CLASH OF THE TITANS
RYAN: I was so excited for the Clash of the Titans remake because I saw the original several times as a child and loved it. And I’m happy to report that this is a new, fresh and totally cool remake.
CAROLINE: I was fully prepared to hate it – I never saw the original and fantasy flicks really aren’t my bag. Plus it seemed like a total boy movie. So I’m shocked to say that I totally enjoyed it.
RYAN: I’m so happy! I knew you were liking it when I didn’t hear you snoring at all.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ Honestly, when it started, I almost leaned over to you and said, “I smell a nap.” I just assumed I would be bored to tears. But to the contrary, it was action packed and I really liked it. I was really into the storyline for the first few minutes, and I kept waiting for it to start sucking… but it never did.
RYAN: The main call to action to remake this film was the amazing advancements we’ve had in special effects since the 1981 original. This movie is in 3D, by the way, but it’s more like Alice in Wonderland than Avatar since it was shot in 2D and then transferred.
CAROLINE: Yeah, the 3D is nothing special, but the effects are great, of course. Much better than the Claymation style stuff from the original. There are a lot of serpentine and insect-like creatures in the movie. It’s almost gross at times.
RYAN: My absolute favorite part was the Medusa scene. She’s more CGI than realistic looking, but she was so cool. And I loved the three witches.
CAROLINE: They were very reminiscent of that creature from Pan’s Labyrinth.
RYAN: The cast is pretty major too – Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes.
CAROLINE: Not to mention Sam Worthington who can apparently only star in giant blockbusters with franchise potential.
RYAN: Seriously! He is who Shia LeBeouf thought he was going to become until he screwed up his hand. And he’s now at the top of the Hollywood list despite not being all that hot.
CAROLINE: And he’s not that great an actor either. But I guess there’s something about his look that casting directors love. I’m just glad that he was able to use his nebulous Australian/English voice in this movie and not attempt an American accent.
RYAN: The costumes are great, as are the sets. They really captured the history and sense of place.
CAROLINE: I was really into all the mythology, and could have stood even more of it. There were tons of fight scenes and lots of action, but I would have like a little more story. Though I can’t complain about the movie’s running time – it was barely an hour and forty minutes!
RYAN: It obviously surpasses the original in terms of effects, but it also tightens up the story a little and makes it more efficient. I loved the one very cute nod to the original, which was that owl prop.
CAROLINE: That was lost on me, obviously. I was so surprised that I was never bored during this movie. I really liked the first half hour and I kept figuring it would go downhill and turn into a boy movie; but I stayed engaged throughout. I think the fact that it wasn’t too long definitely helped.
RYAN: My heart was racing during some of the fight scenes. They’re so exciting. And I loved Ralph Fiennes as Hades with the red eyes and the smoke. He totally reminded me of Voldemort in that his character’s powers keep getting stronger, and he also used that whispery voice he uses in the Harry Potter movies. I actually wish he’d used a different voice so as to differentiate the character more.
CAROLINE: Liam Neeson was good but I was annoyed that his body glowed all the time, unless he was in disguise. That was distracting.
RYAN: Honey, he’s Zeus! How else do you want him to look?
CAROLINE: The only actress I didn’t love was the girl who played Andromeda. She’s supposed to be Helen-of-Troy-gorgeous, but she wasn’t nearly as pretty as the girl who Perseus is in love with.
RYAN: Totally! She was kind of average. She looks like a young Amy Irving.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: I’m so pleasantly surprised by this movie. I didn’t expect to like it all and I was planning on napping throughout, but I didn’t even close my eyes once. I was almost excited to hate this movie and argue with you about how bad it was; but I cannot. I was into it.
RYAN: I’m so glad of it. I really liked this movie too, as you knew I would, and not just because it’s fantasy. I liked it for its own merits. It’s a worthy update, though it’ll probably skew toward a younger audience. People were laughing at the cheesiness of some of the lines. But we weren’t; we were just enjoying it.
— RATING —
