Released in the summer of 1981, Clash Of The Titans was the
final fantasy film that legendary special effects master Ray Harryhausen worked
on before he retired from making movies. Harryhausen's forte was the technique
of stop-motion animation, where he made life-like models of monsters and other
creatures come to life by painstakingly moving them one frame at a time, so that
when the film is run, it appears they are truly moving on their own.
Harryhausen's decision to retire became prophetic: for just one year after the
released of Titans came Tron, a movie that heralded the arrival of
computer-created special effects. Yet the work of Ray Harryhausen is such that
it still stands the test of time even twenty-four years after the release of his
last film.
Taking place in the times of ancient Greece, Clash Of The Titans uses the
legend of Perseus as the starting point for its story, at the point where the
leader of Argos, Perseus' grandfather, tosses the infant into the sea along with
his mother. However, Zeus, the lord of Olympus, sees this and is not pleased. He
orders Poseidon to guide the casket that contains Perseus and his mother to
safety. Once this is done, Zeus then orders Poseidon to destroy the city of
Argos as punishment, using the might of the Kraken, a huge underwater beast.
Eventually Perseus grows to adulthood, where he yearns for a quest. He soon gets
his wish in spades when he comes to the aid of the Princess Andromeda, who
suffered under a curse. Yet Perseus' prince charming act only serves to enrage a
goddess on Mount Olympus, and she decrees that Andromeda must be sacrificed to
the Kraken by the end of the month, or else her home city of Jappos will be
destroyed. This sends Perseus on a major quest to save his beloved's life, which
eventually brings him face to face with Medusa, and the invincible Kraken itself.
Clash Of The Titans is a fun, well-made movie that serves very nicely as Ray
Harryhausen's last cinematic hurrah. While the story is a bit slow at first,
it gains momentum as we meet each of Harryhausen's monsters one by one. The
cast is one of the finest to populate a Harryhausen film: Claire Bloom, Maggie
Smith and Ursula Andress are three of the goddesses on Mount Olympus, with
acting legend Lawrence Olivier perfectly cast as Zeus. Burgess Meredith is
also superb as Ammon, an old playwright who serves as a sidekick to Perseus.
Harry Hamlin and Judi Bowker are a bit stiff as Perseus and Andromeda, yet the
film's well thought out screenplay uses all of Harryhausen's marvelous
creatures in such an extremely effective manner that it rightly makes Ray
Harryhausen the real star of the picture.
The DVD has pretty basic special features, yet they are very good in that they
provide an insight into the genius of Ray Harryhausen. "A Conversion With Ray
Harryhausen" briefly looks back over Harryhausen's career, but focuses mainly
on his work in Titans. "Map Of Myths And Monsters" takes a closer look at each
of the monsters seen in the film, with Harryhausen's comments on how they were
designed and made. The "Cast & Crew List" only allows you to view Hamlin and
Olivier's credits, and there's a trailer for the film. All in all, Clash Of The
Titans is a fun flick that will revive the golden memories of Saturday afternoon
matinees for some, while creating new precious memories for others.
--SF
Main Review Page | Fantasy |Email Me |Buy This DVD Right Here!
