The remake of the campy sword and sandals epic of 30 years ago is
grimmer and grittier but not really better. Men have declared war on
the gods (they discover the foolishness of such when one god makes a
brief visit and lays waste) and Perseus, son of Zeus, is thrust to the
forefront. He is a reluctant hero who despises the gods and, though
gifts come to him from the gods, he refuses to use them. Where Harry
Hamlin eagerly collected a magic sword, shield, helmet, and owl, Sam
Worthington refuses to use such items on principle. Certainly makes for
a very different Perseus. As in the original, Perseus must find a way
to slay the kraken to save Andromeda. He is accompanied by soldiers of
Argos, led by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen). In the original, the soldiers are just fodder to
die along the way. This is largely true here too but these characters
are developed so as to be more than the random red shirt.
The gods are generally reduced to Zeus and Hades. Sure, others make cameos but are mostly irrelevant. Liam Neeson, surely getting used to playing god (he's Aslan in Narnia), is Zeus. Likewise, Ralph Fiennes must be getting used to villainy (he is also Lord Voldimort), as he is Hades. Whereas Lawrence Oliver played Zeus as cranky and domineering, wearing a white himation (Greek Toga), Neeson is Good Cop to Fiennes Bad Cop and wears shining armor that puts Excalibur (1981) to shame.
Again, in keeping with the original, mythology is modified to better the story. Io (Gemma Arterton), a noted liaison of Zeus, has watched over Perseus from afar. She is cursed to not age because she refused a god's advances. I found myself thinking she was just a goddess in disguise since her wardrobe changed without apparent cause and she gave Perseus a good fight when she chose, appeared out of nowhere when needed, and also somehow 'guided' him as a baby to his rescue though I didn't see her swimming alongside. But no, she was just Io. Nix all that stuff about being turned into a cow and bearing a son to Zeus.
In order for the movie to have some multiculturalism, the Jinn are introduced. Most would think of the jinn as a Genie, though this jinn looks more like an evil wood-carving. As the Jinn didn't speak Greek (English), it couldn't really develop as a character. The inclusion is mostly annoying and its ability to self-destruct was plain bizarre. However, I did like that jinn rode giant scorpions, complete with pavilions.
If you thought the Kraken was big in the last movie, you haven't seen anything. This thing is immense. In fact, its approach should have flooded the city of Argos. When its stony corpse toppled into the sea, a tidal wave should have swept over the city. Devouring Andromeda would have been about as filling as eating one kernel of corn. Of note, the Kraken has gone from being a creature of Poseidon to being a child of Hades. In fact, the story states that the Kraken is so powerful that it overthrew the Titans who ruled before the current gods. Hmm. But Hades got the short straw and was banished to the underworld? Something doesn't add up.
Calibos (Jason Flemyng), the villain of the 1981 version, is here a pawn of Hades. It was he who tossed Perseus and his mother into the sea to kill them and learns he was only half-successful. Hades imbues Calibos with some divine breath (black, smoky, evil breath) to make him a challenge for the demigod Perseus. He's okay but he lacks the tragic love for Andromeda that gave the original some character.
All in all, it is an entertaining film with flashy action and epic battles but it rates no more than mindless popcorn fun.
The gods are generally reduced to Zeus and Hades. Sure, others make cameos but are mostly irrelevant. Liam Neeson, surely getting used to playing god (he's Aslan in Narnia), is Zeus. Likewise, Ralph Fiennes must be getting used to villainy (he is also Lord Voldimort), as he is Hades. Whereas Lawrence Oliver played Zeus as cranky and domineering, wearing a white himation (Greek Toga), Neeson is Good Cop to Fiennes Bad Cop and wears shining armor that puts Excalibur (1981) to shame.
Again, in keeping with the original, mythology is modified to better the story. Io (Gemma Arterton), a noted liaison of Zeus, has watched over Perseus from afar. She is cursed to not age because she refused a god's advances. I found myself thinking she was just a goddess in disguise since her wardrobe changed without apparent cause and she gave Perseus a good fight when she chose, appeared out of nowhere when needed, and also somehow 'guided' him as a baby to his rescue though I didn't see her swimming alongside. But no, she was just Io. Nix all that stuff about being turned into a cow and bearing a son to Zeus.
In order for the movie to have some multiculturalism, the Jinn are introduced. Most would think of the jinn as a Genie, though this jinn looks more like an evil wood-carving. As the Jinn didn't speak Greek (English), it couldn't really develop as a character. The inclusion is mostly annoying and its ability to self-destruct was plain bizarre. However, I did like that jinn rode giant scorpions, complete with pavilions.
If you thought the Kraken was big in the last movie, you haven't seen anything. This thing is immense. In fact, its approach should have flooded the city of Argos. When its stony corpse toppled into the sea, a tidal wave should have swept over the city. Devouring Andromeda would have been about as filling as eating one kernel of corn. Of note, the Kraken has gone from being a creature of Poseidon to being a child of Hades. In fact, the story states that the Kraken is so powerful that it overthrew the Titans who ruled before the current gods. Hmm. But Hades got the short straw and was banished to the underworld? Something doesn't add up.
Calibos (Jason Flemyng), the villain of the 1981 version, is here a pawn of Hades. It was he who tossed Perseus and his mother into the sea to kill them and learns he was only half-successful. Hades imbues Calibos with some divine breath (black, smoky, evil breath) to make him a challenge for the demigod Perseus. He's okay but he lacks the tragic love for Andromeda that gave the original some character.
All in all, it is an entertaining film with flashy action and epic battles but it rates no more than mindless popcorn fun.
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