Perseus and his mother were thrown into the sea and at the mercy of the Gods of Olympus by Acrisius (Jason Flemyng) who is enraged over the birth of the bastard son of Zeus (Liam Nesson), Perseus (Sam Worthington). Many years later, Perseus is now a fisherman like Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite), the man who found him as a baby along with his dead mother Danae, and while fishing with his family they see a group of soldiers from Argos destroying a statue of Zeus. Hades appears and quickly deals with the humans who dare to desecrate the figure of the God Zeus. Perseus and his family are struck by Hades, sinking the ship leaving Perseus alone as his family dies tragically under water. Perseus is taken to Argos by the surviving soldiers. Once in Argos, Perseus is taken to the king to find out about his fate. In the midst of the feast, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia compare themselves and their daughter to the gods. Hades in anger implores to Zeus to allow him to make the humans know what they have done. Hades interrupts the celebration and warns that Andromeda must be sacrificed to the mighty Kraken or else Argos will be destroyed in 10 days. Perseus is chosen to go on a task to find a way to save the princess and Argos as he is the son of Zeus. Along the way he must face some difficult adversaries and go to where no man has ever come back from.
As I heard of a possible remake for one of my favorite movies, Clash of the Titans (1981), I couldn’t help but to be excited. I had great hopes that maybe just maybe a studio would give it a good treatment and see a quality remake done. With Hollywood running out of fresh ideas and into “reboot” mode anything is possible. So Warner set out to find a director and when they announced Louis Leterrier, which in my opinions has great talent, I was happy with the choice. Then the announcements about the cast came and noticed that Sam Worthington and Liam Nesson were attached to the project to play Perseus and Zeus respectively. Boy was I happy and expectations grew larger. Months went by and it was time to see the movie I had waited so long for. After I saw the movie, I told myself that I had to think over what I had seen before making any rash comments.
I can’t help to compare this version of Clash of the Titans to the original 1981 version. Something was missing, somehow throughout the movie it didn’t quite felt like the original Clash of the Titans I grew up with. It wasn’t the same movie that I used to put into my VCR and watch over and over. The title was Clash of the Titans, but the heart, the feel and essence of it was gone. The film has been completely changed from its origins only a few key plot lines are kept sorely for those still attached to the original film. Sure, it’s understandable that in today’s world media and entertainment have to be able to appeal to a broader audience, a lot of the time at the expense of quality. I am not saying the 1981 version featured some incredible action, story, visuals, etc. all I am trying to get across is this remake feels like a completely new movie with Clash of the Titans slapped on the title.
With all the above being said, not everything about the film was negative. There are some very welcomed new elements to this remake. Clash of the Titans featured some nice visuals. It was nice to see some of the old elements back and upgraded. Familiar characters received a nice face lift like Medusa, Pegasus, and can’t forget the Kraken. This time the mythical beast was intimidating and beyond awesome. The way the gods and Olympus were reincarnated in this new remake was also impressive. I personally enjoyed some of these details as they so rightly deserved a makeover. The inclusion of Hades gives the viewer a bad guy to focus on. The fighting scenes were very entertaining. The character development wasn’t up to par. While some of the acting was decent the rest was mediocre. Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson make the noticeable mentions as they did a decent job. The comic relief wasn’t enough to even out some of the things that just didn’t work.
This film obviously was made for a greater audience and while new generation of viewers may enjoy this film those who have seen the original might not be too happy about the remake. I think the film production was great overall. Take Clash of the Titans for what it is, a popcorn film that is simply just that. Personally, I wish the monsters found within film had the same heart those found in the original.
The Clash of the Titans arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p VC-1 encode framed at 2.40:1. Clash of the Titans looks for the most part very good and I am glad to report that it’s been given a great treatment. Fine details look fantastic throughout and close up shots look good too. Colors are vibrant throughout the film with certain colors having much more pop than others. Reds and greens take over the screen whenever possible whether in the jungle or the capes of the soldiers. Various scenes look very nice with incredible clarity for example the fight with the giant scorpions in the desert looks very clean. Blacks are well reproduced throughout without any sign of crushing. Skin tones are very natural and lifelike. Sharpness is spot on and shadows are perfect. The CG is well done throughout that gives the film a much more believable feel. My only complaint is the smearing done particularly in the Olympus court of the gods. Not sure why the decision was made to do it. Moving on, there is some edge enhancement detected, but it’s not enough to be a complaint or eye sore. There are no other signs of video anomalies. Clash of the Titans looks excellent on Blu-ray.
The Clash of the Titans arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. Oh man if you thought the video was good wait until you hear the sound. Clash of Titans sounds phenomenal. Warner didn’t hold back for this one. The dialogue sounds clean and clear at all times including under the most intense action sequences. The rears are constantly used for support specially during sequences like the Medusa lair where the viewer will listen to the rattle and the creepy laughter in the background. The LFE is also used constantly offering great power during the action. You will feel the floor shake as the giant scorpions move around the sound stage. Everything is delivered with great clarity and quality. Overall, Clash of the Titans sounds excellent!
For a title of this caliber, Clash of the Titans features an excellent set of supplements including my personal favorite Maximum Movie Mode. There are plenty of extras to keep you entertained after the movie is over.
Maximum Movie Mode – Following the success of this great supplements, Louis Leterrier and his crew go over the film in this picture-in-picture supplement. There are various behind the scenes featurettes, interviews, stunts, sets, special effects, and more. Unlike other previous releases, this supplement has plenty of scenes that go without further exploration. However, this is a must watch for any film aficionado.
Sam Worthington: An Action Hero For The Ages – This features a look behind Sam Worthington’s training and everything that it takes to become Perseus.
Deleted Scenes – Various scenes displaying much more exchanges in between the gods.
Alternate Ending – A much different ending than what you see in the movie. Much better ending in my opinion.
Focus Points – A selection of different featurettes about the various things surrounding the production. These featurettes include “Wales: A Beautiful Scarred Landscape,” “Prepare for the Kraken!” “Bringing Medusa to Life,” “Tenerife: A Continent on an Island,” “Sam Worthington is Perseus,” “Enter the World of Hades,” “Zues: Father of Gods and Men,” “Calibos: The Man Behind the Monster,” “Scorpioch,” and “Actors and their Stunts.”
BD-Live Functionality
Digital Copy
Clash of the Titans is your typical popcorn film filled with lots of action to satisfy the majority of viewers. Personally, I feel it did not surpassed the original Clash of the Titans in terms of adventure, heart of each of its creatures, and story. But that’s just my take. There are things that Louis Leterrier makes work and there are others that simply do not work, but take it for what it is a good action flick. The Blu-ray offers great video and audio transfers and a good amount of supplements to enjoy after the movie is over. For those looking for a good popcorn film I recommend it.
The screen captures are only a small representation of what the Blu-ray looks like and are not representative of Blu-ray’s true quality.
