent to other mortals who may plan to cook their rabbits instead of sacrificing them.

Meanwhile, a young, handsome, and, of course, muscular Perseus (Sam Worthington) is taken to Argos after his adoptive family is killed by Hades.  The film continues as a quest tale as Perseus travels to defeat various demons, monsters, and mythical creatures accompanied by his team of rag-tag misfits, including four soldiers either too young or too old to fight, two wacky ethnic hunters, a magical man made of living tree bark, and a mysterious immortal who has watched Perseus since birth.

Despite its slight basis on a mythological story, the film borrows heavily from other recent movies of the fantasy adventure genre.  Io (Gemma Arterton), the mystical advisor and lover of the movie’s protagonist, is—in both characterization and appearance—greatly reminiscent of Lady Arwen of “Lord of the Rings” fame.  She speaks in a delicate yet powerful voice, she is immortal, and she maintains an ethereal poise and beauty even while being chased by giant scorpions.

It is often easy to forget which movie is being watched.  The visual look of the demons and monsters also seem borrowed from other films.  Hades’ flying minions look like the death eaters from “Harry Potter,” the former king of Argos (Perseus’ third dad) evokes the image of Ephialties in “300,” and the steed-like giant scorpions are perhaps too similar in purpose to the elephants in “Return of the Kings.”

The rest of the characters function more as  shallow types rather than direct appropriations. Worthington, (whose semi-human characters in “Avatar” and the abysmal “Teminator Salvation” are remarkably similar to that of Perseus), plays the inexperienced, yet brave and naturally talented “chosen one” struggling internally to balance idealism and principle with his desire to save humanity.  Determined to avenge his father’s death at the hands of the gods, Perseus needs to decide whether or not to use the gifts of his true father, Zeus, which include a flying horse, a gold coin, and a light saber. (Yes, an Ancient Greek light saber.)

The most frustrating part of the movie is the sheer number of major characters.  It is difficult to develop 15 personalities in less than two hours, especially when those hours are chock-full of fabulous shining armor and giant scorpions.  Often a supposedly major character will have an epiphany, only to be killed three minutes later.

The most frustrating character is Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos).  The beginning of the movie suggests that that she will be a major player as the events of the story unfold.  And yet Andromeda is essentially forgotten until the end of the movie when Perseus returns to Argos to save her.  The film could have been improved if characters such as the princess, one or two of the Argonese soldiers, and Perseus’ third dad were simply removed.

The dialogue in “Clash of the Titans” simultaneously makes up the worst and most entertaining parts of the film.  With gems such as, “You’re not just part man and part god, you’re the best of both,” and “We live, we fight, we die for each other,” one cannot keep from being entertained.

Despite the film’s derivative script, the special effects are simply suburb.  The title sequence of the film is a dazzling sequence of mythological imagery that makes the cost of watching the film in 3D justified (though the rest of film is probably just as good in 2D).  The kraken and the giant scorpions were also fun to watch and the computer graphics were seamless interwoven with the actors’ interactions.  Medusa stands out as a particularly stunning and realistic computer-generated character.  Her movements and incredibly seamless facial expressions completely put a very interesting spin on the famous mythological archetype.

Despite the bad dialogue, the clichéd characters, and the random tree-man with a grenade-like blue heart, “Clash of the Titans” is generally worth seeing.  The film is fun and entertaining, both intentionally and unintentionally.  Just don’t watch the film hoping to be awed by anything other than the special effects.