Clash of the Titans (1981) is a good example of how a film can still be considered a classic long after its visuals have become severely dated: craft a tangible, affecting story in which audiences care about the characters and become engrossed in the story. Do those things, and your visuals can look like … well, like those of Clash of the Titans. It’s true the stop-motion visual effects from master Ray Harryhausen may look clumsy and awkward to modern audiences, but that won’t matter much because the film has a way of immersing its audience in its fantasy world. In many ways, it was the Lord of the Rings of its time.

There is, of course, a certain nostalgia to the film that must be acknowledged. And that nostalgia helps in overcoming the stylistic barrier of the film’s visual effects. But once audiences move past the style — either through nostalgia or suspension of disbelief — there is a well-produced and directed epic film to enjoyed. Clash of the Titans doesn’t boast a story (or acting or a soundtrack) that is nearly as good as the Tolkien adaptations, but the combination of fantastical visuals with real-world settings is a direct precursor to the formula that made The Lord of the Rings films so powerful for many audiences.

This is the story of Perseus (Harry Hamlin), the orphaned son of Zeus, who must “find and fulfill his destiny” to reclaim the lost kingdom of Argos. Along the way, he travels to Joppa and embarks on a series of tasks to win the hand of Andromeda (Judi Bowker) — a marriage that allow him to not only reclaim his own country, but join it with Andromeda’s — a “happily ever after” if there ever was one. But it’s much easier said than done and the trials of Perseus — including confrontations with Calibos (Neil McCarthy) and the dreaded Medusa — form the narrative backbone of the film.

What makes the story so successful, though, is its characters. Hamlin makes for an effective hero: noble and brave, but only as strong as his convictions will take him. His mentor Amman (Burgess Meredith) provides needed gravitas while offering important exposition and guidance. McCarthy’s Calibos is an effective blend of monstrous prosthetics, booming voice, and sinister motives. Even Bowker’s quiet confidence as Andromeda helps convince audiences that Perseus could love her for more than her beauty. Through these characters, with support from friends like Thallo (Tim Pigott-Smith) and enemies such as the Stygian Witches, we see a world that is as worth saving as it is dangerous.

Mostly, though, Clash of the Titans is known for its visual effects sequences. The look of stop-motion animation is halting and doesn’t blend well with the photorealistic scenery and actors. But the film effectively combines the action between the realistic and animated elements. And providing one can move past the limitations of stop-motion, there’s no question that there’s an incredible amount of craft being displayed. This isn’t the case of bad visual achieving effects, rather it is the pinnacle of achievement in a very specific style. True, the style can be distracting for audiences weaned on CGI, but that certainly doesn’t diminish the craft or achievement.

In fact, the biggest problem with the film isn’t one of visual effects: it’s a character. Much in the same way that Jar Jar Binks — himself a display for VFX — was jarringly comical in The Phantom Menace, the character of Bubo the mechanical owl (a flying R2-D2, if you will) is a similarly awkward display. But Bubo isn’t nearly as omnipresent as Jar Jar, which thankfully keeps the film from being overly campy.

Beyond that, this is an adventure, filled with action, romance, humor, heroism and divine intervention. The gods of Olympus have a large role to play in the story. And the cast assembled to portray the gods and goddesses is indeed impressive with the likes of Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Maggie Smith as Thetis, and Claire Bloom as Hera. Their motivations and actions are as human, plausible and engaging as the rest of the characters.

Overall Grade: B

Clash of the Titans may find a decreasing audience because of time and the progression of filmmaking. But that certainly doesn’t diminish the craft or enjoyability of the final product. Sure, Bubo can be a bit annoying. But the silly mechanical owl is, mercifully, not a huge part of the film.

Topics: Fantasy, Film Review
Filed under: Film

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