Going into this movie you know from the get go what is going to happen and for the most part how the movie will unfold. So as most people would ask, why would I see a story/movie I already know or have seen. Why did you all go see Titanic? It’s for the story, for the characters, for the amazement of that story brought to life. Unfortunately for us the story from the 1981 movie is the same today as it was then.

Clash of the Titans falls flat from the get go. The character building is rushed, the CG effects are poor in many places along with many other small misses in the big scheme of things. Wanting this movie to do well and to expect much of it was something on my mind throughout the lead up to the screening. I must say I need to start setting my sights lower and be pleasantly surprised by films.

Without character development you have nothing but a pretty face in Gemma Arterton and a strong young lad in Sam Worthington. I want to sit here an unfold a story that you haven’t heard of before, the one of a jealous God who has affairs with humans and his weak brother who births the Kraken. A story of great historical value and something to admire. This is not that story, or movie! The characters are not ones you feel for, or ones you would follow into battle or even care if they all die at the end.  This is where the movie gods fail us as the viewer. There is no substance in the world of the titans, just a lot of clashing.

The story unfolds in the same way it did in the original, we follow the ever stud of a demi-god Perseus on a no win journey to defeat the Kracken. Along the way we see some very interesting characters in the witches, the crazy blue rock faced guys, the Kraken is impressive for the small on screen time we see it. Overall the story unfolds too flat and almost too quickly to enjoy or get into it all.

While the natural sets and some of the CG is impressive and sometime vast, the casting and the story has so much to gain. The acting is subpar even for a movie such as this. We have seen the battle speeches so many times before, we have heard the cry’s of women and children before. This is not different in any way. Fresh faces and pretty actresses is all this movie has going for it in the end.

The 3D in my eyes was rushed and not done well at all. I saw nothing that was necessary to make this a 3d film. The fault may of come in during the post production 3d process and not the filming. But I was wanting the Kraken and Pegasus to come right at me. Nada…

The story left me wondering why if at all I could care for any of these characters. The soul of this movie, the characters, was gone long before the times of Zeus and the Kraken.

A possible DVD rental.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

After this weekend’s Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief  brought the colorful world of Greek mythology back to the big screen, I think the stage has been perfectly set for Louis Letterier’s Clash of the Titans remake. Percy featured several of the same big players (Zeus, Hades, Medusa) and plays a like a training wheels version of this story.

It also placed second in this weekend’s box office with an estimated 31 million dollars, which I imagine Titans will easily demolish upon it’s release.

About that release; it appears that now Clash will undergo a 3-D transfer process (not as optimal as filming it that way to start with) that will postpone it’s opening by another week. Now Perseus and his crew are setting sail on April 2nd, a day before my birthday. Seeing the mighty Kraken and the winged Pegasus in 3-D will be a great way to celebrate.

To tide all the movie buffs over until that day, we’ve been given a new featurette that includes a few of the stars (Worthington, Neeson and Fiennes) talking about their characters and the movie’s monsters. Since those monsters were the absolute best reason to watch the original, it’s nice to see them front and center in the video.

Specifically, I’m intrigued by Medusa, who keeps most of her creepy serpentine design but gains some speed and agility that the stop-motion creation never had. The Kraken looks spectacular as well; the one real improvement here over the predecessor is the perspective on the monster that gives us a sense of just how big and overwhelming this brute really is.

I don’t expect this one to replace the original in my affections because Harryhausen’s critters have a personality that is hard to beat. I do know, that for the first time in a long time, I’m actually excited by the prospect of seeing a remake at the theaters. Let the Clash begin!

Stay tuned to Atomic Popcorn this week when I take a look back at that original film and the myths and monsters it contains. Until then, check out the featurette for the remake:

After a couple of quite shiny trailers for Louis Letterier’s Clash of the Titans remake, it’s become clear that the new film definitely remembers its origins. For children of the 80′s who had the original burned into their memory banks, all of the main players are there; Zeus, Perseus, Medusa, Pegasus, The Kraken.

What has remained more elusive through these rock-heavy fx montages is what story the new picture is trying to tell. With quick flashes of an angry Zeus and taglines like ‘Damn the Gods’, it was suggested that in this variation Worthington as Perseus would be fighting against, not for, Mt. Olympus.

Now we have a new international trailer that keeps most of the same beats as that last U.S. one, but offers up more in the way of plot particulars. Here we have Zeus growling ‘This is the end’ and Andromeda defiantly proclaiming ‘The gods need us. They need our worship. What do we need from them?’

The rest of the trailer keeps up with the others by featuring the usual array of battles, monsters and crumbling statues. And Ralph Fiennes is getting his name in the credits at last! Of all the recent remakes this is one of the few that has my attention. Sign me up on March 26th.

If I had my way, on June 26th everyone would find themselves in a theater seeing The Hurt Locker rather than latest Michael Bay fiasco. Unfortunately, this movie can’t come out on July 1st and the world couldn’t handle so much awesome piled into one week. This movie deserves your attention just as much as a Harry Potter, Transformers, or Final Destination. The film is being released by Summit Entertainment who is trying to make up for their mistake of making Twilight into a franchise by giving us Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraqi War awesomeness. While nothing can make up for unleashing that crap onto humanity, this might be the closest you’ll get. Those who haven’t heard of it (and shame on you) should know it’s been sweeping up the festival circuit and many are calling it one of the best, if not THE best film of the year. If the trailer wasn’t enough to convince you this movie would be an assault of kick assery, then maybe these two new clips over at Film School Rejects will convince you. Also below are six new images from the flick.

As stated, The Hurt Awesome….I mean The Hurt Locker opens June 26th. Let’s do the impossible and beat Bay at his own game! For now, enjoy these six new stills from the flick.

Neeson's ready to Zeus it up

Actors Liam Neeson (Taken) and Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince) have taken their rightful place as the mighty gods in the remake of Clash of the Titans. Neeson will be taking the throne being the head of the Greek gods, Zeus. Fiennes will slide his way into yet another villainous role as Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld. They will be joining the already filling up cast with the talents of Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation), Alexa Davalos (Defiance) and Mads Mikkelsen (Quantum of Solace).

The upcoming Warner Bros. film focuses on the myth of Perseus & his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster in order to save the Princess Andromeda (courtesy of imdb). Currently the film is set to release on March 26, 2010 in theatres nationwide. Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) is directing the mythological tale that will begin it’s initial filming at the start of next month.