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Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

List Price: $14.96
Your Price: $11.22
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Campy Little Masterpiece
Review: This campy little masterpiece from 1981 is, as many reviews have already pointed-out, just a whole lot of fun, particularly to audiences who were young at the time when the film was originally released.

True, modern computer graphics are more sophisticated in their animation and compositing alongside real footage, but they lack the texture and feel of the older stop-motion animation models. Today the look of this film is somewhat "camp", but that is a positive feature, not a negative one. Somehow the old-fashioned techniques work when used in a mythological setting of a civilization that is so ancient. And they hold-up better than some critics would admit.

It's a shame that the real climax of this film (and the best part of the story) is the confrontation with Medusa, which happens about three-quarters of the way through the movie. The end battle with the Kraken pales in comparison to Perseus's killing of the serpent headed Medusa. With her serpent headed bows and the hissing rattle of her tail; the eery score, and the tenseness of the situation - this is a wonderfully filmed segment!

True, this may not be an acedemic interpretation of Greek mythology per/se, but it is highly entertaining, and never claims to be anything more. My hunch is that if we were to take Homer out of the stuffy classroom and go back in time and witness a telling of the Illiad in Ancient Greece, we would note that it is told in the same fun-loving spirit as we see in The Clash of the Titans, with the audience clinging to their seats, longing to hear more.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Find and fulfill your destiny."
Review: You can not go wrong with this movie. Of course the first thing that is of notice is the great Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects the Kraken and Medusa are unique. I have several other movies with his work.
Better actors could not be cast in the various roles; I have to mention a few, however this does not detract from the other performers. Maggie Smith is recognized from many BBC productions and fits the part of Thetis. Judi Bowker as Andromeda has to play a range of emotions and is beautiful enough to be a princess. Of course everyone recognizes Burgess Merideth; I remember him best as Commander Egan Powell, Intelligence Officer, in
"In Harm's Way" (1965). Who could show the authority that Zeus wields better than Laurence Olivier does.

Titans were around before Zeus's crowd so many people are not aware of their story.

This basic story is that the only daughter of Acrisius has given birth to a child out of wedlock and for this she must die. Danae and her young son, Perseus are placed in a wooden coffin and set adrift with the intent that the Sea will do the deed. Naturally as with all Greek plays this is spotted in time by Zeus who sets them safely on a foreign shore. This is the start of a cat and mouse power struggle among the gods and involves mankind with a beautiful Princess Andromeda, an amiable playwright Ammon, and many mythical creatures from the classics.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: A rarity in filmwork: a fantasy that is a great story. I've been kinda bummed with many fantasy films (thankfully Lord of the Rings came out and was excellent) because so many of them have turned out to be rather mediocre. Clash of the Titans is not one of them though. it is a great film that mixes in the mythology with special effects rather well. obviously the effects are quite outdated in our modern CG world, but the story is still quite strong.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Fun.
Review: CLASH OF THE TITANS is not a film to watch if you want to learn about Greek mythology. The movie (though closer to those tales than Disney's HERCULES) is filled with a hodge-podge of all kinds of Greek myths tied together with a bit of Nordic legend as well. However, this is a film that was made for fun. The cast looks like the had fun making the movie, Ray Harryhausen had to have a ton of fun with all the effects, and the movie is fun to watch.

The plot is too convoluted to go into detail. However, the basics are this. Perseus is a son of Zeus, though he doesn't know it. Hera, Thetis, and most of the other gods on Olympus don't care for Zeus' favor of this son and are prepared to do everything they can to stop him from "fulfilling his destiny" in marrying the beautiful Princess Andromeda and becoming King of Joppa, including releasing the last Titan, Kraken, who is caged beneath the sea in Poseidon's realm. Andromeda's people and her life are threatened and Perseus must go on a grand quest and a journey of self discovery.

The film has an impressive cast including Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Burgess Meredith. Also, a great deal has been made over the special effects. Sure the effects are cheesy by today's standards. However, when the movie was made stop motion animation was still a standard (STAR WARS only came out a few years before TITANS was released). Not only that, but Ray Harryhausen was the master of monster creation and this movie was his swan song.

A fun and imaginative film that is really entertaining to watch especially on a rainy day.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great-Looking Mythic Saga; Lots of Fun
Review: Take several of the more well-known Greek myths, tack them together, throw in a mechanical owl and lots of special-effects and monsters, and you get this movie. Or, rather, put it all together well, and you get this movie.

The special effects are pretty good, the monsters are pretty scary, and the mechanical owl is a hoot. The story looks complicated from a distance, but no one is taking things too seriously here, and the result is more melodrama or semi-farce than drama. Some impressive actors take part, but appear to be doing this film for the fun of it.

This film is fun to watch and has neat special effects. I'm sure classical Greeks and historical scholars turn in their graves over the way different legends/myths are blended and merged, but this was never meant to be a documentary.

Don't take it seriously and have fun watching. Great fun for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the greatest movie of all time!!
Review: if you like monsters and heroes this is you movie. as a small warning don't use it as a study tool for greek mythology because it isn't related to any myth, and don't show it to small children because there is brief nudity.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great flick
Review: If you are into Sci-Fi and Methology this movie is a must see, it was made in the old tradition of Jason and the Argonauts.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Dog is Dioskilos! Not Cerberus!
Review: I just watched this film aired on broadcast television. It had been one of my favorite films in grade school so I was glad to have caught the movie from the begining. It's a great movie to watch with your family as it has something for everyone. Sure there's a little blood and lots of people die but if you know your kids have seen worse. Or at least will eventually. ^_^

There are flaws but as long as you can't take the movie seriously. Just sit back enjoy it. It's also nice to see a very prestigious cast have fun with the melodrama of their roles. fans of the Harry Potty film will enjoy looking back at Maggie Smith as the almost villainous sea goddess.

(Oh and by the way, the two headed dog is named Dioskilos not Cerberus. It's funny how the credits list the special effect monsters!)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love Ray's film
Review: Let's start with the lead role.
Harry's performance is not the best and not the worst I've seen!
It's typical of any sci-fi movie.
The main objective is a,simple plot
with great music and Ray's magic.
Vibrant colours, and very nice overall sound.

I saw it for the first time today(Yeah I know,I was sleeping under a rock)Dec 28,2001 and really liked it.
It reminds me of Jason and the Argonaut with it's mythical gods
and the monsters looks cool.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: first thing I ever saw on cable
Review: Back in the 1980s, cable started its tradition of playing a movie ad nauseum. This was the movie that they had picked when my family got cable in the early '80s. I loved this film --- it had all the Greek characters I had learned about acting out all themyths -- I was scared of Cerebrus, the 3-headed dog, and the Cyclops, and when the statue of Andromeda (?) exploded in the temple, and then its decapitated head started talking. They just don't make movies like this anymore. Some might say that's good, but personally I love this flick with its early 80s movie-magic, which of course looks fake today.


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