What happened to Bubo? Review of Clash of the Titans (3D)
4 min read
I was recently talking to someone when the topic of Clash of the Titans came up. It’s funny because when you think back on certain things in your childhood, it’s strange how pure the memory is. It’s as if the eyes of that child still lives within us and the memory is often delivered with a smile stamped on it. My memories of Clash of the Titans were obviously a little skewed because I remember the clay animation with the same imagination that my four year old watches the Iron Man Animated Series. I look back and remember it with wide eyed wonder. Yes, I’m placing a little bit of that nostalgic rhetoric here because I had a few of the Clash of the Titan action figures, including Perseus. And yes, I’m quite aware of how poorly the animation has become given the test of time. However after nearly twenty some odd years between viewings, I did finally sit down to watch it again in order to properly prepare myself for the remake of Clash of the Titans. And let me say that what I found lacking in its 1981 production values I was surprised that it had not lost its charm or its heart.
Now that I’m older and Clash of the Titans of 2010 has been released with a few more bells and whistles than the original – I decided that I would dive in and see it…in 3D. I guess that since 3D is becoming the latest trend in film, I sort of feel like it’s bragging that I’m going to see something in color. But keep in mind, I did go to see this film the way that it was intended to be watched. So what did I think? Let me just say that it was a very average garden variety blockbuster. Insert this movie into that category and save it for a rental.
The problem with the new Clash of the Titans is that it follows practically every tired storyline and formula that Hollywood can muster so much so that it becomes laughable even when it tries to be original.  Instead of congratulating the creators for trying to be different you lament at the poor and predicable choices to go left instead of right so to speak. For instance, Bubo, one of the heroic characters in the original movie is now a stage prop that is cast aside in the new movie. In an attempt to make Perseus a much more modern character, the updated version of Clash chooses to portray the lead character as a brooding loner that is angry at the gods for the death of his family and therefore unwilling to embrace his demigod status, instead he abhors it – determined to accomplish the task of saving humanity by remaining true to his human self.  Sound like a convoluted start? It is. And it doesn’t work. I mostly felt bad for Sam Worthington for being given such a mess to work with. Other mistakes include the change from Pegasus going from the original wild white stallion with wings to a black one that is easily charmed by Perseus’s love interest Lo. Lo? Who the hell is Lo? There is no Lo in the original! There is no Ammon (originally played by Burgess Meredith), instead Ammon is replaced by an extended cast of glorified day players who are probably only placed in the story for what feels like 20 sympathetic death scenes that we all know is inevitable for everyone except Perseus. And you get the point. The mistakes sort of go on and on. And the updates to the story are only mildly amusing, if they’re amusing at all.
What does work? The 3D does work. It isn’t as awful as I was hearing. The new animation with both the Kraken, Medusa and Scorpions were fabulous, as were the scenes of Perseus fighting each of the mythological creatures. Ralph Fiennes does a fine job as Hades. As does Liam Neeson as Zeus. They all really worked for the roles cast, especially Ralph. And I think it’s all of their scenes that are what make this film worth revisiting as a rental. It’s definitely a popcorn movie. And it’s definitely extremely okay if you’ve seen everything else that is out and are just looking for a way to kill a few hours. It just isn’t special.
In any case the response has generally been lukewarm at best for this movie and I think I know why. The problem with remakes are that they are inherently unoriginal (hence the name) and therefore offer little reason for us to revisit older concepts that we adored the first time around. Simply put, remakes are usually recipes for a crappy movie because filmmakers typically want to place their stamp on the movie they’re making. But how does anyone do this effectively and with any sort of credibility, I don’t know. It rarely works. You would think that someone would point this out each time American market borrows from the foreign market and simply succeeds in creating an inferior product. (Off topic a bit, I know, but you get my point.) Instead of remakes and “proven” marketing plans, they should just throw their money at better writers rather than special effects. We’ve all seen enough of these to be able to see the smoke and mirrors for what they are. So c’mon Hollywood, give us some credit. After all, if the original Clash of the Titans can teach us anything, the recipe to a good movie isn’t more money it’s telling a story with heart because it’s always a story with heart that stands the test of time. Now excuse me while I get all geeked up about the new Nightmare on Elm St…
