Movie Review: Clash of the Titans

Happy Easter Monday everyone, I just got back from taking my twelve-year-old daughter Kaia out to see the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans and here's my opinion.

It was pretty fun! I went into this film looking for cool effects, a few nods to the original film and some fun fight sequences (a part of me is getting pretty tired of the massive army vs. massive army sequences that fill a lot of fantasy films these day - keep the fights down to 12 guys or less so I can see what's happening and I'm happy), and I felt I got what I was looking for.

The effects were great (we saw it in 2D rather than 3D), the acting and story line were fine for a Saturday afternoon matinee, the Medusa scene had me jumping in my seat a couple of times and in the end I think it was worth my $11 to see it in the theatres.

Problems with it - not a lot really, the earlier film was flawed but fun, so this movie didn't have a lot to beat - an effects-filled adventure flick from the '80s translates pretty well into an effects-filled adventure flick from 2010. I missed Bubo from the first film (pictured right), and I thought they downplayed the interactions between the gods in the remake, but past that I don't have a lot of complaints.

In the end, whether you've seen the original or not, I think there is a lot in the film to enjoy. I would watch it again, and although I don't think I would buy it new on DVD - I would pick it up used.

Bookmonkey's top 5 Genre Films to see before Summer 2010

Knowing that I'll be seeing a lot of films this summer (starting with Iron Man 2 in May), I decided that I should try to cut back on the number of genre films I'll see between now and April. The problem is, there are a lot of films I'd like to see in the next couple of months.

Luckily, as a parent, I'll likely end up taking my kids to see Alice in Wonderland as well as Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, so those two can kind of be considered family outings.

5. The Lovely Bones

This one is pretty simple: a) I loved the book, and b) Peter Jackson is directing. The visuals for this movie look pretty amazing and the novel really got to me, so yeah, I'll be seeing this one.

4. The Book of Eli

As anyone who reads my blog is aware, I'm a big lover of post-apocalyptic films. Add to that the fact that it is an original screenplay, and its brought to us by the guys who directed From Hell, and I am definitely on board.

3. Clash of the Titans

All right, I'll admit it. A big part of why I want to see this is the funky trailer which appears to have used a modified version of the song The Bird and the Worm, by the Used as background music. I loved the original version of this film, and am basically looking forward to a fun Saturday afternoon popcorn movie.

2. Hot Tub Time Machine

A comedic Science Fiction film wherein four guys travel back to the '80s in a Hot Tub time machine. This will either be extremely awesome, or extremely stupid. The presence of John Cusack definitely raises the bar for me, and the fact that it's being made by the director of Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity also deserves notice.

1. The Wolfman

About five years ago my youngest daughter went through a classic monster movie phase, and one of the stand out titles for me was The Wolf Man. A man who is in effect both the good guy and the bad guy in the film seemed very cool to me at the time. In an age where virtually every film is being remade, I can say that I am actually really looking forward to this one.