Posted by Eire Dreamer at 11:21pm Apr 4 '10I hated Clash of the Titans.
*waits for the obligatory "Hi Eire" from the crowd of faces.*
Ok, so maybe there's no "Movie Haters Anonymous". There should be! I would love to be able to voice, in a public (and offline) venue how much I hated this movie. Unfortunately, I run the decided risk of lynching, or at the very least being beaten into silent submission by those more excited about the movie.
It was great eye-candy. I liked that about it. And it was fun to see one of the actors I had a crush on as a child (ok, I'll admit it... two of them) in a role I could respect. And when I went to the movie, I should have known that, as a fan of both the original mythos and the original film, I wasn't going to be happy.
The special effects were impressive. The 3D (because that's the only way I'll see movies anymore... I'm hooked) was impressive... not spectacular, but impressive. I will be drooling over it once they can make it look truly 3-D, instead of like a pop-out book. That is neither here nor there, though. It's not really the filmmaker's fault if the technology isn't what it should be.
No, what I really struggled with was the story itself! I loved the Harryhausen/Davis film from 1981. It was cheesy, the story was simple (for a Greek myth, anyway!) and the acting was... British. Plus, I kinda had a thing for Maggie Smith when she was younger. It became one of my cult favorites, partly because while it wasn't true to the intricate details of the story of Perseus, it did a pretty good job of telling the basic myth. There were bits you could nitpick about (and I do, every time I watch it), but they're the little, inconsequential things. Issues that hardly make any difference when you stop to think about it.
The new movie, however, takes a completely different approach. Without going into much detail (I don't wish to spoil the movie for those who DO want to see it), the familial relationships between every major (and most minor) character is altered. Fathers and daughters are rewritten as husbands and wives, and vice versa. The feats of Perseus are given a much more human approach (to the point of refusing the gods' help left and right), but it doesn't really follow the story. The basics are there... at least some of them. Perseus (the illegitimate son of a god) kills Medusa, the Gorgon, and defeats a sea monster with her head, rescuing Andromeda. That's about the extent that they keep to the original myth. Seriously, that's IT. Anything else you know about Perseus, put it away before seeing this movie, or you will be hard-pressed to enjoy yourself.
Perhaps that is a little harsh, but it comes from a bitter disappointment. I am a great fan of Greek mythology. I am no expert, but neither am I a novice. And it upsets me when they cannot make a film true to the classic story. It is as if the original story isn't entertaining enough, isn't spectacular enough, isn't flashy enough. I'm sorry, but I prefer to see Andromeda tied to a rock, like she's supposed to be, than hanging in mid-air from what looks an awful lot like something found in an S&M bondage dungeon.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my rant on Clash of the Titans. See it in 3-D if you see it at all, but go into it without the expectations of the retelling of a classic story.
*waits for the obligatory "Hi Eire" from the crowd of faces.*
Ok, so maybe there's no "Movie Haters Anonymous". There should be! I would love to be able to voice, in a public (and offline) venue how much I hated this movie. Unfortunately, I run the decided risk of lynching, or at the very least being beaten into silent submission by those more excited about the movie.
It was great eye-candy. I liked that about it. And it was fun to see one of the actors I had a crush on as a child (ok, I'll admit it... two of them) in a role I could respect. And when I went to the movie, I should have known that, as a fan of both the original mythos and the original film, I wasn't going to be happy.
The special effects were impressive. The 3D (because that's the only way I'll see movies anymore... I'm hooked) was impressive... not spectacular, but impressive. I will be drooling over it once they can make it look truly 3-D, instead of like a pop-out book. That is neither here nor there, though. It's not really the filmmaker's fault if the technology isn't what it should be.
No, what I really struggled with was the story itself! I loved the Harryhausen/Davis film from 1981. It was cheesy, the story was simple (for a Greek myth, anyway!) and the acting was... British. Plus, I kinda had a thing for Maggie Smith when she was younger. It became one of my cult favorites, partly because while it wasn't true to the intricate details of the story of Perseus, it did a pretty good job of telling the basic myth. There were bits you could nitpick about (and I do, every time I watch it), but they're the little, inconsequential things. Issues that hardly make any difference when you stop to think about it.
The new movie, however, takes a completely different approach. Without going into much detail (I don't wish to spoil the movie for those who DO want to see it), the familial relationships between every major (and most minor) character is altered. Fathers and daughters are rewritten as husbands and wives, and vice versa. The feats of Perseus are given a much more human approach (to the point of refusing the gods' help left and right), but it doesn't really follow the story. The basics are there... at least some of them. Perseus (the illegitimate son of a god) kills Medusa, the Gorgon, and defeats a sea monster with her head, rescuing Andromeda. That's about the extent that they keep to the original myth. Seriously, that's IT. Anything else you know about Perseus, put it away before seeing this movie, or you will be hard-pressed to enjoy yourself.
Perhaps that is a little harsh, but it comes from a bitter disappointment. I am a great fan of Greek mythology. I am no expert, but neither am I a novice. And it upsets me when they cannot make a film true to the classic story. It is as if the original story isn't entertaining enough, isn't spectacular enough, isn't flashy enough. I'm sorry, but I prefer to see Andromeda tied to a rock, like she's supposed to be, than hanging in mid-air from what looks an awful lot like something found in an S&M bondage dungeon.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my rant on Clash of the Titans. See it in 3-D if you see it at all, but go into it without the expectations of the retelling of a classic story.