Sunday 3 May 2020

Clash of The Titans, director Loius Leterrier


Having recently read Stephen Fry's Mythos & Heroes books on Greek Mythology I had been looking for movies and TV shows to further my knowledge, or at least bring some of the stories I have just read to life.

This movie does none of that. It is a very poor effort, changing the story of the Hero Perseus in so many ways so as to render it unrecognisable from the traditional story told for countless generations. Being aware that myths are not facts, and a little creative license is allowed and even encouraged to bring to the silver screen, this goes so far past that it changes the core of the story.

Andromenda was Egyptian, not from Argos, Perseus never rode Pegasus, Medusa certainly didn't reside in the underworld requiring a trip on Charon's pleasure cruise. Pegasus was a unique horse, not merely part of a herd of impossible to tame flying horses. Perseus did meet Pegasus, when he beheaded his mother Medusa upon which time the winged horse sprung from her neck and flew off into the world where he eventualy met and be tamed by Bellerephon. 

Taking away the terrible changes to the myth, and the title (this takes place eons after the Titans were deposed by the Gods), this just isn't a good movie. Poorly acted, sloppily directed, some of the CGI is truly awful, the dialogue grates, and the less said about Liam Neeson's Zeus the better.

The only saving grave is Ralph Fiennes, who is wonderfully macabre as Hades, even though he plays no part in the story of Perseus in the original telling of this hero's story. Shoehorned in as an antagonist and steps up, but shouldn't be within a million miles of this nonsense. Fiennes and his underworld ruling counterpart.

Avoid if you can, and if you can't, may the Gods (not the Titans!!!) have mercy on your soul.

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