‘Clash of the Titans’ doesn’t offer much more than flash and battles

Sam Worthington is Perseus, the son of Zeus in the new action-adventure film. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

“Clash of the Titans” is the retelling of a tale from Greek mythology from director Louis Leterrier, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

This film tells the story of Perseus (Sam Worthington), the mortal son of Zeus who is unable to help his family in the struggle between the gods. The battles widen as Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes) unleash their armies on the earth.

Perseus takes it upon himself to lead a mission to stop Hades from destroying the city of Argos. By his side are Draco (Mads Mikkelsen) and Io (Gemma Arterton), who help him train for his undertaking.

On his journey, Perseus must confront creatures such as Medusa and giant scorpions until he reaches the kraken. Asked to leave the mortals and come to Olympus by his father Zeus, Perseus decides to take a stand to protect those he’s come to love and honor.

Even as the witches prophesy his fall, Perseus rises.

Final word: Worthington is worthy of the role of Perseus. He has the strong jaw line of determination – not to mention a great sword swing – and that screams warrior.

Neeson and Fiennes go head to head as the gods of Olympus and the underworld. Most of the actors in this film who are noteworthy are the characters themselves. Mikkelsen and Arterton are just as action oriented as the main character.
Other cast members  include Jason Flemyng as the king turned monster Calibos, Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, Luke Evans as Apollo, Vincent Regan as Kepheus, Danny Houston as Poseidon, and Natalia Vodianova as Medusa.

The original “Clash of the Titans” by director Desmond David in 1981 was a marvel of its day. Billed as an entertainment spectacular with Sir Lawrence Olivier as Zeus, the film garnered accolades by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.

It is also fun to see that the  new storytelling includes two of the beloved characters from the original film: Pegasus, the white winged horse, and Bubo, the mechanical owl.

Tubs of popcorn: I give “Clash of the Titans” three tubs of popcorn out of five. It is the basic premise of the 1981 film by the same name, so there is nothing new here except maybe the flash – let’s hope that flash isn’t in the pan.

The monsters are monstrous, the creatures are odd and there is nothing more fun than waiting for Zeus to stand tall and demand, “Release the kraken!” Once again I think 2-D is just fine for this film, so save the extra coinage for popcorn. Those on spring break looking for fun will find it.