July 23, 2010

Every time Hollywood tries to remake, reinvent, or reboot a classic from my childhood I simply have to roll my eyes. Seriously, are we really out of original ideas? Does the advent of computers and CG make it automatically acceptable to go back and make old movies “better” simply because we can? I think George Lucas already answered that for us when he butchered our beloved Star Wars trilogy with his so-called special editions.

So when I saw the trailers for Clash of the Titans in all its 21st-century splendor I was sad and even a bit angry. First Russell Crow was stomping all over my Kevin Costner Robin Hood memories and now Sam Worthington was going to tarnish my countless hours spent watching Harry Hamlin as Perseus, so I refused to see the film in theaters…even more so when they tacked on the 3D element – a sure sign your live action movie is a stinker.

I guess I had mellowed out a bit by the time Clash of the Titans arrived on Blu-ray for my review, so I put all reservations aside and dove into this adventure with an open mind and low expectations. When the movie was over I’m not sure exactly how I felt. I wasn’t blown away, but neither was I offended, and both movies can exist, even on the same shelf. The two movies share a few story elements and situations in common, but for the most part they are two very different paths that both lead to the same epic battle with a giant sea monster.

All of the names are here; Zeus, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Calibos, but a few are missing and new faces take their place. Rather than Aphrodite taking offense at a personal slur on her beauty, Hades (Ralph Fiennes) storms into the palace to curse Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) to a date with the Kraken in ten days or the city of Argos will be wiped from the map. This encounter also reveals the disturbing fact that Perseus (Sam Worthington) is actually the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who bedded the wife of a certain king who has now gone underground as the hideous creature, Calibos (Jason Flemyng). Perseus hates the gods and finding out that his dad is the biggest one of all doesn’t help.

At the request of King Kepheus (Vincent Regan), and as part of a deal to get out of jail, he sets off with a few disposable soldiers to discover a way to defeat a titan - an impossible task to be sure but if anyone knows how it's the Stygian Witches. Along the way much adventure ensues like an ambush by Calibos, giant scorpions, three blind hags with a taste for tender warriors, and even a trip to the underworld to meet with Medusa and convince her to part with her head.

Gone are the insightful words of Burgess Meredith, Perseus’ mentor, now replaced with some casual sword training by one of the king’s men who quickly proclaims Perseus to be a demigod after a quick duel. And when Perseus finds a magical glowing sword from Zeus, he refuses the heavenly gift. Other gifts from the original movie like Athena’s shield are ignored, and Bubo, the mechanical owl only shows up as a quick insider joke for fans old enough to get the reference. An entire race of sand people with wooden faces and glowing eyes has been added to the story, and Pegasus is now black, to differentiate him from the herd of other white flying horses. The original movie made it a point that Pegasus was the last of the breed – all the others had been hunted and killed by Calibos. Okay – no more comparisons…I promise.

Filmmaking: 8
The 2010 version of Clash of the Titans certainly stands on its own with amazing visual effects and a classic tale of Greek gods and noble deeds. My only issue is with the script and the seemingly rushed story and rapid sequence of events. The entire Perseus loves Andromeda element is gone, so we have no real motivation for our hero to risk his life other than he made a deal to get out of jail. A whole civil war story is added to Mount Olympus with Hades trying to usurp control from Zeus. Clash of the Titans seems more about epic set pieces and fails to connect those dots with any meaningful story. It’s a fun movie while it’s playing but you won’t be discussing it past the closing credits, and it’s certainly not as timeless as the original.

Visuals: 8
Clash of the Titans is not quite the gift of the gods I had hoped despite some exceptonal CG work for set design and creature creation and animation. While stop-motion may be charming, seeing giant scorpions, the sinister Medusa, and especially the Kraken come to this much life is just awesome. The 1080p/VC-1 transfer offers up a fantastic-at-times-average-at-others picture with stunning details and realistic colors that seldom stray from the natural colors of the location. Oceans are blue and forests are green and deserts are pinkish-orange. When you watch the side-by-side actual shots and post-effects shots in split-screen you’ll see there is very little color correction going on. Contrast is weak and black levels aren’t as dark as other recent movies, so things can get slightly washed out at times. There are no visual anomalies worth mentioning other than some heavy use of DNR that mars an otherwise solid viewing experience.

Sound: 9
Warner has delivered yet another stunning sound experience with the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix of Clash of the Titans that perfectly blends the epic score, fantastical effects, and predictably dry dialogue into the perfect audio presentation to match the larger-than-life events on the screen. Sound cues come from every channel, surrounding you in the moment, and the LFE put my subwoofer to the test with a giant statue of Zeus falling into the ocean or a giant Kraken coming out of the ocean. Effects get even subtler and more evil when we visit the Stygian Witches or the Medusa lair.

Value: 7
Maximum Movie Mode strikes again with Harnessing the Gods, a fun and informative PiP experience where director Louis Leterrier and a few cast members join in to discuss the making of the movie and show numerous clips, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. It’s not quite as stylish as other Blu-rays like Watchmen and Cop Out where the director actually appears on screen as your tour guide. This is purely a PiP extension of the movie.

If you choose to skip the MMM you can at least view the major Focus Points in a standalone menu that offers up numerous featurettes totaling about 35 minutes. If you didn’t get enough of Sam Worthington in Avatar, Terminator, and Clash, then there are 8 more minutes dedicated to this rising action star in Sam Worthington: An Action Hero for the Ages. You can then check out 18-minutes of deleted scenes and a 6-minute alternate ending that blends live action with some pre-vis effects. Throw in some BD-Live support and a digital copy that looks awesome on my iPhone and even better on my iPad and there you have it.

Overall: 8.1
I was a junior in high school when I saw the original Clash of the Titans and it made for some pretty permanent memories. I had always been a big fan of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts before that, and Clash took it to a whole new level. Now, 30 years later, we get a reboot of this classic tale, and while this visionary next-gen movie will certainly make for some new memories, it won’t be replacing any old ones. This is a typical summertime action flick that is fun for as long as it lasts. You probably won’t watch it over and over (like I did with the 1981 version), but you will enjoy it, and the Blu-ray version offers exceptional audio and visual quality and a few extras worth checking out.