Clash Of The Titans

Clash Of The Titans – An orphaned baby, named Perseus, is rescued in the middle of the ocean by a fisherman and his family. Many years later, Perseus and his family witness soldiers of Argos destroying a statue of Zeus, an act which is swiftly avenged by the gods. Afterwards, Perseus is taken to the King and Queen of Argos who arrogantly insult the gods, foolishly inciting their wrathful response. Hades, god of the underworld, promises to destroy Argos unless the beautiful Princess Andromeda is offered to the monstrous Kraken as a human sacrifice. Finding out that his father was Poseidon, and that he is a demi-god, Perseus goes with the King’s Guard to find a way to stop the Kraken and save all the inhabitants of Argos.

Clash Of The Titans (2010) – Director: Louis Leterrier

Rating: 12

Running Length: 106 mins

Starring: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Ralph Fiennes

Genre: Action/Adventure

REVIEW – ‘CLASH OF THE TITANS’

Loosely based upon Greek mythology but mainly a remake of the 1981 movie of the same name, ‘Clash Of The Titans’ follows the adventures of a reluctant Perseus (played by Sam Worthington) as he battles the forces of the gods, from the three Stygian Witches to Medusa. Helping him on his way are Io (played by Gemma Arterton) – a beautiful cursed immortal woman who has always watched over Perseus – and a handful of Argos’ elite Kings Guard, led by the brave Draco (played by Mads Mikkelson) .

Running through plenty of Greek mythology staples and a reference to the late Ray Harryhausen (best known for his stop motion effects on the 1981 ‘Clash Of The Titans’ and other movies such as ‘Jason And The Argonauts’), ‘Clash Of The Titans’ does exactly what is expected of it and there is well placed action to keep everything moving at a good pace. It is a shame that Sam Worthington is a rather bland lead who doesn’t bring a great deal of gravitas to the role but the supporting cast manage to do enough to make up for his lack of personality.

‘Clash Of The Titans’ is not an extraordinary film but it is a good, solid action/adventure which can be enjoyed by both kids and adults, making it a perfectly entertaining family movie.

CONTENT – IS ‘CLASH OF THE TITANS’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A scene near the beginning shows soldiers destroying a huge statue of Zeus. Shortly afterwards, several flying demons, called ‘Furies’, attack the soldiers and drag them away screaming. A similar thing happens a little while later when soldiers are sucked into a pillar of smoke.

A boat containing an older couple and a young girl (around 10 years old) is forced to sink in the ocean. Another character swims down to the boat and desperately tries to save them but one of the characters on the boat, knowing that they are doomed, pushes him away in order to save him. Reluctantly, this character is forced to leave them to drown and, when he reaches the surface he screams in anguish. While the death of the older couple is upsetting, the fact that a young girl is also killed could be quite distressing for younger children who may relate to her, although her suffering is not shown on camera and she is not a fully established character.

When Perseus is being told of his conception, there is a flashback scene showing how Zeus took on the form Acrisius in order to seduce the man’s wife. There is a short, non-explicit scene of intimacy between the two, the wife’s bare back is seen but everything else is strategically covered with sheets and drapes. When Acrisius walks into the bedroom, Zeus returns to his actual form and sneers at him while his wife screams in horror as she realises what has happened. Acrisius murders his wife after she has a baby, Perseus, and puts her body in a casket with the baby and throws it into the ocean, expecting the baby to die. However, the movie has already shown that Perseus survived.

Most of the violence is fantasy/action based and doesn’t tend to go too far but there are a few moments that might be a little frightening for young kids. During their journey, Perseus and his companions are attacked by Calibos, a large man who has superhuman strength. He picks up one soldier and tears him in half, he stabs others and holds the head of one solder and crushes his helmet, making him scream in pain. He also bites the arm of a character deeply and spits the blood out of his mouth. During the fight, Calibos’ hand is chopped off but he does not suffer in any way from the injury. The camera then focuses on the hand which comes to life, the fingers bend back in a grotesque fashion and it scurries away.

The group are attacked by huge scorpions which use their stingers to stab several soldiers. One of them is lifted high into the air when he is stabbed and another is stabbed twice in quick succession on the ground. This scene is packed with action and while it might be a little scary and exciting, it shouldn’t be too distressing.

While on their way to Medusa’s lair, Io tells Perseus of her tragic story. Poseidon tried to seduce her but she resisted his advances and fled to escape him, however he caught her and raped her then turned her into a creature that no man would be able to or want to look at. The dialogue in this scene is not explicit and to describe the rape, Io says ‘Poseidon took her on the cold floor’.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT – IS ‘CLASH OF THE TITANS’ FOR KIDS?

‘Clash Of The Titans’ is an action packed fantasy movie which is bound to be enjoyed by anyone who is a fan of this genre. While it doesn’t do anything new with the story it is entertaining and the supporting cast in particular provide the main draw. We feel that this movie should be suitable for most children aged 7 and over.

• Violence:  3/5 (During their journey, Perseus and the others visit the three Stygian Witches, they have no eyes but one holds an eyeball in one hand. They are very sinister and aggressive and try to kill one of the soldiers as a human sacrifice. One character is unexpectedly stabbed in the back and is lifted up by the sword as they scream in pain. One minor character who is mentally unstable plunges his hand into a fire, he winces in pain then holds his burned hand up for all to see. While the camera shows his wounds, it is not too gory)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (As well as the shipwreck, several established characters are killed. Some of these deaths are acts of self sacrifice for the greater good)
• Fear Factor: 3/5 (a female character has her youth taken by Hades, the life force is pulled out of her and she is seen to age drastically before falling to the floor, dead)
• Sexual Content: 2/5       
• Bad Language: 1/5 (some infrequent, mild cursing)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (some of the dialogue is quite cruel, especially from Zeus and the other gods)
• Other notes: Deals with themes of Greek mythology, fighting against the forces of evil, the effects of arrogant defiance, self sacrifice and accepting help from those you despise.

Words by Laura Record

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