CLASH OF THE TITANS

Perseus, locked as a newborn in a box with his dead mother and thrown into the sea, is rescued and raised by a family of fishermen. Now an adult, during a fishing session near the island of Argos, Perseus and his family are thrown into the sea by the intervention of the god Hades, angry because the citizens of Argos have destroyed the statue of Zeus, thus offending the gods. Perseus survives, but his family drowns. Devastated by grief and furious with Hades, the young man is taken to the court of the king of Argos, where the insults to the gods continue. Hades, furious with the insolence of men and intent on overturning the hierarchy in Olympus, then threatens the king and his subjects: if within the next few days they have not sacrificed the princess Andromeda to the gods, he will unleash the terrible Kraken against Argos. At this point, Perseus, who has discovered he is the son of Zeus, is sent with a group of brave warriors in search of a weapon capable of stopping Hades and his creature. "Clash of the Titans" version 2010 is a controversial object. Remake of a poorly aged children's film that has since become a cult ("Clash of the Titans" by Desmond Davis, dated 1981) and directed by the good Louis Leterrier with massive use of computer-generated visual effects, "Clash of the Titans" was practically slaughtered by critics everywhere, yet very appreciated by the public, who rewarded it with a box office of nearly 200 million dollars in the United States alone. Where did all this hatred come from? Easy to say: from the unmotivated untouchable cult status of the original film and above all from the fact that "Clash of the Titans" was presented with a fake and annoying 3D conversion as few. In the opinion of the writer, however, Leterrier ("Transporter: Extreme"; "The Incredible Hulk") did a great job, a mythological fantasy like we haven't seen in a long time, of course updated to new technologies and the needs of the modern public, but genuine, fun and full of that sense of spectacle that is found less and less in contemporary American blockbusters. "Clash of the Titans" is a mythological hodgepodge just like the old monster movies it is inspired by; forget about the relevance to Greek literature as it is studied in school and get ready for a long adventure where the important thing is to put in heroes and monstrous creatures, just as it happened in the 1960s films made by Ray Harryhausen. Harpies, giant scorpions, freaks, cannibal witches, the infernal ferryman Charon, the gorgon Medusa and of course the Kraken. Many creatures well realized in CGI or with traditional makeup that pace a story undoubtedly derivative and simplistic giving it a great rhythm. The clash with Medusa, the most famous and successful moment of the 1981 film, is also here among the most memorable moments, thanks to a good management of tension and also to a gorgon made digitally but incredibly well done. The only flaw in "Clash of the Titans" is the caricature-like characterization of the gods, starting with Hades, an excessive Ralph Fiennes (also in look) who cannot be taken seriously even for a second. In the cast stand out Sam Worthington ("Avatar", "Terminator Salvation"), perfectly at ease in the role of the flawless and fearless hero Perseus, Gemma Arterton ("Prince of Persia"), beautiful embodiment of the priestess Io, Mads Mikkelsen ("Casino Royale"; "Valhalla Rising") who is the gruff but valiant Draco and the chameleonic Jason Flemyng ("Solomon Kane"; "X-Men: The Beginning"), who plays the wicked king Acrisius turned into the monstrous Calibos. Compared to the old "Clash of the Titans", this remake is darker and more adult, with several violent moments (the clashes with Calibos, especially) and gruesome ones (the scene of the witches). An explicit declaration of tone change is the fleeting appearance of the mechanical owl of the 1981 film, an elementary element par excellence that wanted to recall the C3-P8 of "Star Wars", here in a cameo and immediately set aside by the protagonists of the story. Obviously avoid the converted 3D version, which adds nothing and if we want damages the success of the film. All in all "Clash of the Titans" is a beautiful adventure film, packed with monsters and beautiful action scenes... of course it must be seen with the right spirit and if you are looking for a spectacle of healthy entertainment, the film by Louis Leterrier is highly recommended. Add half a pumpkin.