While this endeavor has a rather distant connection to antiquity, it’s still an entertaining watch.
The gods decide to punish the inhabitants of the city of Argos. Perseus, a fisherman and the son of Zeus, who despises his tyrannical father, takes it upon himself to help the people expose the gods. Back in 1981, when the first “Clash of the Titans” was released – a fairy tale based on ancient Greek myths about a curly-haired hero rescuing a princess – critics genuinely admired the special effects.
The monsters, conceived and brought to life by Ray Harryhausen, remain the main attraction of that film, but for different reasons now: today, they appear endearingly touching. Whether it’s the Kraken, a plasticine Godzilla emerging from the sea, or the Gorgon Medusa with flashlights embedded in her eyes – they are irresistibly charming; their movements instantly evoke memories of something between “38 Parrots” and “Losharik.” Perhaps it was this innocent charm that inspired Louis Leterrier, but it was precisely what he sought to eradicate from the remake.
Clash of the Titans Remake
The gods here are somewhat shaggy and unkempt, Perseus looks more like an English football fan than a legendary hero, and Pegasus is inexplicably black instead of white (which seems like a parody of Hollywood’s “new darkness”). Leterrier portrays the gods as idle, pompous beings who feed on human prayers and worry that the impudent humans are about to stop feeding them.
Perseus, the most audacious of mortals, openly despises his father Zeus and uncle Hades. He is unfamiliar with ancient Greek eschatology and doesn’t consider for a moment that confronting both is somewhat risky – after death, he will inevitably have to go either to his father on Olympus or to his uncle’s gloomy realm. On the other hand, what’s the big deal? They’re family, after all; they’ll sort it out somehow. For the hot-tempered but forgiving atheist Leterrier, the fun aspect with toothy monsters is far more important than any mythology.