Clash of the Titans

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Clash of the Titans
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Louis Leterrier
Produced by	Basil Iwanyk Kevin De La Noy Richard D. Zanuck
Screenplay by	Travis Beacham Phil Hay Matt Manfredi
Based on	Clash of the Titans by Beverley Cross
Starring	Sam Worthington Gemma Arterton Mads Mikkelsen Alexa Davalos Ralph Fiennes Liam Neeson
Music by	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography	Peter Menzies Jr.
Editing by	Vincent Tabaillon Martin Walsh
Studio	Legendary Pictures The Zanuck Company Thunder Road Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	April 2, 2010 (2010-04-02)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$125 million
Box office	$493,214,993[1]

Clash of the Titans is a 2010 British-American fantasy adventure film remake of the 1981 film of the same name (the rights to which had been acquired by Warner Bros. in 1996). The story is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus.^[2][3][4] Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington, the film was originally set for standard release on March 26, 2010.^[3][4] However, it was later announced that the film would be converted to 3D and was released on April 2, 2010.^[5][6] Clash of the Titans grossed $493 million worldwide, though it received mainly negative reviews from critics.

The film's success has made a sequel, Wrath of the Titans, released on March 30, 2012, in 3D and IMAX 3D.

Plot

In ancient times, the gods led by Zeus (Liam Neeson), Poseidon (Danny Huston) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes) betrayed their parents, the Titans, and banished them to the Underworld with the help of the Kraken, a sea monster born of Hades. The gods divided the Universe among themselves; Zeus took the skies, Poseidon took the seas, and Hades, tricked by Zeus, was left with the Underworld. The gods created the mortals, whose faith in them assured their immortality. However, as time passed, mortals began to question them.

A fisherman called Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite) finds a casket floating in the sea, containing the corpse of a woman holding a still living baby. Spyros and his wife Marmara (Elizabeth McGovern) raise the baby as their own and name him "Perseus". Years later, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is fishing with his family when they witness soldiers from the city of Argos destroying a statue of Zeus. The gods, infuriated at this desecration, unleash the Furies - flying beasts who pursue mortal sinners. The soldiers are attacked and slaughtered by the Furies. The Furies merge and take the form of Hades, who destroys the fishing vessel. Only Perseus survives and is found by other survivors, soldiers from Argos led by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen).

Perseus is brought before King Cepheus (Vincent Regan) and Queen Cassiopeia (Polly Walker) who are celebrating the campaign against the gods. Queen Cassiopeia brashly compares her daughter Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) to the gods and boasts she is more beautiful than Aphrodite. The revelry is cut short by the arrival of Hades, who has been given leave by Zeus to punish the mortals for their defiance. Hades ages Cassiopeia to old age and proclaims that in the upcoming solar eclipse, he will unleash the Kraken against Argos unless Andromeda is offered as a sacrifice. Before leaving, he reveals that Perseus is a demigod, the son of Zeus.

Perseus is imprisoned by Draco and in captivity meets Io (Gemma Arterton) who tells him of his origin. Many years before, King Acrisius (Jason Flemyng) also tried declaring war against the gods. To punish him, Zeus impersonated Acrisius and impregnated his wife, Queen Dänae (Tine Stapelfeldt). Acrisius, driven mad with rage, ordered the execution of Dänae and the newborn baby and cast them into the sea in a coffin. As punishment for his continued defiance, Zeus also struck Acrisius with lightning, transforming him into a monster. Io also reveals that she was cursed with immortality after she refused Poseidon's advances and has watched over Perseus his entire life, beginning with watching from ashore as his adoptive parents rescue him from the floating coffin, to the present, always protecting him, as he is prophesized to be the only one able to stand up to the gods.

As the Cult of Hades led by the insane Prokopion (Luke Treadaway) grows in number and demands Andromeda's sacrifice, a desperate Cepheus asks Perseus to lead the King's Guard to visit the Stygian Witches in order to discover a way to kill the Kraken. Wishing to avenge the death of his family, Perseus accepts. Perseus and the guards head off on their quest joined by Anatolian monster hunters, Ozal (Ashraf Barhom) and Kucuk (Mouloud Achour). Hades seeks out and finds a decrepit Acrisius, now known as Calibos, and promises him he will destroy Zeus in exchange for Calibos killing Perseus. Calibos promises to serve him and Hades gives Calibos powerful superhuman abilities.

Zeus is convinced by Apollo (Luke Evans) to give Perseus a chance and presents him with an enchanted sword forged on Mt. Olympus and a winged horse named Pegasus. Perseus refuses both gifts but a wise Draco puts the sword into safekeeping. Shortly thereafter, they are attacked by Calibos. Calibos kills several men and bites Perseus on the arm, poisoning him with venom. With Calibos holding Perseus by the head, Draco severs Calibos's hand causing Calibos to flee. The band gives chase but is attacked by giant scorpions called Scorpiochs summoned by Calibos’s blood. Although they manage to kill some of them while losing a few men, they are ultimately surrounded by even larger scorpions until they are saved by the Djinn, a band of non-human desert sorcerers led by Sheik Suleiman (Ian Whyte). The Djinn, also wishing for the gods' defeat, lend their aid to Perseus and his band. Suleiman also cures the poison from the bite on Perseus's arm.

The group arrives at the lair of the Stygian Witches and learns from them that the only possibility for killing the Kraken lies with the head of the gorgon Medusa who resides in a temple in the Underworld. Medusa can turn any creature made of flesh into stone that makes eye contact with her gaze, and thus using her head is the only way to stop the Kraken. As they prepare to head into the Underworld, Perseus is approached by Zeus, who offers to make him a god, but when he refuses, Zeus gives him a golden drachma, fare for Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld.

Perseus, Io, Suleiman, Draco and his remaining men Solon (Liam Cunningham), Eusebius (Nicholas Hoult) and Ixas (Hans Matheson) cross into the Underworld and enter Medusa's temple lair while Io remains outside, unable to enter the temple as a woman. Using her bow, Medusa (Natalia Vodianova) shoots Solon causing him to fall into lava fire, wounds Draco, and turns Eusebius and Ixas into stone. Suleiman and Draco both wound Medusa, sacrificing themselves in the process and setting the stage for Perseus to behead her with his eyes closed. As he is leaving the temple with Medusa's head, he witnesses Calibos appear behind Io and fatally stab her. Perseus and Calibos engage in mortal combat with Calibos having the upper hand and disarming Perseus. Finally coming to terms with who he is, Perseus picks up the Olympian sword and pierces Calibos through the chest, turning him back into Acrisius in human form, restoring him to sanity and humility for one last moment.

Before dying, Io urges a reluctant Perseus to leave her and save Andromeda and Argos before she dissolves into a golden ethereal vapor. Perseus mounts Pegasus and hastens back to Argos as the solar eclipse begins and Zeus orders the Kraken's release. The Cult goes to the palace and seizes Andromeda in order to offer her to the Kraken. While the Kraken ravages Argos, Hades reveals to Zeus that while they have been surviving on the people’s adoration, he has been feeding on people's fear and his monster has been channeling even more fear. While the gods have become weaker, Hades has now grown powerful enough to take on Mount Olympus and even destroy it in revenge for his betrayal so many years before. Realizing his mistake too late, Zeus can only rely on Perseus.

In Argos, Hades unleashes the Furies against Perseus and they manage to snag away from him the sack holding Medusa’s head while the Kraken causes terrible terrible damage to Argos. In an intense aerial chase with Perseus riding Pegasus, he manages to retrieve the bag and expose Medusa's face to the Kraken, making eye contact just before it is able to eat Andromeda. The Kraken slowly turns into a massive stone statue which cracks and falls apart. The falling debris kills Prokopion and Cepheus while Andromeda falls into the sea. Hades appears to confront Perseus and taunts him; Perseus raises his sword to the heavens and calling upon Zeus, throws his sword at Hades. A lightning bolt engulfs the sword which expels Hades and banishes him to the Underworld once more.

Perseus rescues Andromeda, now the rightful Queen of Argos. Andromeda asks Perseus to stay by her side as King, but he declines. Perseus also refuses an offer of godhood from Zeus, who then states that if Perseus is to live as a human he should not be alone, and subsequently revives Io.

Cast

• Sam Worthington as Perseus
  He is the demigod son of Zeus. ^[2]
• Gemma Arterton as Io
  She guides Perseus in his quest and narrates the Titanomachy at the start of the film. ^[2]
• Mads Mikkelsen as Draco
  He is the leader of the Royal Guard. ^[2][7]
• Alexa Davalos as Andromeda
  She is the princess of Argos, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia and the woman who will be sacrificed to the Kraken. ^[2][8]
• Jason Flemyng as Acrisius/Calibos
  He is the king of Argos transformed into a hideous beast.^[2]
• Tine Stapelfeldt as Danaë
  She is the wife of King Acrisius, mother of Perseus.
• Nicholas Hoult as Eusebius
  He is the member of the Royal Guard.
• Hans Matheson as Ixas
  He is the member of the Royal Guard.
• Liam Cunningham as Solon
  He is the member of the Royal Guard.
• Liam Neeson as Zeus
  He is the leader of the gods of Mount Olympus, father of Perseus.
• Ralph Fiennes as Hades
  He is the god of the Underworld. ^[2]
• Jamie Sives as a Commander.
• Ian Whyte as Sheikh Sulieman
  He is the Djinn.
• Pete Postlethwaite as Spyros
  He is the foster father of Perseus. ^[9]
• Elizabeth McGovern as Marmara
  She is the foster mother of Perseus.
• Polly Walker as Cassiopeia
  She is the queen of Argos, wife of Kepheus and mother of Andromeda.
• Vincent Regan as Kepheus
  He is the king of Argos, husband of Cassiopeia and father of Andromeda.
• David Kennedy as Kepheus's General
• Kaya Scodelario as Peshet
  She is the handmaiden of Andromeda.
• Luke Treadaway as Prokopion
  He is the cult leader who leads the people of Argos to sacrifice Andromeda.
• Danny Huston as Poseidon
  He is the god of the sea and earthquakes.^[10]
• Izabella Miko as Athena
  She is the goddess of warfare, battle strategies, wisdom and justice. ^[11]
• Tamer Hassan as Ares god of war and bloodshed.
• Luke Evans as Apollo
  He is the god of the sun, music, poetry, art, healing, archery and medicine.
• Nathalie Cox as Artemis
  She is the goddess of forests, the moon, hills, hunting and animals.
• Nina Young as Hera
  She is the goddess of women and marriage and wife of Zeus.
• Agyness Deyn as Aphrodite
  She is the goddess of love and beauty.
• Paul Kynman as Hephaestus
  He is the god of the forge, blacksmiths, fire and volcanoes
• Alexander Siddig as Hermes
  He is the messenger of the Gods and the god of travelers and thieves.
• Charlotte Comer as Demeter
  She is the goddess of the earth and agriculture.
• Jane March as Hestia She is the goddess of the hearth.
• Natalia Vodianova as Medusa
  She is a half demon, half mortal Gorgon.
• Mouloud Achour as Kucuk
• Ross Mullan as Pemphredo
• Ashraf Barhom as Ozal

Production

The Clash of the Titans remake project started in 2002 under producer Adam Schroeder and writers John Glenn and Travis Wright. They wanted to drop the "cheesy chessboard manipulation of characters" by the gods. In The Wright/Glenn version of Clash, various pantheons were mixed together. The Main villain was the Sumerian Sea Goddess of Death and Destruction, Tiamat. Perseus was originally kidnapped by an avatar of an unidentified Cthonian Earth Goddess, who planned to have him married to Andromeda so as to develop better relations with humanity. The Earth Goddess and Perseus proceed to fall in love. Zeus prepared to engage in war with Tiamat; taking the aids of other gods (such as Thoth, Marduk, Yahweh and Osiris). A High Priest named Fantasos starts a Cult of Tiamat that quickly conquers the city. Andromeda was originally a promiscuous spoiled Princess who possessed various male sex slaves. Though the mixing of Mythologies and the Perseus-Earth Goddess romance was abandoned, the concept of a Goddess enraged at arrogant humans and demanding a sacrifice and the Cult of the Evil God (Changed from Tiamat to Hades) was retained into the final production.^[12] Producer Basil Iwanyk revived the project in 2006 with a rewrite by Travis Beacham, a fan of the original, who intended the script to be "darker and more realistic".^[13] Lawrence Kasdan and director Stephen Norrington signed on in 2007. Kasdan gave the script another rewrite from the Beacham version.^[14] But Norrington was unsure about his direction for the project because he did not grow up with the original. Leterrier, who did, contacted Norrington through their shared agent about replacing him.^[15] By June 2008 Leterrier joined the project and Warner Bros. greenlit the film.^[16] Leterrier noted the original Clash of the Titans inspired the climax of his previous film The Incredible Hulk – a battle in a burnt-down courtroom with temple-like columns – and has compared modern superheroes to Greek mythology.^[17][18]

Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi took over the script during July 2008 and used Beacham's draft as a starting point. They focused on the mythology and telling the story through Leterrier's eyes. Hay and Manfredi had to rewrite the script in less than a year using a very active process.^[19] Leterrier sought Ray Harryhausen's involvement,^[15] and reunited with Hulk concept artist Aaron Sims, who had already been working on Clash of the Titans with Norrington.^[20]

Louis Leterrier, during an interview, revealed that he is a big fan of Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya manga (also known as Knights of the Zodiac) and its anime adaptation. He specifically cited the armor that the Gods wear in his film remake as a sign of homage and respect to Saint Seiya. Masami Kurumada, the author of Saint Seiya, was even asked to collaborate with the production team on poster designs.^[21]

Sam Worthington took the role of Perseus because he wanted to make a Clash of the Titans for his nine year old nephew's generation. During filming the cast had a few laughs about the costumes but he took it very seriously "so the audience doesn't have to."^[22] Worthington also did not wear sandals while filming, he instead painted toes on his sports shoes so he could perform the stunts better.^[23]

For the 2D to 3D conversion, Leterrier approached the studio early on about a 3D conversion but it was expensive and very new technology.^[24] After Avatar, the studio put pressure on Leterrier to convert the film. He was worried because of his previous concerns but was convinced after seeing the View-D conversion process.^[25] Leterrier considered the 3D conversion to improve the viewing experience, and states that it should not be seen as a gimmick.^[24]

Filming locations

Teide National Park (Tenerife) is the most visited national park in Spain^[26] and one of the most visited in the world, and place of filming of some scenes from the movie.

Filming began April 27, 2009, near London, at Shepperton Studios, and also at Pinewood Studios and at Longcross Studios, near Chertsey, in Surrey.^[27] Filming also took place in Wales, the Canary Islands (Spain) (primarily at the World Heritage Site, Teide National Park in Tenerife), Maspalomas Dunes, Gran Canaria, and Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote. Aerial photography was conducted in Iceland and Ethiopia.^[2]

Filming of volcano scenes at the Harriet hole in Dinorwic Slate Quarry in Wales wrapped at the end of July.^[28] This slate quarry has also been used for locations for Willow and Street Fighter.^[29]

Soundtrack

Release

Clash of the Titans was originally set for standard release on March 26, 2010.^[3][4] The Heat Vision Blog reported on January 27, 2010 that after a 3D conversion test of the film which Warner Bros. found to be a "roaring success", the film would be converted to 3D and would premiere on April 2, 2010. The national premiere in Spain took place on March 30 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital city of the Canary Islands.^[5][6][30]

Critical reception

Clash of the Titans received mostly negative reviews from critics. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 29% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 225 reviews with an average rating of 4.3/10. The site's consensus stated "An obviously affectionate remake of the 1981 original, Louis Leterrier's Clash of the Titans doesn't offer enough visual thrills to offset the deficiencies of its script."^[31] On Metacritic, the film was assigned a weighted average score of 39 out of 100, based on 37 reviews from mainstream critics.^[32]

In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, stating "I don't say it's good cinema, although I recognize the craftsmanship that went into it. I don't say it's good acting, when the men have so much facial hair they all look like Liam Neeson. I like the energy, the imagination, the silliness".^[33] Richard Corliss of Time understands that many critics did not like it, but found the film "a full-throttle action-adventure, played unapologetically straight." He dismissed other critics' complaints, writing that the film is "very watchable in 2-D", that other critics were biased by nostalgia for the original, and that 15 seconds of Bubo is enough for his tastes.^[34] Colin Covert gave the film a mildly positive review, stating the film was "all flash, trash, and crash; a tasty hunk of baloney; mindless yet shamelessly thrilling." He considered Worthington to have a "Shatneresque heaviness about him", and found that all the laughs came from the fact that the heavyweight actors were "slumming through their roles."^[35] James Berardinelli gave it a mixed review, concluding that Clash of the Titans is a flawed but mildly entertaining regurgitation of Greek mythological elements, but it's also an example of how poorly-executed 3D can hamstring a would-be spectacle.^[36]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded the film 1 star out of four, stating "The film is a sham, with good actors going for the paycheck and using beards and heavy makeup to hide their shame."^[37] In a review for the Chicago Tribune, Turan complained that the film is worse in 3D; he went on further to explain that the action scenes are "more of a distraction than an enhancement", with the battle scenes being cluttered and "harder to follow rather than exciting."^[38] Claudia Puig for USA Today wrote that the film's "most outstanding achievement is the ability to be both chaotic and dull." Justification for her opinion came from the frantic action sequences and muddled special effects.^[39] Dan Kois blamed the director for making a "muddled disappointment" instead of a "camp classic that could have endured for generations." Kois also accused Leterrier of not knowing how to direct an action scene, and that the film is lacking in "wit and flair".^[40] David Stratton also criticized the film's action scenes, suggesting to Leterrier: "check out your local video store for something by Kurosawa, or almost any movie with sword fight scenes, to see how it's done."^[41] AskMen.com felt actor Sam Worthington's heavy Australian drawl was so distracting it "manages not only to single-handedly unhinge any suspension of disbelief we might have had, but his fellow actors often seem to be visibly struggling as they impart fantastical ancient truths to a true-blue brickie in a studded leather dress."

Box office

Clash of the Titans earned $61,235,105 in its opening weekend in 3,777 theaters in the United States and Canada (not including Thursday previews).^[1] The movie was #1 for two weeks in a row, edging out Date Night and the previous winner How to Train Your Dragon.^[42] Clash of the Titans made $163,214,888 domestically, as of July 22, 2010, and $330,000,000 overseas, as of September 19, 2010, for a worldwide total of $493,214,888. On the all-time worldwide chart it ranks 80th and in North America it is below #100.^[43]

Home video

Clash of the Titans was released on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on July 16 (Mexico), July 26 (UK), July 27 (USA) and (Canada), October 6 (Japan) 2010. A Blu-ray 3D version of the film was also released and also comes packed with the 2D version, the DVD version and a Digital Copy. ^[44]

Video game

Warner Bros. Interactive released a video game adaptation of the movie on July 27, 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with the film's home video release. It was originally planned to come out in March 2010, though the game was delayed due to difficulties. The game follows Perseus on his quest to fight Hades and his minions.

Sequels

Production of a sequel titled, Wrath of the Titans, directed by Jonathan Liebesman began on March 23, 2011 with Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson returning to star and released on March 30, 2012.^[45]

In November 2011, Warner Bros. hired Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson' who wrote Wrath of the Titans, to write and develop a sequel with Johnson announced a title called Revenge of the Titans.^[46]

References

External links

• Official website
• Clash of the Titans at AllRovi
• Clash of the Titans at Box Office Mojo
• Clash of the Titans at the Internet Movie Database
• Clash of the Titans at Rotten Tomatoes
• Tenerife, Canary Islands, "Clash of the Titans" location
• Clash of the Titans filming locations in Wales