May Issue 2010

Since the recent success of 3D movies such asAvatar, Alice in Wonderland, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, many producers are trying to cash-in on this re-invented and improved technology. But one film that wasn’t worth the trouble of making into a 3D visual is Clash of the Titans.

Directed by Louis Leterrier of The Incredible Hulkand Transporter 1 and 2, this epic is a remake of the stop motion experiment back in 1981, under the same title. Taken from Greek mythology, the story revolves around Perseus (Sam Worthington), who is found and raised by a fisherman and his wife, and who later discovers that he is a demigod and the son of Zeus. When Hades, the god of the underworld, threatens to unleash the Kraken monster and destroy the city of Argos if Princess Andromeda (Alex Davalos) is not given in sacrifice to him, Perseus is entrusted with the mission of destroying the monster.

Perseus sets out on this journey, responsible for more than just killing the monster: he also has to protect Zeus from being overthrown by Hades, protect the people from ruthless gods who feel deprived of human worship and avenge his parents’ death on the Olympians. Supported by the Djinn (sand monsters with magical powers) and the ageless Io (Gemma Arterton), who has looked after him his entire life, Perseus turns down the offer of being turned into a god and insists on achieving his goals as half man, half god.

Slaying giant and mechanical-looking scorpions (called Scorpiochs), defeating the half-woman, half-snake Medusa and confronting three grey-skinned Stygian witches who all share one eye may sound enchanting, but on screen it is not as exciting. The gods, played by well-known actors such as Liam Neeson (Zeus) and Ralph Fiennes (Hades), possess superhuman powers that can only manage to impress a child.

Average fantasy movies are never expected to expound wisdom, but stunning special effects and a tight plot generally compensate for weak scripts. Clash of the Titans fails on this score too, for the action sequences have a short-lived thrill span and are somewhat indolent.

The movie hit Pakistani cinemas on April 16; you are welcome to watch it, but you’d probably enjoy the popcorn more.