Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW
Clash of the Titans
also known as “Borba Titana,” “Fúria de Titãs,” “Furia de Titanes,” “Furia de titanes,” “Kampf der Titanen,” “Le choc des Titans,” See all »
MPA Rating:
for fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality.
for fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality.
Reviewed by: Michael Karounos
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Better than Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Kids Teens Adults |
| Genre: | Action Adventure Fantasy Thriller 3D Drama Remake |
| Length: | 1 hr. 58 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2010 |
| USA Release: |
April 2, 2010 (wide—3,600+ theaters) DVD: July 27, 2010 |
Relevant Issues
kings in the Bible
demons in the Bible
Greece in the Bible
Hades and Hell
Hades in the Bible
Is there an actual place called “Hell”? Answer
Why was Hell made? Answer
Is there anyone in Hell today? Answer
Will there literally be a burning fire in Hell? Answer
What should you be willing to do to stay out of Hell? Answer
How can a God of love send anybody to Hell? Answer
What if I don’t believe in Hell? Answer
THE GOOD NEWS—How to be saved from Hell. Answer
Our true God’s traits
grace and means of grace
salvation by grace alone, not your efforts—Go
How can we know there’s a God? Answer
What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer
If God made everything, who made God? Answer
Do you understand God’s Story? Take a multimedia journey through the Bible, from Creation to eternity. Hear and read an exciting summary of the Bible’s most important records, in chronological order.
Discover the good news that Jesus Christ offers
Why is the world the way it is? If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this? (filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty) Answer
Discover God’s promise for all people—told beautifully and clearly from the beginning. Discover The HOPE! Watch it on Christian Answers—full-length motion picture.
| Featuring | Sam Worthington (Perseus), Ralph Fiennes (Hades), Liam Neeson (Zeus), Gemma Arterton (Io), Alexa Davalos (Andromeda), Nicholas Hoult (Eusabios), Danny Huston (Poseidon), Izabella Miko (Athena), Jason Flemyng (Acrisius), Kaya Scodelario (Peshet), Mads Mikkelsen (Draco), Polly Walker (Cassiopeia), Nathalie Cox (Artemis), Tamer Hassan (Ares), Luke Evans (Apollo), See all » |
| Director |
Louis Leterrier “The Incredible Hulk,” “Unleashed,” “Transporter 2” |
| Producer | Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Thunder Road Pictures (as Thunder Road Film), The Zanuck Company, Kevin De La Noy, William Fay, Lynn Harris, Basil Iwanyk, Jon Jashni, Karl McMillan, Thomas Tull |
| Distributor |
“Between gods and men, the clash begins.”
This is the first in a trilogy of movies. The second is “Wrath of the Titans” (2012).
“Clash of the Titans” is a revenge fable which begins with the Olympian gods’ conquest of the Titans. Zeus (Liam Neeson) apportions the seas to his brother Poseidon, the Earth to his creation, Man, and the underworld he tricks Hades (Ralph Fiennes) into taking. Zeus also sleeps with a mortal queen, which makes the king angry, and, to add to the whole revenge vibe, men of Argos topple a giant statue of Zeus whose unintended consequence causes Perseus (Sam Worthington) to seek revenge on Hades (who is seeking revenge on Zeus).
If you understood that paragraph, you’re qualified to watch the movie. Of course, it isn’t a great movie, but the cast is stellar, with Ralph Fiennes turning in the best performance. The roles are so big (being a “god” and all) that a smart actor understands the plot will furnish the character’s stature, and one needn’t put so much energy into the personality. Liam Neeson could have taken a lesson from Fiennes and been more intense, without being so bombastic. Worthington is, also, good and smolders intensely in all the right places, as does Mads Mikkelsen as Draco. The primary women’s roles are played by Gemma Arterton (Io) and Alexa Davalos (Andromeda). Both are beautiful, and director Louis Leterrier takes the high road by keeping the movie suitable for young children. The only part that is perhaps inappropriate is that of Medusa (Natalia Vodianova), but, after all, she is a monster.
The writing is not terrible, and the special effects, with the exception of the giant scorpions, are decent. The only part of the movie that struck a discordant tone is that of the two hunters, included for comedic relief. A movie like this doesn’t need comedy, as the whole thing is silly to begin with. To try and make it funny produces a ridiculous, not a humorous, effect.
Still, to be overly critical of a story like this is to take it too seriously. It’s purely a popcorn movie and should be enjoyed for its emotional ride, not for its direction or character development. It retains almost all of the features of the original, except for Perseus’ helmet and shield. There’s even a wry homage to the original.
Ironically, for a Christian audience, the “Clash of the Titans” is perhaps more interesting in its humanistic exposition than it is in its action. There are many throwaway lines that have significance, as when we learn that it is Man’s prayers which “give the gods immortality.” Zeus thrives on Man’s worship, while Hades thrives on Man’s hatred. Zeus (the “father”) says: “I wanted man to worship us again, but not at the cost of a son.” While Hades says, “Let me loose upon them, and they will pray again.” One wants Man’s love; the other wants Man’s fear.
This conflict between the good and evil principle in the gods leads men to conclude that the gods, taken as a whole, are not good for men. Rebelliousness spreads among the common people, characterized by the feeling: “A new era has begun: the era of man.” In keeping with this theme, Perseus insists on doing everything as a man, and not as a god, in order to enact his revenge. As a god-man, Perseus is very much a type of Prometheus or of Jesus, but the irony is that he cannot accomplish his mission as a mere man and must use his godly capacities to overcome the gods and demigods he encounters.
In the end, he redeems Andromeda, enables the resurrection of another character, and frees Mankind from the dual tyranny of either worshipping or fearing the gods. Ultimately, it is a devoutly humanistic conception, summed up by a human character’s statement: “We are the gods now.”
I am an imperfect judge of any given movie’s appeal, but I suspect “Clash of the Titans” is best for children 6 to 12. Youths older than 12 will find the movie less challenging than the video games they play every day, and children younger than 6 simply won’t understand it or will be frightened by it.
Christian parents can use the movie as a teachable moment to contrast the failure of Zeus as a god who is vain, lascivious, and selfish, with the Christian god who selflessly sends his son to die for mankind. Parents won’t have any problem explaining Hades as the god of fire, smoke, and demons.
Violence: Heavy to Extreme / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: Moderate
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Positive
Positive—My 17 year old son and I went and saw this in 2-D. I had read a lot of reviews about the 3-D, and none were good. Lots of complaints about taking glasses off, putting them back on repeatedly. Apparently the movie was made in 2-D, then the 3-D was put in as an afterthought. Huge difference in the cost seeing the 2-D!
We enjoyed the movie, being mythology based. It held pretty good to the original story, and for those of you who have seen the original “stop-and-go” action FX, this beats it. Hollywood, of course, did some embellishments/changes, but it was fun to watch.
No sexual innuendoes or actions, don’t remember hearing a swear word, and everyone kept their clothing on.
Basically, the story has to do with Zeus and the other “gods” being unhappy that they are not being worshipped enough, that man is not looking to them much less at them. And, man is becoming unhappy with how the “gods” are treating them (or not treating them). People are starving, the “gods” cause war’s here and there for their amusement etc.
Now, this hits right on a good conversation about God, and what He expects from us, or what can we, should we expect from Him. That being, what does “our” God want from us as far as worship and praise. What are the reprisals or repercussions if He doesn’t believe there is enough, or, does God, a “being” we have absolutely no comprehension of, “allow” the things on this Earth happen, wars, famine, poverty etc. Who is to have the say that God isn’t worshipped enough. And, if God is “good” why should it matter if He loves us? Does He (or why does He) allow the massive earthquakes that have happened (2 of which shifted the Earth off axis slightly, and slowed it by a few microseconds. Microseconds not a long time for us, but for the Earth’s rotation, well…), the eruptions that are going on in different areas, 3 or 4 of which were climate changers in the not too distant past.
We Christians claim God is good, however, we do not comprehend what kind of “good” He is. After all, how can we, mere humans, comprehend a being who created the universe, much less the planet we live on. Is God “good” because of “good” things that happen in our lives (our definitions of good being so varied, and probably very different of God’s definition)? Or is He “good” because He is God?
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
We enjoyed the movie, being mythology based. It held pretty good to the original story, and for those of you who have seen the original “stop-and-go” action FX, this beats it. Hollywood, of course, did some embellishments/changes, but it was fun to watch.
No sexual innuendoes or actions, don’t remember hearing a swear word, and everyone kept their clothing on.
Basically, the story has to do with Zeus and the other “gods” being unhappy that they are not being worshipped enough, that man is not looking to them much less at them. And, man is becoming unhappy with how the “gods” are treating them (or not treating them). People are starving, the “gods” cause war’s here and there for their amusement etc.
Now, this hits right on a good conversation about God, and what He expects from us, or what can we, should we expect from Him. That being, what does “our” God want from us as far as worship and praise. What are the reprisals or repercussions if He doesn’t believe there is enough, or, does God, a “being” we have absolutely no comprehension of, “allow” the things on this Earth happen, wars, famine, poverty etc. Who is to have the say that God isn’t worshipped enough. And, if God is “good” why should it matter if He loves us? Does He (or why does He) allow the massive earthquakes that have happened (2 of which shifted the Earth off axis slightly, and slowed it by a few microseconds. Microseconds not a long time for us, but for the Earth’s rotation, well…), the eruptions that are going on in different areas, 3 or 4 of which were climate changers in the not too distant past.
We Christians claim God is good, however, we do not comprehend what kind of “good” He is. After all, how can we, mere humans, comprehend a being who created the universe, much less the planet we live on. Is God “good” because of “good” things that happen in our lives (our definitions of good being so varied, and probably very different of God’s definition)? Or is He “good” because He is God?
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
J. Combs, age 56 (USA)
See: Goodness and the goodness of God
Positive—I saw this on opening night in anticipation. The curtains came up and the fun began! The CGI was amazing, acting was decent, and story was straight and to the point. Though the actors were not very complex, they still served a purpose and had a goal. Perseus' moral journey goes from simple revenge on Hades, to trying to save mankind itself.
Spiritually I got very little out of it. While there is a vast amount of violence and some very intense moments that might scare little children (5-10), the movie is much cleaner than what’s available right now in theaters. There is little to any offensive language, with the exceptions of “hell” or a d***. I wasn’t offended by the concept of “the gods” due to it being a fictional Greek Mythology story, which parents should explain to their younger kids before going to see it.
I was also relieved by there not being any sexual content (which ruined many similar movies to this, such as 300). There is a romance subplot in the story (I won’t spoil it) that is clean and nonsensual.
Overall, a very good clean movie that I am anticipating to own on DVD or possibly Blue-ray due to the amazing special effects. The movie has a very straight forward plot and goal and sometimes that’s all a movie really needs to be great and entertain audiences. I only wish more movies were made more like this. You don’t need swearing every 5 minutes or presenting inappropriate sensual images of women to make a successful film. “Clash of the Titans” is proof of that!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Spiritually I got very little out of it. While there is a vast amount of violence and some very intense moments that might scare little children (5-10), the movie is much cleaner than what’s available right now in theaters. There is little to any offensive language, with the exceptions of “hell” or a d***. I wasn’t offended by the concept of “the gods” due to it being a fictional Greek Mythology story, which parents should explain to their younger kids before going to see it.
I was also relieved by there not being any sexual content (which ruined many similar movies to this, such as 300). There is a romance subplot in the story (I won’t spoil it) that is clean and nonsensual.
Overall, a very good clean movie that I am anticipating to own on DVD or possibly Blue-ray due to the amazing special effects. The movie has a very straight forward plot and goal and sometimes that’s all a movie really needs to be great and entertain audiences. I only wish more movies were made more like this. You don’t need swearing every 5 minutes or presenting inappropriate sensual images of women to make a successful film. “Clash of the Titans” is proof of that!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Joshua, age 21 (USA)
Positive—“Clash of the Titans” is a popcorn blockbuster that more than lives up to the hype. Whether or not the critics love it (and most of them don’t), I found it an engaging and thought-provoking twist on classic mythology.
I also discovered many interesting things to consider within the story—primarily the dramatic differences between these tyrannical, vengeful (and often rapist) gods, and the God I happen to serve. These gods become stronger through the “worship” of mortals; mine did not create me to further His ego. These gods “take” whatever they want; mine extends blessings. There is no heaven for mortals in this realm; there is only the underworld, unlike what I believe. And Zeus, toward the end, states that he was not willing to save humanity at the cost of his son—well, my God was willing to make that sacrifice. There are also subtle but profound symbolic references to Christ in the form of Perseus: his demigod status (mortal mother and a god for a father), his being appointed as the “savior” of humanity, his trip into the underworld, and his eventual defeat of Hades.
I walked out of the theater with several thoughts on my mind. First, how cool the movie was to watch. It’s just beautiful, and I loved the immense pleasure of seeing such a terrific bunch of actors work together. Second, with a newfound interest in mythology and the desire to know more about the culture that invented such remarkable stories of courage and sacrifice. Third, the symbolism and my awareness and appreciation for my own faith became apparent. I am glad to serve a God who created me entirely out of love, who has a purpose for my life, who does not “feed off” my prayers in order to grow stronger, who never preys on women as so many of these gods do, and who above all was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for my salvation.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
I also discovered many interesting things to consider within the story—primarily the dramatic differences between these tyrannical, vengeful (and often rapist) gods, and the God I happen to serve. These gods become stronger through the “worship” of mortals; mine did not create me to further His ego. These gods “take” whatever they want; mine extends blessings. There is no heaven for mortals in this realm; there is only the underworld, unlike what I believe. And Zeus, toward the end, states that he was not willing to save humanity at the cost of his son—well, my God was willing to make that sacrifice. There are also subtle but profound symbolic references to Christ in the form of Perseus: his demigod status (mortal mother and a god for a father), his being appointed as the “savior” of humanity, his trip into the underworld, and his eventual defeat of Hades.
I walked out of the theater with several thoughts on my mind. First, how cool the movie was to watch. It’s just beautiful, and I loved the immense pleasure of seeing such a terrific bunch of actors work together. Second, with a newfound interest in mythology and the desire to know more about the culture that invented such remarkable stories of courage and sacrifice. Third, the symbolism and my awareness and appreciation for my own faith became apparent. I am glad to serve a God who created me entirely out of love, who has a purpose for my life, who does not “feed off” my prayers in order to grow stronger, who never preys on women as so many of these gods do, and who above all was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for my salvation.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Charity Bishop, age 26 (USA)
Positive—The much-anticipated remake of “Clash Of The Titans” roared into theaters in 2-D and 3-D, and it more than lived up to my expectations. The story from the first movie has been expanded thoroughly, and given a few twists which make it different from the original film. Sam Worthington (“Terminator: Salvation”) was perfectly cast as Perseus, as was Gemma Atterton as Io, Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades (interestingly, this movie marks the first time Neeson and Fiennes have been on screen together since Steven Spielberg’s epic drama “Schindler’s List”). Everyone was cast to a perfect T in this film.
The music is nothing less than epic. The 3-D effects are AWESOME. It’s so worth spending the extra money to view it in 3-D. Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”) has done it again, crafting a solid film from a taut screenplay.
***SPOILER WARNINGS*** I’ve only a few minor quibbles: for one thing, I noticed that several scenes in the trailer (including one where Andromeda says to Perseus, “This isn’t your fight” and he replies, “Someone has to take a stand”) were cut from the movie. I HATE IT when that happens. Hopefully, the deleted scenes will be included on the DVD with director and or screenwriter commentary.
Secondly, I was disappointed that Medusa didn’t speak in this version (though the additional screaming was perfect).
Thirdly, I would have liked a flashback, showing Medusa before Athena transformed her into the creature we see in the temple (she was still beautiful until she screamed; I had no problem with her still being beautiful, though).
Fourthly, and lastly, the film could have been about 30-60 minutes longer, with some more character development.
***SPOILERS OVER***
On a Biblical perspective, there’s, of course, the usual violence associated with Greek mythology, but it’s relatively bloodless, an implied sexual encounter and a few minor and one strong expletive. It’s Greek mythology, so Christian viewers should keep that in mind when seeing this movie. The film should have been rated PG instead of PG-13.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
The music is nothing less than epic. The 3-D effects are AWESOME. It’s so worth spending the extra money to view it in 3-D. Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”) has done it again, crafting a solid film from a taut screenplay.
***SPOILER WARNINGS*** I’ve only a few minor quibbles: for one thing, I noticed that several scenes in the trailer (including one where Andromeda says to Perseus, “This isn’t your fight” and he replies, “Someone has to take a stand”) were cut from the movie. I HATE IT when that happens. Hopefully, the deleted scenes will be included on the DVD with director and or screenwriter commentary.
Secondly, I was disappointed that Medusa didn’t speak in this version (though the additional screaming was perfect).
Thirdly, I would have liked a flashback, showing Medusa before Athena transformed her into the creature we see in the temple (she was still beautiful until she screamed; I had no problem with her still being beautiful, though).
Fourthly, and lastly, the film could have been about 30-60 minutes longer, with some more character development.
***SPOILERS OVER***
On a Biblical perspective, there’s, of course, the usual violence associated with Greek mythology, but it’s relatively bloodless, an implied sexual encounter and a few minor and one strong expletive. It’s Greek mythology, so Christian viewers should keep that in mind when seeing this movie. The film should have been rated PG instead of PG-13.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
D, age 24 (USA)
Positive—This movie is quite positive, because it reflects the battle between good and evil. This is actually a good movie to watch, when it comes to the battle. We as believers in Christ are in this very battle right now. Now relate this film to the battle we face as believers today: It is very encouraging and wonderful!! It is very encouraging and wonderful to us as believers because this movie really takes down evil. Some other films don’t show that as much possibly, but this one stands out. It especially relates to the battle we even face today. This movie is an encouraging reminder that in the end God will win, and evil will be destroyed. (I am not talking about the Greek gods, but the true and living God.) It shows Hades going into the Underworld, which will happen when Satan is destroyed in the last days. It even shows the sun being darkened which will happen in the last days, as well. This movie defiantly relates to the end times!! …
Now as for the movie, even though it mentions that the Greek gods created things that they did not, and maybe some other stuff (These are all just stories!!), God created the Heavens and the Earth and the universe and everything in them, and this is a positive and very encouraging and wonderful movie as mentioned before, and the visuals are pretty good!!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Now as for the movie, even though it mentions that the Greek gods created things that they did not, and maybe some other stuff (These are all just stories!!), God created the Heavens and the Earth and the universe and everything in them, and this is a positive and very encouraging and wonderful movie as mentioned before, and the visuals are pretty good!!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Stephen Jacewicz, age 19 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—I was actually quite disappointed, as I was expecting epic battle somewhat like “300,” but with more monsters and mythical creatures. Strangely, my comment about the movie to my wife after was “well that was cute.” The character development was quite poor, the one motivational speech the leader (who was barely anything of a leader) made was quite pathetic, and he didn’t actually seem to care that any of his friends died, when it was all said and done. I find it strange that Zeus was looked at as a wonderful loving father, yet was seen disguising himself as a human to have sex with his wife to get back at him… yeah that’s loving alright. I will say that the film looked GREAT! I want a Pegasus!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Cody Forsman, age 21 (Canada)
Neutral—This film was not as good as I hoped it would be. It wasn’t altogether bad, but it could have been a lot better. I think my biggest gripe with the movie would be the way in which humans were cast as being largely better, and in some cases wiser than the gods. Although the gods portrayed in this film were a petty and dysfunctional bunch of mythological beings, I still got the distinct impression that the film’s creators were trying to make a point.
Perseus is presented as the arrogant half son of Zeus who lets his bitterness and pride keep him from asking Zeus for help, which subsequently costs the lives of most of his men, and the woman which journeyed with him. I found his lack of humility pretty reminiscent of his father’s arrogance, which was the biggest irony of the film to me.
The best part about the movie were the battles. The creatures that Perseus and his band of warriors fought were very well made. The giant scorpions were impressive, Medusa wasn’t the eyesore that she was in the 80s movie, and was even a tragic character in her own right, and the Kraken was by far the most gigantic monster I’ve ever seen in a film. Large enough to wipe away a city in a few strokes of it’s massive tentacles.
The offensive material in this film was pretty mild, though it’s still there. It is pretty violent. A bit of sensuality is present, and Medusa is scantly clad from the waist up. The cursing was kept to a bare minimum, and wasn’t anything you wouldn’t hear on a typical tv show.
Spiritually speaking, I didn’t get anything from it. The gods deserved to be hated, despite their childish protests, and the humans were little better. Only Andromeda showed any real signs of humanity when she offered herself to the Kraken to spare her people, but the makers of the film obviously didn’t consider her plight worth dwelling on, choosing instead to focus mainly upon Perseus' need for revenge.
The battles are really the only thing that makes the film. Don’t expect a “Batman Begins” character drama here. Perseus is no Bruce Wayne. He’s little more than an arrogant youth who learns little by the end of the film, and shows no sign of remorse at what his pride cost him and others. So, while the movie may not be all bad, it’s not all good either. It’s just a popcorn flick whose only real qualities are the effects and fights. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re hoping for something more than check your brain at the door action. “Clash of The Titans” was never meant to be an accurate account of the original mythology. But, that should have given its creators the freedom to insert real humanity into this flick. It’s too bad they didn’t.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2
Perseus is presented as the arrogant half son of Zeus who lets his bitterness and pride keep him from asking Zeus for help, which subsequently costs the lives of most of his men, and the woman which journeyed with him. I found his lack of humility pretty reminiscent of his father’s arrogance, which was the biggest irony of the film to me.
The best part about the movie were the battles. The creatures that Perseus and his band of warriors fought were very well made. The giant scorpions were impressive, Medusa wasn’t the eyesore that she was in the 80s movie, and was even a tragic character in her own right, and the Kraken was by far the most gigantic monster I’ve ever seen in a film. Large enough to wipe away a city in a few strokes of it’s massive tentacles.
The offensive material in this film was pretty mild, though it’s still there. It is pretty violent. A bit of sensuality is present, and Medusa is scantly clad from the waist up. The cursing was kept to a bare minimum, and wasn’t anything you wouldn’t hear on a typical tv show.
Spiritually speaking, I didn’t get anything from it. The gods deserved to be hated, despite their childish protests, and the humans were little better. Only Andromeda showed any real signs of humanity when she offered herself to the Kraken to spare her people, but the makers of the film obviously didn’t consider her plight worth dwelling on, choosing instead to focus mainly upon Perseus' need for revenge.
The battles are really the only thing that makes the film. Don’t expect a “Batman Begins” character drama here. Perseus is no Bruce Wayne. He’s little more than an arrogant youth who learns little by the end of the film, and shows no sign of remorse at what his pride cost him and others. So, while the movie may not be all bad, it’s not all good either. It’s just a popcorn flick whose only real qualities are the effects and fights. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re hoping for something more than check your brain at the door action. “Clash of The Titans” was never meant to be an accurate account of the original mythology. But, that should have given its creators the freedom to insert real humanity into this flick. It’s too bad they didn’t.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2
Joel, age 36 (USA)
Neutral—This movie was kind of boring. I like action flicks, and I guess I was also expecting something like “300” or “Sparta.” It had some interesting parallels, if you can think of the fact that they said the main guy had a god in him, not our God, of course. That he wanted to fight his battles as a man without his “god”. Well, we believers know we can’t [successfully] fight our battles without Christ, so I found it interesting to compare the two even though what they talk about is total hypocrisy. It was average and at least clean, not much cussing or sexual stuff at all.
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Samantha Taylor, age 35 (USA)
Neutral—I honestly am surprised to see [the reviewer] give this a “Better than Average” and recommend it for 6-12. I honestly wouldn’t take my 9 year old to see this movie. The movie was okay, but I was expecting so much more, which is why I gave it a neutral rating. There was excessive violence; for example, the way Io was killed, how could anyone say that wasn’t violent? Medusa was scantily clad, but she moved so fast, that honestly it didn’t make a difference. There was no sexuality or language, just implied attraction. I wish all movies could be such, implied is all you need. My favorite quote was from one of the leader soldiers to Perseus “You have a god in you. Bring him with you.” This is a cool quote, if only we could remember that! As believers, we have God living inside us, if only we brought Him with us wherever we went, instead of doing things our own way. Overall, it was okay, but nothing spectacular at all.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Claire Guthrie, age 40 (USA)
Negative
Negative—As a fan of the original movie, I was very disappointed with this new version. I agree with many of the comments by people who gave it a Neutral review, but think the movie was bad enough to earn a Negative from me. Sure the effects are better than the original, but the dialogue is ridiculous, the acting is bad and the storyline is bland. The movie was originally shot in 2D but later updated to 3D, and it shows with a few 3D gimmicks seemingly thrown in later on, such as a coin being thrown in to the river Styx.
In the original movie, there was more of a story throughout the film with Perseus trying to save Andromeda from Calibos and the Kraken. In this movie, Calibos is a useless character and although Perseus attempts to save Andromeda in the end, her rescue is not really his goal. Some of the action sequences move so fast, it’s hard to tell what’s going on. After the scorpion battle, some of the scorpions end up being good, and the heroes are able to ride on their backs (huh?).
One character, a djinn, plays a prominent role and seems out of place in this movie about Greek mythology. The djinn I think is more of Arabian or Islamic character. This movie doesn’t do as good a job as the original of developing the characters. There’s also a lot less humor in this movie than from the original. Although this movie tries to incorporate as many characters from the original (and a few more), one monster is missing, Dioskilos, the two-headed dog which guards Medusa lair. One good thing about this movie, there’s not hardly any sexual stuff or language to worry about.
All-in-all I’ll take the original movie, despite all its faults any day. If you really want to see this one wait a few months till it comes out on DVD.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 2½
In the original movie, there was more of a story throughout the film with Perseus trying to save Andromeda from Calibos and the Kraken. In this movie, Calibos is a useless character and although Perseus attempts to save Andromeda in the end, her rescue is not really his goal. Some of the action sequences move so fast, it’s hard to tell what’s going on. After the scorpion battle, some of the scorpions end up being good, and the heroes are able to ride on their backs (huh?).
One character, a djinn, plays a prominent role and seems out of place in this movie about Greek mythology. The djinn I think is more of Arabian or Islamic character. This movie doesn’t do as good a job as the original of developing the characters. There’s also a lot less humor in this movie than from the original. Although this movie tries to incorporate as many characters from the original (and a few more), one monster is missing, Dioskilos, the two-headed dog which guards Medusa lair. One good thing about this movie, there’s not hardly any sexual stuff or language to worry about.
All-in-all I’ll take the original movie, despite all its faults any day. If you really want to see this one wait a few months till it comes out on DVD.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 2½
T Palmer, age 36 (USA)
Comments from young people
Neutral—“Clash of the Titans” is based off a movie created in 1981. Now, Leterrier is recreating the movie once again, but with a different plot. The overall story of this movie changes; Hades comes up from the underworld and tries to make a deal with Zeus. He says that the humans have grown tired of the Gods and that he wants to unleash his vengeance on Earth. Zeus agrees to this and allows Hades to do it when there is an eclipse.
Now, there is a boy who was raised by a fisherman who found the boy in a box. Now, I don’t wanna spoil anything so I’ll just say that it’s Zeus son, Perseus. So Perseus ends up going on a perilous journey to save human kind.
Personally I liked it, but it wasn’t what I thought it was all cracked up to be. But, overall, the movie was fun to watch, and I might see it again. Only 2 swear words were said. (B*tch and Hell) Violence included many stabbings, a cut off head, and impalement. There were frightening images that would scare kids and a select audience of pre-teens. Also, there were many references to God(s) as being weak or equal to humans. That and they make mistakes. It can be misleading to people if they are not knowledgeable about these things. Hades actually makes a deal with Zeus to unleash his own wrath upon the humans. Zeus agrees with Hades and allows him to wreak havoc on the humans when there is an eclipse. This was an absolute turn off to the movie because Zeus and Hades were brothers, and they “understood” each other. I automatically put this into perspective with God and Satan. God and Satan don’t make “deals” or “understand” each other, so that made it less enjoyable for me.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Now, there is a boy who was raised by a fisherman who found the boy in a box. Now, I don’t wanna spoil anything so I’ll just say that it’s Zeus son, Perseus. So Perseus ends up going on a perilous journey to save human kind.
Personally I liked it, but it wasn’t what I thought it was all cracked up to be. But, overall, the movie was fun to watch, and I might see it again. Only 2 swear words were said. (B*tch and Hell) Violence included many stabbings, a cut off head, and impalement. There were frightening images that would scare kids and a select audience of pre-teens. Also, there were many references to God(s) as being weak or equal to humans. That and they make mistakes. It can be misleading to people if they are not knowledgeable about these things. Hades actually makes a deal with Zeus to unleash his own wrath upon the humans. Zeus agrees with Hades and allows him to wreak havoc on the humans when there is an eclipse. This was an absolute turn off to the movie because Zeus and Hades were brothers, and they “understood” each other. I automatically put this into perspective with God and Satan. God and Satan don’t make “deals” or “understand” each other, so that made it less enjoyable for me.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Matt Friend, age 16 (USA)
Positive—I loved this movie. I would watch it again and again. I am seeing the movie again today, felt like “Avatar”!
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
David, age 11 (USA)
Positive—I loved this movie. It was very exciting and a great action flick. My friends and I went to the midnight premiere and we weren’t disappointed. The effects were awesome and the acting was really well done. It’s one of my favorite movies, Sam Worthington being one of my favorite actors. There was nothing too inappropriate or violent. It’s much better than the original “Clash of the Titans”. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of action movies.
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Ellen, age 16 (USA)
Neutral—First of all, there were great special effects. Don’t see it in 3D, because there is almost nothing 3D at all. It was somewhat confusing at times, and the cameras could move kind of fast. I would recommend seeing “Avatar” instead, but this is still a good movie.
But now let’s talk about the offensive things. It is, as you probably already know, a Greek god movie and, of course, has some god characters. There was not much cursing, if any at all. There was a brief mention of sex, but nothing shown. The violence was not very bad. The main character kills Medusa (who is beheaded); she had somewhat skimpy clothing, but no nudity. The movie may be scary to younger viewers. The movie is appropriate for 10 or up.
Overall, this movie is slightly objectionable, but not a movie to avoid.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
But now let’s talk about the offensive things. It is, as you probably already know, a Greek god movie and, of course, has some god characters. There was not much cursing, if any at all. There was a brief mention of sex, but nothing shown. The violence was not very bad. The main character kills Medusa (who is beheaded); she had somewhat skimpy clothing, but no nudity. The movie may be scary to younger viewers. The movie is appropriate for 10 or up.
Overall, this movie is slightly objectionable, but not a movie to avoid.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Matt, age 12 (USA)
Positive—I saw this Movie with my dad. It looked awesome, but its plot lacked a lot. I would recommend this movie to people who like action-packed movies.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Calvin, age 12 (Canada)
Positive—I loved this movie! It was so good and it was extremely clean. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It is probably one of my favorite movies ever!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Alyssa, age 15 (Canada)
Positive—This was a wonderful movie. I watched it with my 18 year old sister, and she really liked it, too. It had a few bad words, but no inapropriate scenes. I thought it was very interesting, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat. The special affects were amazing, and the acting was fantastic! I would not recommend this movie for families with small kids, but tweens and teens will love it!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Brianna, age 13 (USA)
Negative—This is one of the lamest movies I have seen in a while. It was a special effects show with the story and characters built around it. What bugs me is how some Christians freak out over very good well written, well developed, well made films that have strong messages but it has supposed “objectionable content” so they hate it. Then they like movies like this because they are “clean” even though they are insulting to your intelligence. Let me show you how. *the writers had to put together an absolutely ludicrous script to accompany this flawed plot to create well, I do not know what to call it.
First of all, the humans seem to have no real purpose in defying the gods besides pride. Every human in this film is arrogant, bratty, lame, and just plain annoying. Most will probably find themselves rooting for Zeus, Hades, and the Kraken to crush these pathetic heroes. Well, most of them do get crushed, but only because every character besides Perseus is absolutely pointless. Eventually the director realized this too and decided to get rid of everybody in one scene. If you took out of the useless characters and subplots then this movie would be Perseus killing stuff for no real reason. They start many plot threads that include a mysterious prophecy, a powerful new enemy, political unrest among the gods, a strong warrior who hopes that maybe he could find his daughter, and an alliance with a mysterious race. Not of these are expanded upon at all and are not tied together in any way at the end.
Even Perseus the only useful character is not interesting or developed at all. He is only a punk with a bad attitude that wishes to get back at the gods, giving laughable speeches while he does it. This flat character of course turns Sam Worthington into a pathetic actor. In fact, pretty much everyone in the cast is rendered useless by the horrible script, even super power actors like Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. But, why should that matter when “Clash of the Titans” gives us such philosophical questions to think on:
-Why is man so pissed off at the gods?
-Why does one soldier tell Perseus to respect the gods one minute and then he himself disrespects them the next?
-Why do two of these Greek soldiers have French accents? (Yes, you read that right)
-Why can Perseus fight better than everyone else can after 5 seconds of training? The fact that he is a demi-god is not a valid excuse.
-Why did that bad dude’s hand turn into a giant scorpion? (No, this one is not a joke)
-Why are there Star Wars-looking creatures in this movie?
-Who are the hobos that wrote this thing?
There are dozens more that can be listed but that would take too much paper.
The strong points of the film are only the terrific visuals and the music. The visuals are the main point of the film as the script and plot only serve only to reinforce the visual effects, which is really quite sad. The music is cool and epic but is a little too over dramatic at times. The action sequences are generally dry and uninteresting with the exception of a showdown with Medusa. If you want to see most of the action then just watch the previews over and over again, cause that where it all is. The final showdown with the Kraken should go down as the most anti-climatic climax ever seen. If you want to see a real Kraken then you could just watch the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies again. After the climax, we are given a rushed and pretty much incomprehensible ending. Besides the Medusa sequence and the visual effects, the entire movie was gods-awful. It is sad that the integrity of a classic story, and a good cast, is all sacrificed for the sake of visual effects.
* *the above segment in asterisks is a segment of a review I wrote for my school newspaper and is copyrighted*…
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 1
First of all, the humans seem to have no real purpose in defying the gods besides pride. Every human in this film is arrogant, bratty, lame, and just plain annoying. Most will probably find themselves rooting for Zeus, Hades, and the Kraken to crush these pathetic heroes. Well, most of them do get crushed, but only because every character besides Perseus is absolutely pointless. Eventually the director realized this too and decided to get rid of everybody in one scene. If you took out of the useless characters and subplots then this movie would be Perseus killing stuff for no real reason. They start many plot threads that include a mysterious prophecy, a powerful new enemy, political unrest among the gods, a strong warrior who hopes that maybe he could find his daughter, and an alliance with a mysterious race. Not of these are expanded upon at all and are not tied together in any way at the end.
Even Perseus the only useful character is not interesting or developed at all. He is only a punk with a bad attitude that wishes to get back at the gods, giving laughable speeches while he does it. This flat character of course turns Sam Worthington into a pathetic actor. In fact, pretty much everyone in the cast is rendered useless by the horrible script, even super power actors like Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. But, why should that matter when “Clash of the Titans” gives us such philosophical questions to think on:
-Why is man so pissed off at the gods?
-Why does one soldier tell Perseus to respect the gods one minute and then he himself disrespects them the next?
-Why do two of these Greek soldiers have French accents? (Yes, you read that right)
-Why can Perseus fight better than everyone else can after 5 seconds of training? The fact that he is a demi-god is not a valid excuse.
-Why did that bad dude’s hand turn into a giant scorpion? (No, this one is not a joke)
-Why are there Star Wars-looking creatures in this movie?
-Who are the hobos that wrote this thing?
There are dozens more that can be listed but that would take too much paper.
The strong points of the film are only the terrific visuals and the music. The visuals are the main point of the film as the script and plot only serve only to reinforce the visual effects, which is really quite sad. The music is cool and epic but is a little too over dramatic at times. The action sequences are generally dry and uninteresting with the exception of a showdown with Medusa. If you want to see most of the action then just watch the previews over and over again, cause that where it all is. The final showdown with the Kraken should go down as the most anti-climatic climax ever seen. If you want to see a real Kraken then you could just watch the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies again. After the climax, we are given a rushed and pretty much incomprehensible ending. Besides the Medusa sequence and the visual effects, the entire movie was gods-awful. It is sad that the integrity of a classic story, and a good cast, is all sacrificed for the sake of visual effects.
* *the above segment in asterisks is a segment of a review I wrote for my school newspaper and is copyrighted*…
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 1
Caleb Adams, age 17 (USA)
Movie Critics
…A hero’s quest? No, a fool’s errand… “Clash of the Titans” is the latest example of Hollywood’s belief that any terrible script can be made palatable if you just throw enough money and British accents at it. … [½/4]
The Washington Post
…impressive technical mastery and somewhat lesser dramatic command… I like this kind of stuff. I don’t say it’s good cinema… I don’t say it’s good acting… I like the energy, the imagination, the silliness… [3/4]
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
…it’s an intricate logic puzzle: If A then B; if B then C; if not B then D. It’s simpler than it sounds, however, because every letter of the alphabet stands for the same thing: Kill something. And in any case, our hero, Perseus, always chooses E: All of the above. … [2/4]
Chris Knight, National Post
…The mythology is kept to a minimum and the action to a maximum, with Perseus advancing from one seemingly impossible challenge to another. … this “Clash” is aimed at moviegoers who want their action big, mythic and without a lot of pesky detail or in-depth dialogue. But with a whale of a Kraken.
Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
…a sometimes fun ride, a digital bastardization of Greek mythology with digital eagles, giant scorpions, wraiths and a Kraken—the sea beast to end all sea beasts. What hasn’t improved is the silly, archetypal story, or the stagey arguments among the gods of Olympus…
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
…there is a no shortage of death in just about any way you might imagine. Stabbings and slashings, impalings and dismemberment… Add in heaping helpings of witchy prophesies, ancient curses and black magic, and you’ve got a Kraken-sized spiritual counterfeit posing as a cinematic confection.
Bob Hoose, PluggedIn
Of course, this film references the many Greek gods and their relationship to created man, so if your kids don’t have a basic understanding of mythology, this would be a good time to talk about it. The Greek gods are vain, spiteful, and fickle. Our God is LOVE, GRACE, and MERCY. If you already know that… then you’ll enjoy this action thriller!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4