johnlink ranks CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)
Liz and I have been sick most of the past week or so, constant coughing and low energy. Sunday night we literally didn’t move from the couch once we put Quinn down, and choosing to watch the CLASH OF THE TITANS remake was one of the laziest movie making decisions we’ve ever made. We just sort of shrugged and pulled it off HBO on demand. It is safe to say that the expectations were not particularly high.
I watched CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010) on 3.4.12. it was my first viewing of the film.
I hated this film for the first 30 minutes. I thought they hit all the wrong notes, and there wasn’t as much fun as there should be. I mean, this is a story about a demi-god rebelling against the Gods and trying to save man from monsters. There should be some fun in that right? That can’t be a serious minded movie, right?
I didn’t mind that they killed off the family right away, that had to happen. And Perseus (Sam Worthington) had to be sad about it. But the first act of this film is just so mopey. Then we are privy to one of the worst ‘battle training’ scenes ever made. But once these guys start battling creatures the film gains a little bit of momentum. By the end, this is a fun enough ride. I started it saying that I could care less about the sequel. I finished it still saying I could care less about the sequel, but I’ll probably still watch it at some point.
I’m sure some people have an issue with them shuffling all the Norse, Greek, and Roman myths into one big mythaganza. Doesn’t bother me. I’m sure others take issue with how far this diverts from the Harryhausen version from the 70s. I’ve never seen that movie, so I’m not in that camp. My biggest issue with this movie was just how average and uninspired it all was. The creature effects were nice, but by rendering this into 3D late in the game, they added a few shots made purely for 3D which outright suck in 2D.
Working at a movie theater, I remember this being a watershed moment in 3D. CLASH was the movie which wanted to cash in, and didn’t bother shooting in 3D, or caring how it would look. Everyone who saw it in 3D hated it. The ploy was a pure money grab (since the studio gets an extra buck or two off the 3D price), and it sort of worked. However, they burned the consumer. 2D regularly outsells 3D now, as long as the two versions are matched up against each other. It’s movies like this which will kill the 3D genre (thankfully).
None of that was in my mind as I watched. Instead, I was thinking about the show I have in two weeks. Or making tea. Or who was texting me. I just never fully bought into this movie, even if the last half held enough promise for me to see the next one.
Watching CAPTAIN AMERICA and CLASH OF THE TITANS over the last two days has reminded me of why I tend to give older movies a shot rather than rushing out to see new stuff. So much is made now for the dollar, for the sequel, for mediocrity. Rare is the summer blockbuster with aspirations, and that is sort of sad.
SCORES
FILM: 4; MOVIE: 6; ACTING: 4; WRITING: 3
4+6+4+3+0=17
FINAL SCORE: 4.25
johnlinkmovies 