Friday, April 2, 2010
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Friday, April 2, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Clash Of The Titans
Release The 3D Hounds From This
Movie!
Liam Neeson as Zeus in "Clash Of The Titans", now playing in the U.S. and
Canada.
Warner Brothers
By
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Friday, April 2, 2010
"Clash Of The Titans" is a loud, boorish and hollow action blockbuster, tailored
to the teenage male who may come to its midnight screenings dressed in a toga
and donning a shield. Bad to the bone and clunky, the film is amusing due
to the absurdities of the way director Louis Leterrier ("The Incredible Hulk")
presents its larger-than-life gods in Greek mythology.
In a scene evoking something out of Marlon Brando's Jor-El moment in "Superman:
The Movie", Zeus (Liam Neeson) meets with the gods, and his brother Hades (Ralph
Fiennes) promises to do the right thing in the battle between god and man.
When things get tough, Zeus unleashes an almighty cry, "release the Kraken!"
Mr. Leterrier's film looks like a giant puppet show, with Medusa and the
aforementioned Kraken and some digital effects invited along to keep people
awake or hold their attention spans. Amazingly enough, on occasion the
action isn't the absolute worse a moviegoer will witness and at times is barely
passable as an entertainment. It is only at these precious few moments
where this poorly-constructed film written by a trio of writers is not the very
worst it could be.
The previous "Clash Of The Titans" (1981) was written by Beverley Cross and
starred Laurence Olivier, Ursula Andress, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Claire
Bloom and Harry Hamlin, who played Perseus, the half-man, half-god who has to
fight to save humankind and rescue Princess Andromeda. The special effects
legend Ray Harryhausen produced that edition and his effects were riveting to
watch.
In this 21st century "Titans" Mr. Harryhausen is sorely missed, but what isn't
is the poisonous torture that 3D has become. Added to Mr. Leterrier's film
in post-production, there's no earthly reason (except for monetary gain) why the
new film is in 3D. Neither the effects nor the action justify it.
Try taking off your Real D 3D glasses and keeping them off for a few seconds.
Then put them back on. You will notice no discernable or appreciable
difference in the visuals on the big screen.
These days each new 3D live-action adventure has become an exercise in
"Ishtar"-ism. A hyping of big thrills that promise to deliver but end up
going horribly awry. Regrettably, the cynical ploy to get fast-food
thrill-minded moviegoers to surrender an extra $4 or $5 to see a film that has
been belatedly dipped in a 3D yolk will work just fine this weekend (unless
Tyler Perry's new film can once again obstruct or upset the box office
applecart.)
Sam Worthington plays Perseus and the muddled screenplay puts he and the rest of
the cast in a ridiculous position. Sometimes the scenarios, dialogue and
dramatic constructions abruptly shift, turning on a dime without apparent
explanation or exploration. Other times "Clash Of The Titans" drones on,
moving from one large landscape or showpiece to the next, presenting scene after
scene with little engagement, care or management. Sadly, it's a shoddy
work, but sadder still is the near-fine-print-like subtitle beneath the film's
release date: "also playing in 2D".
Warner Brothers
With: Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos, Polly Walker, Luke Evans, Mads Mikkelsen,
Nicholas Hoult, Izabella Miko, Vincent Regan, Pete Postlethwaite, Katherine
Loeppky, Luke Treadaway, Elizabeth McGovern, Danny Huston, Alexander Siddig.
"Clash Of The Titans" is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for
fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality. The film's
running time is one hour and 57 minutes.
FOLLOW
Unscripted review of "Clash Of The Titans"
Read more movie reviews and stories from Omar
here.
Read Omar's "Far-Flung Correspondent" reports for America's pre-eminent Film
Critic Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times -
here
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