Clash of the Titans
by Louis Leterrier
List Price:
Our Price: $3.96
You Save: $11.00 (74%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.09 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Alexa Davalos, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Ralph Fiennes, Sam WorthingtonDirector: Louis Leterrier
Brand: WHV
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2010-07-27
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- TESTED OK
- 2010 DATE ON THIS DVD
DVD Reviews of Clash of the Titans
DVD Review: Don't, just don't
Summary: 1 Stars
As we all know this is a remake of the original film of the same name. When that's the case, comparisons are always made. So first and foremost the question that comes to mind is does this film hold a candle to the original, was it done well enough that it's existence is warranted? The answer? Sorry, I don't have one just yet. We'll have to figure this out together. What I do know, is that there's something wrong with this film that's preventing it from being what it could be.
Despite the rumblings of negative initial reviews, I went into this one wanting all the original had to offer, (because really, if you watch the original with a critic's eye, it's got a lot of it's own flaws and plot holes) an enjoyable time. The problem here is that even though I went into it without the negative baggage, I still went into it biased. I wanted to like this movie. But the difference here is the original piece has a few qualities the modern one does not: a sense of mysticism, charm, an epic other timely feel, and people who stand by what they believe. Without these pieces of the puzzle this film feel soulless, and in the end we don't care about what's happening because we don't care about the people.
Several points of confusion: What do the gods want? What do the people want? I know the gods need the prayers of the people to remain powerful, and I know the people want to either a) survive or b) be god-free. The problem is, the writer spends the entire time telling this to us, by repeated bashing us over the head with myriad exposure to the phrase "I do this as a man" from Perseus, or Zeus or Hades uttering they need the prayers to remain strong. What the writer and the actors don't do is reveal to us through their actions this is what they feel, or explore variety using other dialogue the conflicts within the characters themselves. In fact they all come across as so wishy-washy that there are several points of self-contradictoring actions. Why do the gods help Perseus defy them? Why is Perseus told to accept the gifts from the gods when they are on a mission to defy the gods? And why are the other men in such disbelief when Perseus does not want to use these items for that reason? I never really got a sense for why any of these things were the way the were. There's no cohesiveness at all to the characters or the plot, and due to poor writing you either don't know why they do what they do (there aren't any motives revealed) or you are only TOLD a very basic why they're doing what they're doing. There's no depth. In this film, and I know in old mythology it usually is the case, but this makes him uninteresting, Zeus is a dick and shows no real care for the humans what so ever, even though he's been stated as having loved man too much, but for some reason he cares about Perseus, his son. I understand this should be a simple fill in the blank conjecture: he's his son, that's why he cares. But none of his other actions within the film show that this is a possibility, that he can care for anyone other than himself. He's just an outright dick. There's an instance in the film during the exploration of the Calibos origin, where Zeus goes to Earth and sleeps with Calibos' wife, impregnating her because Calibos waged a war against the gods. ... Seriously, you are a god who wields lightning like a javelin and the best you can come up with for revenge is something petty like knocking up his wife? So not only is he a dick, but he's petty too. Where as in the original, he is hesitant about his decisions to attack humans and it is only because of the politics of 'the gods' that he ultimately decides to do what he does, and he is shown, in the original, genuinely concerned for Perseus numerous times, asking the aid of other gods in private for tools they can give Perseus to succeed.
Also, there's no sense of urgency in between the action scenes. It really feels like they're just clipping along, hitting all their spots and that's that. Not once do I feel like the characters feel there's any importance to what their doing. Perseus, not once does anything for anybody other than himself. He's not on this mission for the one he loves, like in the original, but for revenge. And I know there are great films built around revenge like "Oldboy" and "Batman Begins" but in those films the characters are passionately seeking revenge, in this one Perseus just gets upset about Hades killing his parents and then says he's not a demi-god, then says "If I do this, I do it as a man." Seriously, this seems to happen in between every fight seen. And here in I think I discovered a cause for disconnect: Sam Worthington. I hear he's a nice guy, but honestly he's truly a case of 'the right look, but just not right for the role.' I want to like him, and he looks the part, but he just never really has me believing anything he does. He really really mugs his emotions. I know there's the whole argument that if you simply look a certain feeling on camera the audience will project whatever they think you're feeling onto you. That might be true but it can't feel forced or needs to feel natural, and there needs to be variety to help create a sense of depth. Just because we believe the first reaction doesn't mean we'll believe that same reaction every time. Mr. Worthington just hasn't shown me he has variety or depth yet.
Another problem the film has is that thematically, it's a mess. What do you take away from this film? Fate is not certain? Humans create their own fate? Humans don't need the gods? None of the above holds true do to the actions of the characters and the story. Fate is not certain: but Perseus is told he was born to do a certain thing in the film. And he does just that. Scratch that one. Humans create their own fate: Okay, so he's told he dies but doesn't. Okay, but then he still does what he's fated to do. So that one is half wrong half right, meaning it's pointless. Humans don't need gods: But he needs the gifts of the gods to succeed. So that one's gone too. Essentially you walk away with no morale or theme, no message, everything you watched was unimportant. I know there are movies that people enjoy with no theme or morale compass to learn of, but none of those movies literally present a morale in the film and then contradicts it, or they're so bad they're funny. This one is not the later.
The ultimate problem is that this movie relies heavily on audiences having seen the original and simply hitting all the marks of the original, essentially going "See, look at all the things that look better now that we've got this technology." And it really does this without making the film anything special that stands out from the original, other than the special effects. When that's the case, it may have well not been made at all. Look at the first Star Wars re-release with added footage. One phrase: CGI Jabba.
Some minor things, Why did the creative team feel the need to add the Jin? I don't remember those being in the original. It adds nothing to the movie other than being a cheap quick get-out-of-jail- free card for our hero, immediately eliminating any tension possible when there's a danger to him like when they are faced with the giant scorpions, when our hero is poisoned, and when they need transportation. All those problems are solved by this character. When you add something to a film that really doesn't add anything to the story or character depth, there's no point in having it in the first place.
I heard a lot of the problems people had with the film is the decision to show it mostly in 3-D, and while I do have a problem with that aspect of the film, I more-so simply have a problem with 3-D in general. But that's a different discussion.
There are things I did like. Gemma Arterton for one, not really for her portrayal of Io, a fellow demi-god who never appears in the original story, I've just got a crush on her. You can see her again in a similar role, in a movie similar in style, in 'Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.' The design of the world and creatures are nice. But two things I think they should've done: Not shown the Kraken in the trailers. Everyone who's seen the original would've flocked to see this movie for a chance to see what it looked like. I know for marketing reasons they probably wanted to entice newcomers which may have also had an adverse effect since it's only in the movie for like 5 minutes. Probably getting a "that's it" response from the newbs. It would've gotten buzz simply from word of mouth from the people who have seen it. They also should've have shown the entire upper body of the Kraken in one shot, not just sections. I mean what we saw was an awesome design, and it's not a case of hiding it to enhance the atmosphere of the situation. In this case showing the awesome entirety of the creature would've been more effective, and would not have taken away from the colossalness of the creature. If anything seeing it's full stature vs the city would've improved that feeling of 'holy crap!'
Going into this film there was a hope of seeing a great action movie with awesome fantasy aspects and larger than life epic characters. What is shown is a by the marks re-hash of the original with a few added elements, very few of which add anything that defines this film and makes it stand on it's own two feet. In the end it's nothing more than a Clash of the Titans re-release with added CGI bonuses, making it's creation wholly unneeded, and in this case, unwanted.
Description of Clash of the Titans
In Clash of the Titans, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, Perseus and his warriors will only survive if Perseus accepts his power as a god, defies fate and creates his own destiny."Release the Kraken!" Ah, it could only be Clash of the Titans, the 2010 remake that retains the instruction to unleash the great beastie from the sea. The 1981 original boasted Ray Harryhausen's legendary stop-motion technique of animating various mythological creatures--it was his final feature project--and given the cornball approach of the movie in general, that was the main draw. The remake supplies new state-of-the-art special effects (it was released in theaters in 3-D) and a nicely muscular sense of momentum. Sam Worthington (the Avatar guy) plays Perseus, a demigod who doesn't know that Zeus (Liam Neeson) is his father. Perseus is selected to lead an expedition to find and slay the Medusa, lest Zeus's evil brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes, in fine slinking mode) rain down misery upon a seaport--and you just know that means the Kraken is coming. Ye gods, it's a mess, and we haven't even mentioned the witches and the harpies and the giant scorpions. But if we did, it would be clear that Clash of the Titans is a perfectly dandy popcorn epic, unpretentious and punchy. Director Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2) gets a fine rhythm going during Perseus's trek, and you can even forgive the hokey shafts-of-light-through-clouds look of Olympus. Leterrier also had the good sense to import the marvelous Danish star Mads Mikkelsen to provide mentoring duties to Perseus; Gemma Arterton and Alexa Davalos fulfill the eye-candy roles. It's up to individual viewers to choose which they prefer--Harryhausen's magically hand-wrought creations (his Medusa sequence is an absolute killer) or the 21st century's slick computer-generated variations. But nostalgia aside, it would be hard to deny that this is one case where the remake tops the original. --Robert Horton
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The Green HornetSON; Release date: 2011-05-03; DVD
Best price: $4.22
Price in other shops:
Priest (Rated Version)SON; Release date: 2011-08-16; DVD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of TimeDIS; Release date: 2010-09-14; DVD
Best price: $7.60
Price in other shops:
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hooleWarner Brothers; Release date: 2010-12-17; DVD
Best price: $6.41
Price in other shops:
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning ThiefFox Home Entertainment; Release date: 2010-06-29; DVD
Best price: $10.45
Price in other shops:
Clash of the Titans (Keep Case Packaging)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2010-03-02; DVD
Best price: $2.63
Price in other shops:
Transformers: Dark of the MoonDRM; Release date: 2011-09-30; DVD
Best price: $11.15
Price in other shops:
Conan the BarbarianLGF; Release date: 2011-11-22; DVD
Best price: $11.90
Price in other shops:
Captain America: The First AvengerPAR; Release date: 2011-10-25; DVD
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops:
ThorMarvel Kids; Release date: 2011-09-13; DVD
Best price: $9.94
Price in other shops: