.: Roberts' Reviews - Movie Reviews :.

What better way to celebrate the holiday representing the crucifixion of the religious Christ than to head out to the local theatre to catch a movie about false gods.

Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 Ray Harryhausen classic (more of a cult film than a classic, but…) film that starred a young Harry Hamlin in the lead role as Perseus and brought the Greek mythological characters of Medusa and Zeus to the big screen.

For 2010, Sam 'there-is-no-blockbuster-I-won't-do' Worthington steps into the lead role as Perseus, the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson playing Marlon Brando a la Superman) who goes on a journey that will have him confronting giant scorpions, Medusa on a bad hair day and a giant sea creature known as the Kracken. Sounds incredible. Add in some 3-D effects and even more so.

So, what happened?

Clash of the Titans is the first major disappointment in a summer line up that will have Iron Man 2, The Expendables, Inception and Nightmare on Elm Street all trying to prove their weight in box office bullshit. The first big event movie of the year is the one that usually tries to set the pace for its successors, but just as Wolverine: Origins accomplished one year ago, Clash lets down its audience and ends up being nothing more than a bunch of noise surrounded by a cool effect or stunt spattered here and there.

The story remains pretty close to the original. There is the scheming Calibos (Jason Flemyng) and even Pegasus the flying horse. Both these and most of the other returning characters benefit from the effects department which is light years removed from the stop animation of Harryhausen's original. The Medusa scenes, which take place in her dimly lit lair are a bit off though. With a film as large as Clash and with the budget thrown into the production, they could and should have done a better job with the character that was the highlight of the 1981 film.

The action sequences are pretty well executed and the sound created with smashing rocks or an awakened Kracken shook the theatre seats. But each action sequence played out as a single entity. It was as if there was an action sequence, then they shut down and just moved to another scene to start up again. There was no flow and each of the scenes played so independently that you almost expected a commercial break between each sequence.

Sam Worthington did a so-so job in the lead, but damned if I don't want to see this guy smile in a film sometime. He is always so intense or in such perilous situations that makes my ulcer ache in every film role he accepts.

Ralph Fiennes does a good job as Hades - god of the underworld and Liam Neeson is just not given anything to work with in a thankless paycheck role.

Louis Letterier directed Clash of the Titans and claimed to be a big fan of the original. Letterier is coming of the disappointing, The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton and his resume which includes Unleashed with Jet Li and Transporter 2 show that he just doesn't have what it takes (yet) to push a film over the top.

Most of the press surrounding Clash of the Titans during the winter months was in its transformation from 2-D to 3-D. The film was already in post production when Avatar started to break records and the film was quickly adapted to accommodate the 3-D format.

What Clash of the Titans accomplished with the extra few million in conversion, was it proved again that Avatar is an event unto itself. No other movie (not Alice in Wonderland, not How To Train Your Dragon) has been able to utilize the effect with such subtle force to involve an audience. Clash forces the 3-D. It just felt choppy and unnecessary.

Maybe the biggest complaint I can muster about the remake is that it wasn't any fun. The original, for all its flaws, was amusing. It didn't take itself too seriously. The same could not be said of the 2010 edition. Granted when hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake, maybe you can't take everything with a grain of salt (ironically, the script seems to be written on one). No one in the film nor in the theatre seemed to be relishing in the experience and for that, the film deserves a pan.