Our ongoing series reviewing the greatest Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror movies. Note that these reviews may contain spoilers.
Directed by: Desmond Davis
Produced by: Ray Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer, John Palmer (associate producer)
Written by: Beverley Cross
Starring: Harry Hamlin, Sir Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith
Original Release: 1981
Reviewed by: Aaron Hammonds
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)
Synopsis: Our story begins with King Acrisius (Donald Houston) of Argos sealing his daughter Danae (Vida Taylor) and her infant son Perseus (the product of an affair with king of the gods Zeus [Sir Laurence Olivier]) in a box, essentially a coffin, and casting them to the sea. This act is witnessed by Zeus, who orders the god of the sea Poseidon (Jack Gwillim) to release the sea monster known as the Kraken to destroy Argos, and to see to it that Danae and her son are brought safely to a peaceful shore (Zeus sees to Acrisius’s death personally). As Perseus (Harry Hamlin) grows to manhood, Zeus is forced to punish Calibos (Neil McCarthy), son of the goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith), for his repeated cruelties against Zeus’s favorite creatures by making him a deformed creature of the marsh. This ends Calibos’s hopes of marrying the princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker), daughter of Queen Cassiopeia (Sian Phillips) of Joppa. Thetis promptly puts a curse on Joppa, forbidding Andromeda to marry until a suitor is able to solve a riddle asked of each of them. As for Perseus, Thetis is jealous of his favored treatment and deposits him in an amphitheater in Joppa. After meeting a playwright named Ammon (Burgess Meredith), Perseus is given gifts by his father to help him survive his stay in the cursed city: a helmet which renders its wearer invisible, a sword that can cut through virtually anything without damage, and a shield which he is told “will [one day] guard your life.” Perseus battles Calibos in the swamp and frees Joppa from its curse, but shortly after Thetis demands that Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken or the city of Joppa be destroyed. Perseus then has to go on a quest to find a way to destroy the Kraken before it destroys Argos or kills the woman he loves, a quest that will bring him face to face (so to speak) with the hideous and deadly Medusa.
Review/Commentary: In the late 1970′s there was an explosion of science fiction at the box office. Films such as Star Wars, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Superman , and Alien were introducing audiences to more sophisticated effects and more technology-oriented storytelling. Some filmmakers, however, yearned for the days of pure fantasy and escapism in cinema. A tribute to the glory days of the fantastic came in 1981 in the form of Clash of the Titans.
Ray Harryhausen, the producer of Clash of the Titans, was a pioneer in cinematic special effects. having worked on such classics as Mighty Joe Young, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Jason and the Argonauts. Although Harryhausen’s stop-motion techniques were seen by some in Hollywood as out-dated, he felt they were perfect for a mythological pseudo-swashbuckler like Clash. Harryhausen was always of the opinion that this was the primary kind of story films were invented to tell, anyway: larger-than-life epics with a perfect mixture of human drama and grand spectacle. With this, his final film before retiring, Harryhausen showed he still had the gift for telling a riveting story, even without computers.
The film was populated with some of the best actors in the business of the day. Sir Laurence Olivier was practically born to play Zeus, one of probably only two or three actors at the time qualified to play ruler of the universe. Maggie Smith is great as always as Thetis, the mother always making excuses for her bad seed of a son. Harry Hamlin is perfect as Perseus, striking a terrific balance between wide-eyed inexperience and boundless heroism. Burgess Meredith is cool as ever as the world-weary Ammon, the playwright who’s seen it all. Judi Bowker is beautiful but somewhat underused as Andromeda, the woman for whom men are willing to risk their lives. Ursula Andress is another beauty tragically underused as Aphrodite, quite convincing as the goddess of love (I still can’t get over her in that bikini outfit from Dr. No). Finally, Neil McCarthy evokes both dread and sympathy as Calibos, a villain whom we hate yet cannot help but pity.
The film did quite well, grossing just over $41 million on a $15 million budget. It definitely had a lasting impact, too: in 2010, Warner Bros released a 3-D remake of Clash of the Titans, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and complete with state-of-the-art CGI animation. The remake was a fun ride, but like most Bruckheimer productions, a little short on characted development and a little heavy on eye candy. For the full package, with just the right mix of action and drama, I’ll stick with the original…
Check out Aaron Hammonds’ blog Aaron’s Movie Madness where he reviews his favorite movies.
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