CLASH OF THE TITANS - Mythical Monsters Show

CLASH OF THE TITANS (mythical adventure)
Cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikkelsen, Izabella Miko and Pete Postlethwaite
Directors: Louis Leterrier
Screenplay: Travis Beacham & Phil Hay
Time: 105 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)

FATHER & SON: Worthington and Neeson as Perseus and Zeus

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Sitting through this movie, I get the feeling that the main reason for Louis Leterrier and company to do this remake of the 1981 Clash Of The Titans is just to flex its special effects muscle for 3D fans. A sort of Mythical Monsters Show. There is no attempt to 'add value' to the stories of the Olympian gods, or its characters.

And yes, they pay tribute to stop-motion wizard Ray Harryhausen by inserting his mechanical owl in a scene when Perseus and his warriors are preparing to set out to do battle with the monsters. The 1981 effort was Harryhausen's last movie.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? This is basically the story of Perseus (played by Avatar's Sam Worthington), the demi-god who is the bastard son of Zeus (Liam Neeson). It is Perseus' destiny to rescue the city of Argos from the vengeful wrath of Hades (Ralph Fiennes), god of the underworld, and his monster Kraken.

Teaming up with a small squad lead by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), Perseus must giant scorpions, a hideous king turned slayer (Jason Flemyng as Acrisius), the snake-haired Medusa and finally the dreadful Kraken. Also on his side are his guardian angel Io (Gemma Aterthon, pic, right) and the flying horse Pegasus.

HITS & MISSES: As far as remakes go, this one seems content to just lay out the plot which is familiar to those who know the legend. The action on the screen may be in 3D (in selected cinemas) but the characters are mostly two-dimensional.

This is especially so of the council of Olympian gods which turned out looking like folks dressed in Halloween costumes mouthing lame lines. Even Neeson looks and sounds fake as the king of the gods.

The human warriors fare a little better - with the main theme being Perseus' insistence on being a man rather than the son of Zeus. The Mythical Monster Show, however, has its moments of grandeur and photorealism - and it recalls actions from films like Avatar, Star Wars and One Million Years BC. I remember feeling more involved in battle scenes from Harryhausen's Jason And The Argonauts than in this one.

THE LOWDOWN: This Clash looks like it's going to be a Flash in the Box-Office Pan.