Christopher SoallClash of the Titans: A Review
April 8th 2010 19:09
For many people, the remake of 'Clash of the Titans' seemed to be the perfect fit. A high concept, high budget appropriation of a flawed, but well loved, piece of cinema. Of course, it was a high concept film back then, and the original should be applauded for its ambition.
The tone was set though in the 2010 remake, when the mechanical, tooting, R2-D2 like owl Bubos (from the original 'Clash') was picked up by one of the soldier's of Argos, and then put back in the box after instruction from one of his colleagues. This film is going to be nothing like the kitschy, tongue in cheek Harryhausen produced original.
The design of this remake is solid, if fairly unambitious; with the armour worn by Liam Neeson's Zeus and his deity colleagues looking like a throwback from the then hyper-contemporary but now hyper-dated 'Excalibur', and potentially awesome locations like the lair of Medusa looking like the poor and thin cousin of 'The Fellowship of The Ring's Mines of Moria - but it still has a suitable level of mystique and grandiosity for the genre that it attempts to fit into.
The aesthetics of the Titans too, are certainly a little different, but seem again, to lack any real originality; and everything from the Stygian Witches to the city smashing Kraken could have been lifted, in one form or another, from ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ or the troll market in ‘Hellboy 2’; and while my knowledge of classical cultures leaves much to be desired, it all looks a little bit un-Greek.
That could perhaps be forgiven, as many of the action set-pieces are thrilling; most notably the giant Scorpioks who attack demi-God Perseus and his band of men, and while the location perhaps could have been improved upon, the suspense that the characters are feeling in the lair of Medusa is, I think, fair to say, experienced by those in the audience too.
Sadly, though, this isn’t enough to save ‘Clash of the Titans’ from a fairly substantial level of mediocrity; where the first film perhaps suffered from getting ideas a little above its station, this doesn’t live up to the potential that was so richly abundant.
The motivation of all of the characters, not least Zeus, is a little ambiguous; and the potential for some real thematic connections between the characters is sadly wasted-whereas in the original the Gods were portrayed as jealous, petty and feuding; in this Zeus is a little pathetic and easily manipulated by his brother (although the idea of the Gods needing monuments and prayers to maintain their immortality is a refreshing stance). Perseus, while dimensionalised by the conflicting hatred of Hades for the murder of his family, and the privileges laid upon him for being the son of a God – isn’t ever really presented with a tough choice and his whole character just seems to be a little hollow. The ticking clock that is the backdrop for the quest doesn’t seem very credible, as Perseus just happens to find himself there and isn’t interested romantically in the person whose life is at stake – and there are certain irrational plotholes which make you want to tear your hair out (why would Hades have dominion over the Kraken, a sea monster, when Poseidon is introduced as a key character? Poseidon has no bearing on the rest of the film, and sits there, totally passive).
The presence of fringe characters, like Gemma Arterton’s Io, and the half-human, half tree Sheikh Sulieman, seems a little unnecessary. This is especially the case with Io, who is an awkward love interest for a character that, by his own perceived pathology, just isn’t interested in a romantic relationship. It all just seems a little bit tacked on.
It suffers a little bit too, from ill-advised use of cinematic language, with a bit too many 300-esque slow-motion shots and the handheld that is utilised is a bit of an uncomfortable ‘Man Bites Dog’ visual when the tropes of a man bites God would have provided a little bit more to the spectacle.
It is still, in spite of the many flaws, a couple of hours of enjoyable escapism, and for the most part, the quest is captivating – I just think that a little more could have been done to ensure that the audience really cared about the central characters, and would be really worried about the consequences of the quest if it failed.
Worth a look if you aren’t interested in creativity of storytelling or character, but like swords and sorcery, and some mean looking giant scorpions.
The tone was set though in the 2010 remake, when the mechanical, tooting, R2-D2 like owl Bubos (from the original 'Clash') was picked up by one of the soldier's of Argos, and then put back in the box after instruction from one of his colleagues. This film is going to be nothing like the kitschy, tongue in cheek Harryhausen produced original.
The design of this remake is solid, if fairly unambitious; with the armour worn by Liam Neeson's Zeus and his deity colleagues looking like a throwback from the then hyper-contemporary but now hyper-dated 'Excalibur', and potentially awesome locations like the lair of Medusa looking like the poor and thin cousin of 'The Fellowship of The Ring's Mines of Moria - but it still has a suitable level of mystique and grandiosity for the genre that it attempts to fit into.
The aesthetics of the Titans too, are certainly a little different, but seem again, to lack any real originality; and everything from the Stygian Witches to the city smashing Kraken could have been lifted, in one form or another, from ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ or the troll market in ‘Hellboy 2’; and while my knowledge of classical cultures leaves much to be desired, it all looks a little bit un-Greek.
Sadly, though, this isn’t enough to save ‘Clash of the Titans’ from a fairly substantial level of mediocrity; where the first film perhaps suffered from getting ideas a little above its station, this doesn’t live up to the potential that was so richly abundant.
The motivation of all of the characters, not least Zeus, is a little ambiguous; and the potential for some real thematic connections between the characters is sadly wasted-whereas in the original the Gods were portrayed as jealous, petty and feuding; in this Zeus is a little pathetic and easily manipulated by his brother (although the idea of the Gods needing monuments and prayers to maintain their immortality is a refreshing stance). Perseus, while dimensionalised by the conflicting hatred of Hades for the murder of his family, and the privileges laid upon him for being the son of a God – isn’t ever really presented with a tough choice and his whole character just seems to be a little hollow. The ticking clock that is the backdrop for the quest doesn’t seem very credible, as Perseus just happens to find himself there and isn’t interested romantically in the person whose life is at stake – and there are certain irrational plotholes which make you want to tear your hair out (why would Hades have dominion over the Kraken, a sea monster, when Poseidon is introduced as a key character? Poseidon has no bearing on the rest of the film, and sits there, totally passive).
The presence of fringe characters, like Gemma Arterton’s Io, and the half-human, half tree Sheikh Sulieman, seems a little unnecessary. This is especially the case with Io, who is an awkward love interest for a character that, by his own perceived pathology, just isn’t interested in a romantic relationship. It all just seems a little bit tacked on.
It suffers a little bit too, from ill-advised use of cinematic language, with a bit too many 300-esque slow-motion shots and the handheld that is utilised is a bit of an uncomfortable ‘Man Bites Dog’ visual when the tropes of a man bites God would have provided a little bit more to the spectacle.
It is still, in spite of the many flaws, a couple of hours of enjoyable escapism, and for the most part, the quest is captivating – I just think that a little more could have been done to ensure that the audience really cared about the central characters, and would be really worried about the consequences of the quest if it failed.
Worth a look if you aren’t interested in creativity of storytelling or character, but like swords and sorcery, and some mean looking giant scorpions.
| 44 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
