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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: Clash of the Titans
Review: I like myth, even if it isn't an accurate retelling. I saw this movie when first released in 1981. The images have stayed with me. So anything the commits itself to long term memory must be worth it. Don't use clash of the titans, to study mythology. See it because you want a good popcorn movie. Pure entertainment for those of you that have little one there is brief nudity. However it's nothing shocking and fits with story.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Very Good Fantasy Film
Review: Even though this film got an okay rating by critics, i would say this is one of the best kind of Hercules type of story. The film has good special effects. It is about a Hercules type person having a journy to help a princess. Meduessa is cool. The two headed dog looks fake. The monster at the end of film is the best. I would of given this film 4 stars but, it was not Ray Harryhausen's best.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining, but with Flawed Mythology & Wooden Acting
Review: "Clash of the Titans" is an enteraining film that is based upon the mythological Greek hero Perseus (played by Harry Hamlin), but the film strays from the original Greek story and much of the acting in the film is wooden, especially Harry Hamlin, whose acting abilities in this early role were definitely not as good as later works. Judi Bowker was equally wooden in her portrayal of Andromeda. By far the best acting in the film is from Maggie Smith, who plays Andromeda's mother Thetis, but it's not one of her better performances. Lawrence Olivier's portrayal of Zeus was over the top.

In the original Greek story, Perseus sets off to capture the head of Medusa as a wedding present for Polydectes, the King of Seriphos, who demands it from him when Perseus arrives at the wedding without a gift. The God Hermes gives Perseus his winged shoes and a sickle to kill Medusa. The Goddess Athena gives Perseus a reflective shield to protect him and to use as a mirror so that he won't look directly at Medusa. Athena directs Perseus to visit the Graeae, three women who share one eye, to find out how to find the Nymphs of the North. He does so, so that he can obtain the Cap of Darkness (which makes the wearer invisible) and the Magic Wallet (to keep the head of Medusa). The Nymphs of the North also tell Perseus how to get to Medusa's layer. Perseus flies to Medusa's layer using the winged shoes, kills her and takes her head. He is attacked by Medusa's sisters, but he escapes. During Perseus' return flight to Seriphos with the head of Medusa, he has many other adventures, including seeing a woman tied to a rock at the sea (whom he at first thinks is a statue). He flies to her and she tells him that her name is Andromeda and that she is being punished because her mother boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids (sea nymphs). The God Poseidon was angered and said that Andromeda must be sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus. As they are talking, Cetus emerges from the sea, but Perseus pulls out the head of Medusa and kills Cetus. Perseus returns Andromeda to her father, King Cepheus of Phonecia, where he asks to marry her and the king accepts. Perseus and Andromeda (with the head of Medusa in tow) fly off to Seriphos, where he uses the head of Medusa to turn Polydectis and his wedding guests to stone. Perseus & Andromeda live happily ever after, until Perseus is killed by Dionysus.

"Clash of the Titans" used a lot of poetic license to reshape the story of Perseus:
1. Perseus' need to get the head of Medusa is strictly to save Andromeda and never includes the Polydectes portion of the story.
2. Perseus uses the winged horse Pegasus to fly instead of the winged shoes of Hermes.
3. Perseus uses a sword from Athena instead of Hermes' sickle. 4. The film includes a comical, mechanical owl companion for Perseus, which is never mentioned in the original Greek story. 5. Thetis (Andromeda's mother) says that Andromeda is more beautiful than the Goddess Hera, not the Nereids. (Hera would not have sought the help of Poseidon to punish Andromeda, she would have punished her herself.)
6. The film uses a sea monster called the kraken instead of Cetus. The kraken comes from Norse mythology and is usually portrayed as a giant octopus, not a bipedal humanoid underwater giant as shown in the film. I guess the film's director preferred the name kraken to Cetus.

If you plan to watch this film to learn about Greek mythology, read the original Greek stories instead; but if you just want to be entertained with campy acting and special effects, this film can do just that.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great mythology story...
Review: The great Ray Harryhausen considered this his "swan song". He did not disappoint his vast community of fans. Director Desmond Davis has assembled a great cast with a fine narrative script which puts lots of complicated stuff in a coherent fashion. Harry Hamlin is perfectly buff and handsome and Judi Bowker is as gorgeous as they come. Perfect! The great Gods are no less than Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom and Maggie Smith. Ursula Andress is also there; doesn't do much, but she plays Aphrodite, and this IS a family film! She's stunning after all these years. Maggie Smith, in particular, is effective when she plays nasty characters, and she doesn't disappoint. The photography of Ted Moore is somewhat faded on this DVD version, not as clear and crisp as I recall when I saw it in the theatre. There are 3 witches, one of whom is the great Flora Robson, but the make-up was so fine and the direction so taut, you didn't know who was whom. It didn't matter. A great scene of rapid-fire dialogue. Charles H. Schneer produced all those Sinbad movies in a wide 2.35:1 widescreen; this was in 1.85:1 LBX. I like widescreen. The real star is Ray Harryhausen. His interpretation of Medusa is the best imaginable. Also Cerberus (the 2-headed dog) actually was supposed to have 3 heads...but who's counting..? The Harryhausen effects are the star...don't forget the scorpions that grow from Medusa's bloody head. Cool. If acting honors go out, they should go to Maggie Smith, in the minor role of Thetis. The only thing missing from this film was that Zeus did nothing to her at the end. (He should've done something...she was a real meanie). Check this out. True escapist fare. One of my faves. One interesting movie fact: the following year, 1982, Harry Hamlin played a gay character in "Making Love", directed by Arthur Hiller. A fine film. It hurt his career. Ten years later, it made Tom Hanks a legitimate star. Go figure!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Get the DVD
Review: This version is the one to get. Forget the VHS. The image in this DVD transfer is pristine and the color vibrant. I have waited twenty years to own this movie and the DVD was worth the wait.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: perhappes the best mythology movie ever told.
Review: This movie sores over the top of its time frame -with fx-expertly done ,in only a few scenes can you see the shadow line of anamatronics.With a strong plot line and acting you barely notice any of the anamatronic outlines.Clarity remaster very good.
This is the story of Perseus,who with his mother is casted into the sea -by her jealous father.As a reward Zesus release the Kraken and destroys Argus.For Persus is the son of Zesus and no harm must befall him.So he grows up safely on a sm.island.Untile one day the jealous goddess Thetis sets him down in the city of Joppa.This is a Act of revenge against Zesus who has change her cruel son Calibos into a sayter like creature.Persus is giving weapons buy the gods and soon discovers his destiny is too marry the lovely Andromeda.First he must free her from the curse of Calibos -then from beging sacrificed too the Kraken.With the aid of Boo-Boo the owl,Pegasus & captain of the gaurds Thetos.Together they Battle Dioskilos,Medusa &Gaint Scorpions.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Clash of the Titans
Review: This movie is awesome. Let your imagination run wild, open your mind. If you are into myths and legends than this is the movie for you. This movie is an all time favorite of mine.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A number of stunning set pieces in uneven film
Review: When Clash of the Titans was first announced, it promised much more than any film could possibly deliver. You may not be able to go home again, but you sure can give it a good try. While parts of Clash do measure up to Harryhausen's classic Jason and The Argonauts, the film is a bit uneven. The strong cast and imagative blocking by Desmond Davis does add to the strong quality of the best sequences.

Lawrence Olivier should have played Zeus ages ago. Here's an actor drunk with both the role and his position in cinema (and stage). He chews the scenery well and makes even the most tedious scenes enjoyable. The laser backdrop that greets us when we first see Zeus says it all. Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith and Harry Hamlin make a feast of their meagerly underwritten roles. All three do an admirable job throughout the film acting against the backdrop of Harryhausen's stop motion animation and effects work.

Can't help but wonder why the horrible matte job with Posideon releasing the Krakan was left in. In a movie with so many marvelous effects one has to wonder how this poorly done sequence was overlooked.

The animation of Pegues top is a career high for Harryhausen. He manages to invest life into a character that would be the undoing of most effects people. His work is both breaktaking and original. The section involving Medusa and Calibos are also quite impressive and engaging. The later sequences involve both stop action work and a an actor. The ambitious sequences work well and are integrated into the finished production with care.

I suppose the most important aspect to this film is the love of Greek mythology that Harryhausen brings to the project. Clearly Clash was a labor of love much like Jason and the first Sinbad adventure. While many artists (and make no doubt about it Harryhausen is an artist) revisit the past and manage only to dredge up the memories of former glories, Harryhausen manages to create new ones as well. Despite its flaws, Clash demonstrates that Harryhausen went out at the top of his game.

The screenplay by longtime collaborator Beverly Cross is almost the equal of his work for Jason. The late Cross manages to integrate a wide variety of characters from Greek mythology into a coheren narrative that works very well. A pity that Cross didn't work on the last Sinbad installment as the lack of a strong screenplay (and actor in the title role) undermined that film.

The characters of the Greek gods are surprisingly true to legend (perhaps not since Cross was a classical scholar)and while some of the mortals are little more than stock characters with little elaboration on motivation, they move the story forward. Although not as involving (or accurate ) as the work Cross did on Jason twenty years before, the script does its job of putting the characters through the paces and rolls us along to the next action sequence. That's better than most Hollywood hacks are able to do today.

The direction is fairly sharp but not quite as tight or consistent as in Jason (although an improvement over Nathan Juran and Sam Wanamaker's work on the Sinbad films)Veteran director Desmond Davis does an admirable job given the circumstances. Some of the sequences are a bit clumsy in set up (and I'm not entirely sure that was Davis' fault)but, on the whole, Davis' mise en scene works well. I'm happy that Star Wars and Close Encounters created an environment where Columbia was willing to gamble on another Harryhausen epic even if the result was wanting. Clash is great entertainment for both children and adults regardless of its minor flaws.

The extras on the DVD are great. Although I would have loved to see test footage and outttakes of the animation sequences, it's clear that Harryhausen wants some of the magic to remain. In a film obsessed culture where every one wants to know everything about the making of a film, Harryhausen's attitude is a refreshing change.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie, but Warner Bros..Get Rid of Cheesy Snap Cases!!
Review: Clash of the Titans is a great movie, and I'm so glad that it is coming out FINALLY on DVD. I remember seeing this for the first time when I was a kid and just really enjoying the film. All the monsters look great, and Madusa especially should look like she had a makeover on the DVD. Also there looks to be some nice extras which I'm also looking forward to checking out. However I was disappointed that it was Warner Bros responsible for Clash of the Titans because I knew then that this great movie was coming in a cheesy looking Snap Case. C'mon Warner Bros get with the program. I, along with many people that I know, hate those things, they are akward looking and just look plain cheap. They definitly don't look half as nice as Keep Cases. A petition should be made to make them change this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One Last Shinning Moment
Review: When CLASH OF THE TITANS was first released theatrically it was an across-the-board success. It just wasn't popular with followers of the genre but with the general public. It contained elements of the fantastic, Greek Mythology and most importantly it contained a story of young love told with genuine prose and passion. This is Ray Harryhausen's last full-length feature to date. It does not contain the awe-inspiring creatures or the sweep of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. It does not contain the eerie landscapes and esoteric feeling of isolation of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. What CLASH OF THE TITANS has is the romanticism of its catalytic love story and also the romanticism for an era of filmmaking coming to an end. Harry Hamlin's performance, as Perseus is one of nobility and character, not cynicism. Laurence Olivier as Zeus shows us a god with a conscience manipulating events for the manifestation of mortal man's better qualities. Harryhausen's Pegasus shows us that man has the ability to control the creatures of the fantastic, tame them and use them for what is good in the universe. Laurence Rosenthal's heavenly score floats like an ethereal mist with its gossamer tonalities in somewhat a homage to Ray Harryhausen, the late composer Bernard Herrmann but ultimately to the romantic images and the eternal story of man's devotion to love found in CLASH OF THE TITANS.


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