Rating: 
Summary: One of Ray Harryhausen's best! A greek mythology classic.
Review: CLASH OF THE TITANS will always have a special place in my heart as one of those films that completely enthralled me as a kid. I must have seen this movie a good 5 times in the movie theater and couldn't wait to get my hands (finally!) on the DVD many years later.I've always been fascinated with Greek mythology and this film - along with the classic JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS - fed that fascination. I enjoyed it then as much as I enjoy it now, even with it's few faults. The story of Prince Perseus (Harry Hamlin) - as he embarks to fulfill his destiny and marry the Princess Adromeda - is filled with wonderful characters, great special effects (courtesy of genius Ray Harryhausen), great actors and an enjoyable plot. Perseus' path is strewn with danger (thanks to Thetis and her vengeful son Kalibos) as he faces the Stygian witches, Medusa (one of the most memorable and suspenseful scenes in movie history), Kalibos and the Kraken. Acting legends Laurence Olivier (Zeus), Maggie Smith (Thetis), Sian Philips (Cassiopeia)and Burgess Meredith (Ammon) provide ample star power to balance that of newcomer Hamlin and the lovely Judi Bowker (Andromeda). Also featured are Pegasus and Bo-bo (an owl the kids would enjoy). I've enjoyed watching this film over and over again and would highly recommend this Greekfeast to fans of action/adventure or Greek mythology. The cast is strong eventhough Burgess Meredith is often saddled with redundant comments like "a gift from the Gods!" Harry Hamlin and Judi Bowker shine as the hero and heroine. The special effects may appear a bit dated (this was made in 1981, when stop-motion animation still ruled the day) but Mr. Harryhausen never disappoints. I highly recommend this film and also suggest you check out the original JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (starring Kerwin Matthews and Kathryn Grant) - 2 more rousing fantasy adventure tales from Ray Harryhausen. And if you haven't yet seen any Ray Harryhausen films, now is your chance to see one. This man, after all, inspired two young men named Peter Jackson and George Lucas into film directing and special effects.
Rating:
Summary: Simply an excellent viewing experience
Review: "Clash of the Titans" is a movie which I'll never get tired of, no matter how many times I've seen it. It just has it all: a great story, adventure, romance, excitement, mythology, and countless other qualities which make it such an enjoyable film to watch over and over again. One thing that especially stands out about "Clash of the Titans" is the special effects. I don't care what anyone says, no multi-million dollar CGI special effect can ever be as cool as the stop-motion special effects used in this movie. Some might say that it's dated. Well perhaps it is, but they did such a great job in creating the monsters (especially Medusa) that one can only marvel at them. And the fact that this movie is over 20 years old makes it even more impressive. The DVD presentation isn't superb but it's definitely more than substantial. Image and sound quality have been improved quite a lot from the old video format. Bonus features are good but one can't help feeling that more could have been included, perhaps some deleted scenes. Still, this excellent movie finally being available on DVD is reason enough to be thrilled.
Rating:
Summary: Finally on dvd
Review: Clash of the Titans is one of the best
mythology/fantasy movie's to ever come
out of the 80's. It's got just about everything you want.
Action,drama,story telling,and some humor.
The creature's in this film are very cool. How can I forget Medusa.That's the part of
the movie that maybe scary to some of you.
You'll find out when you see Medusa. Even though this maybe a little old
of a movie but classic's never die. This is a must own for every mythology/
fantasy fan. Buy your dvd copy of this today.
Rating:
Summary: The Mythology Lover's Dream: An Epic Film
Review: It was 1981 when "Clash Of The Titans" premiered. Its claymation and special effects were the making of veteran "cinema-illusion" engineer Ray Harryhausen (Jason And The Argonauts, Earth Versus The Flying Saucer, and several 50's monster invasion films). It starred Harry Hamlin (from the 80's series L.A. law), Judi Boker, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Sian Phillips, Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress and Flora Robson. The subject of Greek myth had been projected into the film decades before - the Steve Reeves Hercules films and the forementioned Jason and the Argonauts come to mind. A generation of people grew up watching these myth-based fantasy films. On DVD, we have commentary by special effects master Ray Harryhausen recalling his long career and claiming that such directors as Steven Spieldberg, James Cameron and George Lucas were greatly influenced and inspired by these types of films. Harry Hamlin stars as Perseus, the son of Zeus by the married queen Danae. Zeus, furious that Danae and his son were punished by being cast into the sea in a coffin on order of the king of Argos, unleashes the Kraken to destroy the city. This scene is very impressive, particularily the flooding of the city and the fall of a large statue of the king. Laurence Olivier's Zeus is the best on record. He was quite older by this time but delivers a truly imperious, tyrannical and vainglorious king of the gods. Opposing him is Maggie Smith's Thetis, goddess of the sea who resented that her own son, Calabos, was cursed by being made into a gargoyle-like demon. Soon enough, Zeus sends Perseus on a quest to save Andromeda. The magic moments in this film, enhanced by a fine score and the art of Harryhausen, include: the destruction of Argos, the meeting of the gods, the taming of Pegasus the flying horse, the defeat of Medusa, the encounter with the Stygian Witches and the descent into the Underworld conducted by Death himself and the final defeat of the Kraken. The score is composed by Laurence Rosenthal. This is a must have for fans of fantasy and mythology. Surely, Joseph Campbell would have loved this type of film. It's the most modern (at least for its time) rendition of myth- surpassin even the 50's and 60's Greek myth films. The cast is superb, particularily because it has Laurence Olivier as a strong backbone as well as other British actors- Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith and a very old Flora Robson as one of the Stygian witches. Flora Robson had performed Queen Elizabeth in "The Sea Hawk" opposite Errol Flynn and was a renowned British actress. The epic tale is brought to life through vivid color and special effects which is the real strength of this film as well as characters who must behave "like gods".
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: This is my all time favorie Harryhausen film. The story and acting are good and the effects are amazing even today! I love the characters here and the creatures from the mythology we all love. This is a great addition to anyone who loves a good escape or a great fantasy adventure! The Dvd presented is pretty good as the digital transfer is good, not perfect but good and the film is in widescreen uncut and in its original form. An A in my book!
Rating: 
Summary: classic Harryhausen epic; finally on DVD
Review: I remember watching this film in awe and rapture the first time when I was at school, studying Greek mythology. This classic good-defeating-evil story is always a dizzying adventure from start to finish. CLASH OF THE TITANS tells the story of young Perseus (Harry Hamlin - TV's "L.A. Law"), the illegitimate son of the god Zeus (Laurence Olivier). Perseus discovers his ultimate destiny when he is mysteriously transported to the city of Joppa. There, he learns of the fair Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker), who is doomed to live her life challenging suitors with impossible riddles, given to her by the deformed Calibos. Perseus solves her riddle, and is about to marry her, when the angered patron goddess of Joppa, Thetis (Maggie Smith), denounces the union and orders that Andromeda be chained to the foot of the sacrificial stone in a month's time, to be fed to the last of the Titans, the Kraken. Perseus must find a way to defeat the Kraken, and sets off on a perilous quest to discover the answer... Gorgeous romantic-adventure. Laurence Rosenthal's score perfectly captures the mood of the movie. Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects look quite obvious in this new digital age, but serve their purpose wonderfully. Also starring Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress, Sian Phillips and Flora Robson. The DVD includes the featurette "A Conversation with Ray Harryhausen", "Map of Myths and Monsters" feature and the trailer. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).
Rating:
Summary: not for the new school kids
Review: its hard to say what a child born in the last ten years will think of this film. they'll probably laugh. and realistically unless you're a film student studying stop motion techniques im not sure any adult would enjoy it either. its target audience is children of the seventies who originally saw this film in the theaters as a youth. i am within this group and i love this film. for most 80's kids Clash of the Titans was the first film to convince us that greek mythology was as cool as Indiana Jones. granted, the film took some liberties with the history and added some characters that didnt exist but it was all done with good purpose. even in the 80's the film was really aimed at kids and only Ray Harryhausen's stop motion animation drew in the adults. the story was weak and the acting was passable but visually it was breathtaking even by today's standards.
Rating:
Summary: Perseus's quest
Review: Dispite what some people might say, "Clash of the Titans" is pretty close to the actual story of Perseus. He and his mother are abansdoned at his birth and are rerscued on an island. He grows up to be impossably handsome (he is Harry Hamlin, after all) and strong (well, not like Hercules). He then goes on all kinds of quests (relese Andramada from her sleep, find the Medusas's head, kill a Krackan or two, nothing special). He is assisted by the Argoes army captain, a poet (Burgess Merideth), and of course his father, Zeus. The acting isn't great, but that can be over looked. The effects aren't quiet "Star Wars" (which I believe this myth inspired) quality, but I like stop motion anyway. The story is just wonderful, it's not dark and sarcastic like many modern hero epics. This is streight forward characterization. I do like complicated stories like the next guy, but this is nice too. This is great for kids and kids at heart. One tiny complaint, I didn't like the owl, Bilbo, it was too R2-D2ish for me. Other wise it was perfect.
Rating: 
Summary: 21 Years; 6 months
Review: That's how long it took to get this Harryhausen classic on DVD, and that's how long I'd wager that the DVD production house took in "re-mastering it with an all-new digital transfer." Said transfer only serves to de-mystify the once-breathtaking visual effects sequences by forcing us to watch the stop-action creatures of old, delivered in frighteningly embarrassing crispness(only bringing their rubbery construction to the fore), being composited on to the live action segments that look like they are being viewed at a distance of 2 feet on a circa 1985 rear-projection television. The performances, once treasured, now seem terribly inept even by the immortal Laurence Olivier (who I suppose has an excuse given that he was terribly ill at the time of filming) and the usually wonderful Maggie Smith. Never being a fan of Hamlin, I will not belabour to address the shortcomings of his performance and instead relegate him to the patheon of strong-silent-type of action heroes, where he belongs. The lovely Judi Bowker, strangely absent from cinema after 1988, plays the innocent, distressed princess as well as can be expected (in stark contrast to said innocence was the bath scene which was something of a shock for one used to seeing it on network television.) The only truly memorable performance was given by Burgess Meredith, who it seems can deliver his "cantankerous old man" character in any time period. Perhaps my greatest exception with the DVD was the lack of interesting special features. A brief interview with Ray Harryhausen about the film most definitely does not constitute a special feature in my estimation. I would have loved to have seen some deleted scenes (if there was enough archive footage for deleted scenes for Casablanca, I know there was for Clash of the Titans), an extensive featurette about the evolution of the film, and most especially a cast commentary. The last would have been difficult I'm sure, but it still would have been nice. Despite all of this, there is some redeeming value in that it is an marginally entertaining and occasionally laughable outing into Greek mythology. If you're looking to get all of Harryhausen's work in your archive, buy the DVD. If you're looking to re-connect visually to your original experience of the movie, you'd better pass this up. Maybe a 25th anniversary edition with fix these problems, but I wouldn't hold my breath. -N
Rating:
Summary: Harryhausen's Swan Song
Review: Even before this movie was released in 1981, critics bashed it saying "stop motion is out". Stop motion is the technique by which a small model is moved a fraction of an inch, one frame at a time, photographed, and when the frames are run together, it appears as if the object is moving. Computers were helping animators move models and "Go motion" was born (it was used in 1982's Dragonslayer- resulting in very smooth animation).
Of course, the movie going public LOVED this film, making it a big hit, leading to a 1982 rerelease. I saw this movie in a theater at a 10pm show filled with adults, and the audience cheered, laughed and applauded during the credits. To this day, this remains a popular film.
Yet it also remains one people like to poke fun at. Arnold's LAST ACTION HERO has a scene where a teacher shows her class HAMLET, sarcasticly noting that Lawrence Olivier was in this movie before his "epic" CLASH OF THE TITANS. Joke if you must, but the animation scenes in this film rival any in stop motion history. Ray Bradbury picks the Medusa scene as Harryhausen's best.
Based on Greek mythology, the script is actually a love story: a hero tries to save his true love from adversity (in this case titanic monsters). The animation is integrated well into the story, and not just a showplace for Harryhausen's talent.
The film still holds up today, even the effects. When computer animation is done on the cheap, as in many of today's lower budgeted films, it looks cartoony. Stop motion employs a solid object, and is truly amazing if done right.
Small children might find some of the monsters frightening, but all other fantasy fans will have a great time.
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