Best movie of this year hands down!

hyped garbage

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Inspired by the figures of Greek mythology, "Clash of the Titans" tells the tale of Perseus (Harry Hamlin), the mortal son of the god Zeus (who else but Laurence Olivier). In order to meet his destiny, Perseus will be made to face one challenge after another. Zeus and other gods offer assistance at every opportunity, although Perseus's mission will be hindered by the vengeful god Thetis (Maggie Smith), whose son Calibos was turned into a freak for his misdeeds.Yes, "Clash of the Titans" '81 is most likely to appeal to the young and young at heart, who should experience a fair amount of wonder. It might not be meaty enough or intense enough for more adult viewers, but overall it's still an engaging, well produced, well shot (on locations in Spain, Italy, and Malta) fantasy adventure. Production design, cinematography, and music are all assets. It does have some mighty fine sequences, especially the taming of the winged horse Pegasus, and the terrifying showdown with the gorgon Medusa, the hideous beast who turns living things to stone if they look at her face.This has a first rate cast of veterans. Olivier is somewhat hammy, but not unbearably so. Also appearing are Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress, Jack Gwillim, Burgess Meredith, Sian Phillips, and Flora Robson. Some don't get to do a whole lot, but Smith is fun as one of the antagonists of the piece. Then-newcomers Hamlin and beautiful Judi Bowker as his love interest Andromeda aren't great actors, but they have enough appeal going for them. Neil McCarthy is quite good, buried under heavy makeup as the evil Calibos.The real star of the movie, though, as anyone would tell you, is special effects legend Ray Harryhausen. His stop motion visuals are once again a joy to behold, and his characters have a charm that even the best CGI can't touch. The one "immortal" for whom some viewers may have little to no patience is the mechanical owl Bubo, who's just a little too precious.It may not be terribly faithful to actual Greek mythology, but one shouldn't really expect history lessons from escapist entertainment like this anyway.Seven out of 10.

Fantasy adventure classic that tells the story of the Greek hero Perseus (Harry Hamlin) and features the last film work of legendary stop-motion effects wizard, Ray Harryhausen. In a way, it's a loving tribute to a kind of movie that had died out by 1981. We still have attempts to make these types of movies today (even a remake of this film), but the results are not the same. I'm not saying they aren't sometimes enjoyable in their way but CGI just doesn't have the charm and appeal of old-school special effects. The focus today is on realism, not imagination. Frankly, trying to tell a story that involves gods, winged horses, and Medusa "realistically" makes no sense to me. Embrace the fantasy or just avoid it altogether and make another movie about cops or drug dealers. The cast here is good, even Harry Hamlin. Yes, some of these great older actors appear to be slumming but they all treat the material seriously and refrain from hamming it up. There's a lesson that could be taught to today's cynical thespians, I think. Mini-rants aside, this is a very fun movie for those who enjoy old-fashioned sword & sandal movies and classic special effects. Fans of Greek mythology should have a field day with it, as well.

King Acrisius of Argos sends his daughter and her son Perseus off in a wooden coffin. An angry Zeus (Laurence Olivier) releases the Kraken to destroy Argos. Perseus is saved and grows up in safety. Calibos is the son of sea goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith) engaged to Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker). However Calibos hunted Zeus's sacred flying horses and he is transformed into a monstrous satyr. In revenge, Thetis leaves Perseus (Harry Hamlin) to chance abandoned in Joppa while cursing Andromeda. Perseus is aided by an old poet named Ammon (Burgess Meredith). Zeus sends Perseus a helmet of invisibility from Athena (Susan Fleetwood), a sword from Aphrodite (Ursula Andress), and a shield from Hera (Claire Bloom). He captures Pegasus and answers the riddle of Andromeda breaking her curse. However Thetis is insulted at the wedding and commands that Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken.It is the end of Ray Harryhausen's era as stop motion photography fades in light of the new computer technology. It is the last and finest example of his work. This has great old fashion actors doing their best to give this movie substance. The story is a little bit complicated but the expositions do a good job. The movie just works. It's high adventure on a grand scale like old Hollywood.

"Clash of the Titans" execution continues to baffle me. Ray Harryhausen returns to work his magic, and his swan song remains an utter spectacle. However, with masters of the acting profession such as Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith and Burgess Meredith etc. Why would you include a majority of others that really cannot convince or emote properly? Regardless, none of these type of movies where entirely scripted too well, but everything that came before prior feels more timeless.The performances in this film are shockingly wooden, but Harryhausen's effects are still A-class. It's really sad when the creatures perform better than the actual actors.Final Verdict: Medusa's lair is still by far the best part of the movie, but to get to it is quite a burden. 6/10.