In 1981 a classic fantasy movie by the name of “Clash Of The Titans” was released and was a box-office hit. Directed by Desmond Davis and a cast of Laurence Olivier as the king of the gods Zeus, Ursula Andress as Aphrodite and Harry Hamlin as Perseus, though the effects look a little clunky now by today’s standards, still was a huge hit and now has a cult following.
This movie combined the stories of Greek and roman mythology and follows the adventures of Perseus on his quest to battle Medusa and the Kraken Monster to save the princess Andromeda. Perseus is the half human son of the God Zeus and has falling in love with Andromeda, who use to be engaged to Acrisius/Calibos, the son of the goddess Thetis (Whom Zeus has unwittingly ticked off) who are both unhappy with this and try in their power to stop Perseus.
Calibos takes Andromeda prisoner who has to be sacrificed in order that The Kraken not be released. So Perseus has to find and kill the horrible beast Medusa because Medusa’s head is the only thing that can kill the dreaded Kraken. So unfolds a great tale of adventure and action and is why combined with great story telling, is a very enjoyable movie.
There are a lot of Mythical characters involved in this story, some good and some bad, typical tale of good versus evil with good triumphant in the end and is a must-see for any child or adult alike.
In 2010 with the new fad of remaking great movies, “Clash Of The Titans” was remade with CGI and 3D and directed by Louis Leterrier. With a cast of Liam Neeson as the leader of the gods of mount Olympus, Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as the god of the Underworld, The bearded Hades, and the hero himself Perseus was played by Sam Worthington.
A cool fact for this movie was involving Sam Worthington. He apparently never wore sandals while filming, instead he painted toes on his Nikes so he could perform his stunts better, funny. The movie was not popular amongst critics but I found it highly entertaining, full of adventure, a little over the top in graphics, but sure the first movie was not popular with critics also and to me it’s a classic, so hard to please everyone.
Wrath of the Titans is the new installment and yet to see it. But, when looking for entertainment of the sorts, I can not help but turn back to the original 1981 classic to remind me of my childhood and the enjoyment of simple movie making.
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