Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]
Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]
You have a classic tale full of drama, passion, and adventure. A tale of universal archetypes that speak to everyone. A tale that has remained unfailingly popular for thousands of years. Why not spice it up with a wacky mechanical owl? Such was the thinking behind Clash of the Titans. Maggie Smith, Laurence Olivier, and Harry Hamlin (one of these things is not like the others…) star in a toga-ripper about a valiant hero, capricious immortals, and lots and lots of giant stop-action monsters. Perseus (Hamlin) is the favored son of the god Zeus (Olivier), but he has unwittingly ticked off the sea goddess Thetis (Smith). Just to make things worse, Perseus falls in love with the lovely Princess Andromeda, who used to be engaged to Thetis’s son. Soon Perseus is off on one quest after another, with Zeus helping, Thetis hindering, and lots of innocent bystanders getting stabbed, drowned, and squished. Of course, the whole thing is just an excuse to show as much of Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion animation as possible, and good thing too. It’s an old technique, but it still looks pretty darn cool, and it means the cast can just relax and do a bunch of reaction shots. Don’t use this one to study for that big classical mythology exam, but if you just turn your brain off and enjoy the Kraken, it’s pretty good fun. –Ali Davis
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars The best is better than the 2010 film
In 1981 my 8th grade class got to see this film as part of a treat for work we had done and it truly was a treat and all of us clapped at the end of the film. There is something charming about this film.First of all,unlike the 2010 film to come out one is not about to be bombarded with 3d CGI effects stupid dialogue that looks like GI JOE in Athens or all sorts of pc junk with a horrible soundtrack and extensive censorship-anybody out there getting sick of CGI yet?…second this film was made before American films were so censored one could still see a nude Perseus as a boy of six walking with his mother on a beautiful Agean beach where in the new 2010 film one of the first things to come out of the script was this scene and the scene of the young mother nursing the Persus-I kid you not as a close friend of my was informed while working on the script this would not be in the 2010 film on grounds the film would be “too controversal in 2010 while in 1981 it wasent-Huh????-LOL!Anyway,If you’ve seen “Jason and The Argonauts” you’ll love “Clash of the Titans”.You may even love this film if the orginal Star Wars film looked great for you before Lucas decided to CGI it up as well… Here you have Zeus(Sir Laurence Olivier) keeping a watchful eye on his son Perseus(Harry Hamlin). And I thought that Zeus would do nothing to protect his son. I didn’t blame him when he asphyxiated the king who condemned him and his mother out to sea. Yes, he worshiped Zeus, but his own pride and tyranny caused his downfall. And he cursed the son of Thetis(Maggie Smith) for causing endangered species in the land. I figured that in the ancient days there would be nudity. In the film, the parents should caution the kids about it. I liked the epic battles: Perseus slaying the gorgon Medusa, battling the giant scorpions, and riding Pegases; the winged horse. And that owl that was made into a robot, that was indeed the first to see updated technology for the gods. And the Krakken was the most awesome creature in the film that was taken down by the head of Madusa. Although there were slight changes from the books, the impact form the movie is just as exciting and I liked it. Very good fantasy movie, always a keeper to me.Why not 5 stars here-the transfer is not perfect and the film does sometimes lack something but I am not quiet sure-still,it is well worth buying at 10.00 and under.
5 Stars Grate Movie of its time!
I seen Clash of the the Titans about a billion times as a kid good movie! The new 2010 version is looking good to!
5 Stars Length of movie
I had (lost it) the original dvd release and intend to purchase this great movie again. Wondering about the movie length though. The original lists it at 118 minutes and this re-release lists it at 158 minutes…thats 40 more minutes! Is this a typo or does the 158 minutes include dvd extras? I thought the runtimes listed for dvds were for the actual movie length.
5 Stars Greek mythology brought to life
If you’re fascinated with Greek mythology, then definitely see Clash Of The Titans (1981). This movie features stop-motion animation and special effects that, I must say, look incredibly fake by today’s standards. But I’m not one to complain about the technology of decades ago because I realize that technology improves over time. If anything, I find that the stop-motion animation enhances my viewing experience of this movie. I can appreciate the effort that went into making this film.
This movie can basically be summed up this way: Perseus, the son of the Greek god Zeus, is seeking a way to defeat an ancient monster known as the Kraken and win Princess Andromeda’s hand in marriage. Andromeda is the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and can’t marry unless her suitor solves a riddle. If the answer given to the riddle is wrong, the suitor will be burned at the stake. Perseus captures the flying horse Pegasus and answers the riddle and wins Andromeda’s hand in marriage. A mechanical replica of Athena’s owl Bubo is given to Perseus as an aid. Bubo proves to be quite helpful to Perseus, even leading him to the Stygian Witches, who tell Perseus that Medusa’s head can defeat the Kraken by turning it to stone. Perseus travels to the Isle of the Dead and severs Medusa’s head. He travels back astride Pegasus to find that Andromeda was tied up and being sacrificed to the Kraken, which rose from the sea. In the nick of time, Perseus uses Medusa’s head to turn the Kraken to stone. Andromeda is freed by Perseus and the movie ends with Perseus a hero.
This is a classic movie with many stars in the cast with Harry Hamlin as Perseus and Judi Bowker as Andromeda. This movie also stars Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Sian Phillips, and Flora Robson.
This DVD’s special features include a conversation with visual effects creator Ray Harryhausen, Map Of Myths And Monsters Gallery, the theatrical trailer, scene access and more.
If you like fantasy movies about mythology and can appreciate stop-motion animation, then definitely see the classic Clash Of The Titans. Very highly recommended.
3 Stars Harryhausen’s Finale
Assisted by animator Steve Archer, CLASH OF THE TITANS would be the last movie to showcase the stop-motion magic of the legendary Ray Harryhausen. With this film Harryhausen returns to Greek Mythology and brings forth a world of the Gods of Olympus (played by Sir Lawrene Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Claire Bloom), hero Pereus ( Harry Hamlin, LA LAW) , damsel in distress Andromeda (Judi Bowker) with supporting work from Burgess Meredith and Tim Piggot-Smith. There are monsters a plenty: the evil Calibos, Medusa, the two headed hound, giant scorpions and the Kraken! While not as good as his earlier foray into the world of Greek Myths, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, still an entertaining film and fitting finale to a career on the big screen that began in 1948 with MIGHTY JOE YOUNG. A short conversation with Harryhausen is the only real extra.
Filed under: Blue Ray Movie Reviews