WARNING
*** POTENTIAL SPOILERS ***
Normally I try and stick to vampires. It is, after all, my thing. But, so is mythology. It's a small hobby of mine and it's something I have tied my vampires into.
So that's why I was so excited to see them remaking the film Clash of the Titans.
I've loved that movie since I was a little girl.
Now, that movie was not mythhologically (is that a real word? Hmmm) accurate but it at least held some of the pieces of the original story.
As the old Myth goes, Perseus is the son of Zeus and Danae. Danae's father, King of Argos was worried about a prophecy stating his grandson would kill him. So after locking her away he was shocked to find her pregnant. Zeus had flown down in the form of an eagle and impregnated her. Fearing the prophecy, the King, threw Danae, and her infant son into the sea in a box of some kind. They floated around for a bit before landing on an island and making it their home.
That part was held true in the original film and I don't see why they felt it needed to be changed for this remake. According to this new "re-imagined" tale. Perseus is the son of King Acrisius (not the grandson).
The new 2010 film begins a bastardized (trust me, they went way left field with this one) version of the history of the Olympians defeat of the Titans and then you see Perseus being found by a fisherman and raised as an adopted child. So, right from the beginning you know this isn't going to follow true mythology.
The deviation just gets worse from there. Please, forget this is in any way related to the myths of Perseus. Don't give yourself the headache trying to make sense of their changes.
Ok, mythology aside, you could just look at this as an action flick. I can deal with that. We all like action movies. That's one of the reasons my husband agreed to go to see it.
As action movies go, this one has quite a bit. Lots of large monsters to kill, plenty of blood and guts, and tons of those fight scenes with people jumping off of rocks wielding swords while screaming. If that is what you are there for, you should enjoy.
Just don't go expecting a really deep, plotted out story. The people of Argos are all in an uproar over the gods and the gods are pissed because people aren't praying to them. Prayers somehow power the gods and make them immortal. Perseus, after somehow getting caught up in all this mess, looses his family, starts a grudge against Hades, and finds out he is a demi-god. (pretty big day for him)
Suddenly, he goes from being a simple fisherman to fighting with a sword like a trained soldier. (demi-god or not, I can only suspend reality so far. for a man who never picked up a sword in his life, he sure fights pretty well.)
He takes up a perilous journey (that everyone says cannot be done) because he somehow thinks he can defeat Hades (who he now has a big grudge against).
Also, after finding out he is a demi-god, he suddenly feels he has to prove that he can do everything as a "man" not a demi-god. (which, by the way, he can't. He needs some help) So all those pretty trinkets you might remember from the original movie ... not there, minus the sword which he refuses to use for most of the movie).
Again, lots of action, lots of fighting, lots of big scary mosters. That fills the bulk of the movie.
So, if you choose to go see this movie, go for the action and that alone. If you want the story and loved the original, go back and watch the original ... claymation monsters and all.