the Informer

Courtesy of Aceshowbiz.com

“Clash of the Titans,” opened last weekend with great anticipation but all of the hype certainly stops after leaving the movie theater.
While the remake has surpassed the 1981 original because it stays true to the mythical story of Perseus and is quite visually pleasing (for the most part), it faltered in being as great as we all probably expected it to be.

The group I was with had decided to see the movie at midnight Friday morning in Fresh Meadows, N.Y., and the only tickets being sold were in 3-D, so we had no choice but to see it that way.

Honestly, after seeing the movie the first thing we asked each other was what the point of $4.50 glasses we’d just purchased was.
Yes the CGI was impressive, and the picture was pretty good quality, but you had to wonder what the whole “3-D thing” was for.

Was it just a marketing ploy to rake in higher ticket sales or to draw a bigger crowd after the 3-D craze that has recently swept Hollywood? Or are there just so many types of 3-D out there now that it still qualifies as being in the third dimension, but we just aren’t getting what we’re used to thinking of 3-D as?

The two biggest stars in the film, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson, play Hades and Zeus. Zeus’ outfit throughout the movie appears to be so blinged out that it’s blinding–his costume is so shiny that you can barely tell it’s Neeson behind the clothing.
The dark cloud that surrounds Hades was fortunately not overdone and actually looked cool.

However, the characterization and performance from Fiennes was certainly not a far departure from his role in Harry Potter.
Hades was basically Voldemort with a nose. The idea of a power-hungry dark lord plotting to control the world was the same, as was the voice Fiennes used.

The story follows the main character, Perseus, played by Sam Worthington, as he realizes what his destiny is (told very plainly in the beginning of the movie just so there are no surprises).

Worthington’s acting isn’t terrible–he just has the emotional range of a turnip. We can’t get too mad at him, though, since he’s still relatively new to the action scene.

You just can’t help but think about Avatar throughout the whole movie though.

The reason “Clash” 3-D didn’t win me over wasn’t because of the acting or the lack of in-your-face 3-D visuals, but because as an action sci-fi blockbuster, there just wasn’t enough action. The action was spaced out by lots of dialogue scenes, some that were just plain unnecessary.

I was more annoyed with all of the talking going on on-screen than the steady comments streaming from my area of the theater, because at least that was entertaining.

Another big disappointment was Medusa. The characters talk her up so much and when she finally appears on the screen it’s like, “WTF?” From all the stories we’ve read in school growing up and pictures we’ve seen of Medusa, the one depicted in this movie is bizarrely dissimilar.

Perhaps director Louis Leterrier wanted to change it up and give a fresh take on Greek mythology?

Overall the movie isn’t awful, just not worth the extra money for the 3-D ticket, and a little predictable.

Certainly some people will completely enjoy the movie (most likely those that see it in 2-D) and think it is amazing. There was action (though sparse), a lot of humor (that may or may not have been on purpose), and interesting visuals. I’d recommend seeing it if there really isn’t anything else you’d rather see or if someone else is paying.