Clash of the Titans
(M), 106 minutes
A lthough it's become fairly easy to pick on Hollywood film studios for a seemingly increasing trend towards popular film remakes, when they're done as well as this year's version of Clash of the Titans, it's hard to be too grumpy about it
all.
The 2010 version of Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, which starred Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Harry Hamlin as Perseus and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite.
This latest take offers a valiant attempt at drawing in audiences with similar star power - Liam Neeson fills Olivier's shoes as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes shines as Zeus' brother Hades, ruler of the Underworld.
But while the actors may have changed, the plot has remained basically the same - Perseus (Sam Worthington) has been raised on Earth, but is in fact a demi-god, and the
Desperate for revenge against son of Zeus.the gods after the death of his family at the hands of Hades, Perseus is destined to lead humankind in a battle against Hades and his sea-monster, the Kraken.
Under the direction of Louis Leterrier, Clash of the Titans is an entertaining, fast-paced romp with strong visuals and plenty of action - CGI fiends will love it.
Particularly of note is some of the film's more ''otherworldly'' environments, especially the journey over the river Styx and into the Underworld.
Where the film falls flat is in its performances, particularly in some of the lead roles.
Although Fiennes does well as the malevolent Hades, Neeson fails to inspire as Zeus, while Worthington is arguably the film's biggest letdown in his key performance as Perseus - his tough guy schtick essentially remains the same as in last year's Terminator: Salvation, and his credibility is not helped by his continual lapsing back into his native Australian accent. But then, this is Clash of the Titans, not Shakespeare - if you leave your brain at the door and don't look for too much character growth or development, there's a fun two hours' entertainment to be had.
