Clash of the Titans (1981)

Clash of the Titans released in 1981 was based on the Greek mythological story of Perseus. Anyone who studied Greek Mythology in high school would be familiar with this story, so I am not going to go into the plot of this film. This is a great film for anyone who is a fan of Greek Mythology, or the amazing special effect work of the amazing Ray Harryhausen, and this film follows in the footsteps of the classic Jason and the Argonauts, which I will be talking about much more in a future review. First off I love Greek mythology, and have always loved the amazing stories, and legends. This movie is so much fun to me because I get to see those amazing stories come alive beautifully upon the screen. Though, not all of it is quite as I imagined based on the descriptions in the myths themselves. Another flaw that has always bothered me is one of the most famous lines in the movie, spoken by Zues (Laurence Olivier), which is "Release the Kraken". The problem I have is this, first of all the Kraken is Norse mythology, NOT Greek mythology, the creature was originally supposed to be the Leviathan, but it was changed in production. The next issue with the Kraken is this, in Norse mythology the Kraken is a giant cephalopod-like sea monster (more akin to a giant Octopus or Squid), but as seen in the movie poster, it is more like a creature like that of the Black Lagoon, than what it is named after. The creature that Harryhausen did create is beautifully done though, and looks good on screen, even though it is totally NOT a Kraken. Another creature I had issue with is Medusa, how I pictured Medusa from the myths is a beautiful woman with snakes for hair, with a gaze that would turn people into stone, however the creature that is created for the movie looks more like how a Naga would appear in a D&D game. I don't like that she has a snake body, and a human face, I always pictured her more with the body of a beautiful human woman. I have mentioned how I love the special effect work of Ray Harryhausen that is used in this movie, but I also do understand and appreciate that to some movie viewers the effects used here might look quaint and dated, because the effects used are stop motion animation, which I love with all of my heart, and I appreciate the skill and the work that goes into it, this would end up being Harryhausen's final film, as with the new effect techniques that we were seeing in films like Star Wars and Superman would begin replacing the classic techniques used by effects artists like Harryhausen, the movie goers were ready for something bigger and more explosive than flying horses, and mythical creatures made out of clay. That fact actually saddens me, because I see the art that effects artists like Harryhausen a high form of art, and I appreciate the massive amount of time and work that goes into making stop motion animation scenes, which is why my favourite version of King Kong will always be the originals. However modern movie goers want smooth clean action that looks more real than real life, which is sadly why most effects in modern movies have all gone to digital, and some of the techniques that made movies so magical in the past have faded away, and some forgotten all together. So I love this movie, I get that many modern movie goers may find it boring and dated, but would challenge them to try to remove themselves from the over-stimulating world that we live in, mired in technology, and try to look at the magic, skill, and work that goes into making a movie like this. Sure the effects could look more realistic now, and though I haven't seen the reboot, I am sure that it succeeded in that, but I also feel that there is more of an organic magical feeling to watching a movie like this, by letting your imagination see what the filmmakers are creating, letting your brain make it real, rather than having it all painted out for you. I have said it before as a critique of modern movies that modern audiences have become lazy and expect the film makers to do all of the work for them, there is less need for imagination, when all of the action is presented in vivid realism, when all of the horror scenes are in graphic detail, when the monsters look more real than reality, when computer rendered people appear more human than human....you don't have to use your imagination when watching most modern movies, because everything is right there, in vivid detail, in all of its disgusting glory. This movie is one of the last of it's era, one of the last movies to use these now archaic styles of special effects, that required the audience to engage their imagination, where the effects look far more real to those who engage that imagination, and those without one fail to see the magic. I guess for those who don't agree with me on this, that's fine, I will always be a fan of older movies and practical effects, and that is also fine. But maybe I could interest you into seeing this movie by telling you that Maggie Smith ( Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter) plays the role of Thetis, or that this movie also stars Burgess Meredith (Penguin from the Adam West Batman, he was also in Grumpy Old Men, and the original Of Mice and Men) as Ammon, and then of course there is the legendary Laurence Olivier as Zeus. So there are definitely some amazing actors used in this film. Also the beautiful Andromeda (Judi Bowker) is definitely worth watching alone. Honestly I think the acting in this film is really well done, and the characters were well cast. As far as reviews go this film has a lot of mixed reviews, and I feel that it being released in 1981 might have actually hurt peoples view on it a bit, because after seeing special effects heavy movies like Star Wars and Superman, this movie looks dated and behind the times, and thought that saddens me, many film goers were ready to move on to more exciting visuals. I think if this film came out just 10 years sooner it would probably been a much bigger hit, with far more positive reviews. Would I recommend this film? Yes, definitely, I would recommend it to anyone taking a Greek Mythology class, and feel that there are some great compare and contrast paper writing ideas there. But I also recommend this movie to anyone who likes classic practical effects, and who doesn't let outdated technology ruin their ability to enjoy a film. I think this movie is pure magic and wish I could share with everyone what I see when I watch it.