Leofwine_draca
Sadly, this was the last movie for stop-motion man Ray Harryhausen, and therefore the last real fantasy epic made in Britain (whoever said KRULL, I said "real"!). While not as visually impressive as JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS - and let's face it, how could it be? This being an '80s film compared to a '60s film after all - CLASH OF THE TITANS certainly has moments where it recaptures some of the magic of Harryhausen's golden years and these alone make the film worth watching. Relying heavily on Greek mythology as a basis, CLASH OF THE TITANS is set aside from other muscleman entries by having a number of scenes set in the supposed palace of the Gods, who spend most of their time bickering and arguing like little children.Laurence Olivier is Zeus. No, he IS Zeus. I've heard some people complain about his performance but I can't imagine anyone else being as stern and authoritative in the role. Basically, it seems like it was written for him, and Olivier is great. Let's say no more about it. Zeus' companions are played by Maggie Smith (great at being "evil"), Claire Bloom and an almost unnoticeable Ursula Andress, a Goddess of Standing Around in the Background and Looking Beautiful. These scenes serve to give the movie a heavyweight backbone and act as a basis for the plot, which is basically a string of action scenes where Perseus and his companions battle whatever twisted creation comes next from the genius mind of Ray Harryhausen.I'm not sure of the budget with this film, but I'm guessing it was quite high with most of the cash being eaten away by the wealth of stars appearing. However, the photography is colourful and great to look at, the film is well made throughout and the various historical landscapes - generally swathed in atmospheric mist and fog - are all excellent, most being filmed in the Mediterranean to give an extra oomph. The only thing really lacking is a noticeable score along the lines of Bernard Herrmann, but I can forgive that.Harry Hamlin is cast as Perseus, the toned hero. It always amuses me how the Italians always had bodybuilders as their mythical heroes while us British made do with athletic but generally skinny guys along the lines of Kerwin Matthews and John Philip Law. Hamlin is probably one of the most wooden heroes in a film of this variety, and almost totally lacking in charisma too. Thankfully the producers recognised this flaw and so give him little emoting to do, instead just run around a lot and look pretty. Andromeda is played by Judi Bowker, a ravishing beauty who looks a lot like Linda Hayden, which is no bad thing.Also cast as a sidekick is the inimitable Burgess Meredith, who is still quite good even though he really doesn't have anything to do. Also appearing are the likes of Flora Robson and Freda Jackson as disturbing Stygian witches, extremely clichéd creations (and blind too) but still masterpieces of the grotesque. Being a post-Star Wars movie aimed at kids, they had to throw in a mechanical creation a la R2-D2, so we have to put up with an annoying tin owl which makes lots of stupid noises throughout the movie and seems more a home in a science fiction epic than a supposed fantasy. I remember thinking that the owl was really cute as a kid but it just grates now as an adult.Once again, Harryhausen's excellent stop-motion creations dominate the film and here are some of his finest models in his entire filmography. The best of the lot has to be the Medusa, a ferocious-looking creature who through the use of shadow actually manages to look quite terrifying, and certainly scared me LOADS as a kid. It certainly beats the Italian variant in MEDUSA VS THE SON OF HERCULES, what a load of rubbish that was in comparison! After Hamlin cuts off the monster's head (a great-looking prop too), we get to witness oozing blood from the neck wound, an image ingrained in my memory since childhood and still pretty disgusting to this day.Like the Baboon in SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER, there is also a "good" creature here, which this time is the Pegasus, again a well-animated beast which is slightly overused. Also appearing are a giant vulture (good), a horned troll-creature (very good, and almost devilish in look), a trio of nasty scorpions, a two-headed dog (very realistic this one) and to top it all, a gigantic Kraken which threatens to give the colossal statue in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS a run for its money. Other non-Harryhausen but fun effects include skeleton boatman Charon rowing across the River Styx (creepy, and a perfect representation of the Grim Reaper) and the destruction of Argos, complete with tidal waves and falling masonry - simply stupendous! Being the '80s, the audience demand for graphic violence was at a high, so we get to see the various creatures bleed a lot too as they are hacked to death by our heroes and there's a lot of general violence to enjoy. In all, CLASH OF THE TITANS was great fun as a kid and is still pretty enjoyable today, and even if it pales in comparison to Harryhausen's earlier work it's still a fitting finale for the master of stop-motion.
utgard14
Fantasy adventure classic that tells the story of the Greek hero Perseus (Harry Hamlin) and features the last film work of legendary stop-motion effects wizard, Ray Harryhausen. In a way, it's a loving tribute to a kind of movie that had died out by 1981. We still have attempts to make these types of movies today (even a remake of this film), but the results are not the same. I'm not saying they aren't sometimes enjoyable in their way but CGI just doesn't have the charm and appeal of old-school special effects. The focus today is on realism, not imagination. Frankly, trying to tell a story that involves gods, winged horses, and Medusa "realistically" makes no sense to me. Embrace the fantasy or just avoid it altogether and make another movie about cops or drug dealers. The cast here is good, even Harry Hamlin. Yes, some of these great older actors appear to be slumming but they all treat the material seriously and refrain from hamming it up. There's a lesson that could be taught to today's cynical thespians, I think. Mini-rants aside, this is a very fun movie for those who enjoy old-fashioned sword & sandal movies and classic special effects. Fans of Greek mythology should have a field day with it, as well.
SnoopyStyle
King Acrisius of Argos sends his daughter and her son Perseus off in a wooden coffin. An angry Zeus (Laurence Olivier) releases the Kraken to destroy Argos. Perseus is saved and grows up in safety. Calibos is the son of sea goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith) engaged to Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker). However Calibos hunted Zeus's sacred flying horses and he is transformed into a monstrous satyr. In revenge, Thetis leaves Perseus (Harry Hamlin) to chance abandoned in Joppa while cursing Andromeda. Perseus is aided by an old poet named Ammon (Burgess Meredith). Zeus sends Perseus a helmet of invisibility from Athena (Susan Fleetwood), a sword from Aphrodite (Ursula Andress), and a shield from Hera (Claire Bloom). He captures Pegasus and answers the riddle of Andromeda breaking her curse. However Thetis is insulted at the wedding and commands that Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken.It is the end of Ray Harryhausen's era as stop motion photography fades in light of the new computer technology. It is the last and finest example of his work. This has great old fashion actors doing their best to give this movie substance. The story is a little bit complicated but the expositions do a good job. The movie just works. It's high adventure on a grand scale like old Hollywood.
