Clash of the Titans

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Kids will find this FX-heavy fantasy epic a bit dated.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is based on a Greek myth, and though it is aimed at young audiences, it contains medium-level fantasy violence (some swordplay with blood), some scares (mostly characters like gruesome witches that share an eyeball, Medusa and her snake-hair, and a skeletal ferryman), and some nudity (mostly nonsexual and not up close, plus one covered shot of a couple in bed together). The movie features the work of legendary special effects master Ray Harryhausen, and it has a certain cult appeal because of this; it's filled with unique -- if somewhat dated -- stop-motion animation and creatures. Modern day kids may find it all a bit wooden, slow, and/or dull, but parents who saw it when it was new in the early 1980s may be thrilled to see it again.

  • Human heroism prevails over the petty feuds of the gods.
  • Perseus is the movie's main role model; he is the son of Zeus, but is raised by his mortal mother to be brave and strong. He is a problem solver, and overcomes great challenges. He goes to great lengths, using both wisdom and courage, to figure out how to defeat the giant monster Kraken.
  • Mild to medium fantasy violence, with swordplay and some bloodletting. Most of the visual effects by Ray Harryhasuen are of the old-fashioned stop-motion variety, and the creatures (the Kraken, Medusa, giant scorpions, giant vulture, skeletal ferryman, etc.) are mostly quaint and fun -- and sometimes somewhat scary -- without ever being realistic. Images of a mother and small child being thrown into the sea, grotesque witches fighting over one eyeball, or giant pillars collapsing and falling on innocent people are slightly more disturbing.
  • Some brief nudity: when Perseus is a child, we see his mother breastfeeding him (one breast is visible) followed by a shot of mother and child walking naked on the beach, away from the camera. Later, Andromeda takes a bath and her bottom and a partial breast are visible. The grown-up, muscular Perseus is shown wearing very little clothing (period costumes). He marries Andromeda, and there are some affectionate scenes between them, including some kissing, and a shot of them sleeping in a bed together. There are references to Zeus and his weakness for beautiful women.

What's the story?

Perseus (Harry Hamlin), the mortal son of Zeus, goes on a quest designed and directed by Zeus (Laurence Olivier). The angry goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith) tries to hinder his path. He must solve a riddle and win the hand of the beautiful Andromeda (Judi Bowker) and defeat her former betrothed Calibos, who has been turned into a monster (and who is the son of Thetis). With the help of the poet Ammon (Burgess Meredith) and a robot owl, Perseus must also catch and tame the winged horse Pegasus, overcome some giant scorpions, and behead the evil Medusa, all in an attempt to stop his new bride from being sacrificed to the giant creature known as the Kraken.


Is it any good?

 

Though CLASH OF THE TITANS can hardly be called a good movie, it has a certain quality -- a combination of camp and nostalgia -- that makes it appealing. Ray Harryhausen's visual effects were, and still are, the high point. His old-fashioned stop-motion animation reached a new complexity here, though some of it obviously works better than the rest. A "cute" little robot owl is all too clearly an attempt to copy Star Wars. But the Medusa sequence, especially, is a delightful high point.

And certainly the original mythology is interesting as well. But Desmond Davis' direction lies somewhere between wooden and leaden, the young cast is pretty and vacant, and the veterans, including Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Claire Bloom, look bewildered and bored. It all goes on far too long, but the underlying themes of the original story are intact and leave some food for thought, even today.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Was it realistic? When it's a fantasy movie does it have less impact?

  • One of the gods asks, "what if courage and imagination became everyday mortal qualities? What will become of us?" And Zeus replies, "we would no longer be needed. But, for the moment, there is sufficient cowardice, sloth, and mendacity down there on Earth to last forever." What did he mean by this?

  • How is an ancient myth like this one relevant to today?

  • How much did Perseus achieve by himself, and how much did the gods help him out? Do we all have the power to choose our own actions and our own destinies?


This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Parent of 4, 7, and 10 year old
February 11, 2010
 
NOT a children's movie!
My son was invited to a 9-year-old birthday party with this movie as the centerpiece, so I watched it in advance and had to say NO. Even with its charmingly antiquated animations, it's genuinely terrifying for a child. Not just swordplay and blood, but things like a mother and baby, both screaming, put into a coffin and thrown into the ocean. The Medusa scene is really suspenseful and gory, even if it's fake. And though my son sees the people in our family naked all the time, he's never seen nudity on screen and I think there's a difference, especially when you've gathered a room full of 9 year olds to watch it together. There are no children in this movie - and there's nothing in it to suggest it's a children's movie.

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Parent of 13 and 15 year old
April 16, 2010
 
go persius!
love it! stays true to the original with a modern twist

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Adult sexuality!!

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Teen, 14 years old
April 10, 2010
 
This is a very good movie but there is a lot of nudity for a PG movie. There is no cusing and Persus is a good rool modle

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Great Mythological Fantasy Adventure

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Shocking nudity!
This is R material here. I was shocked that it had been rated PG.

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Adult
August 1, 2009
 
This is a pre-PG13 PG-movie
While this wasn't a great movie, it still is worth watching as a version of the "Perseus" myth, albeit heavily altered. I saw this for the first time probably when I was 12 or so, and found it disturbing and shocking. There is a fair bit of bloody violence, and the scene with Medusa is extremely intense. Also, those who are used to the MPAA's current standards may be shocked by the three short (but not entirely necessary) scenes of nudity.

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Educator
April 6, 2010
 
It's a big favorite at our house...
This would be a good alternative to the 2010 release. The nudity is very brief and not very sexual. Along with "Jason and the Argonauts," it is a good example of stop-motion photography techniques. It could be a way to introduce Greek myths as an interest for self-guided study and reading.

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Teen, 18 years old
March 30, 2010
 
*snore* *laughs* *snore*
This is one of those movies that's so bad it's funny! Clash of the Titans is ALMOST good and is amusing...as long as you can stay awake!

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This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
Topics:magic and fantasy, monsters, ghosts, and vampires
Studio:Warner Home Video
Director:Desmond Davis
Cast:Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:118 minutes
Theatrical release date:June 12, 1981
DVD release date:June 1, 2004
MPAA rating:PG

This review was written by Jeffrey M. Anderson
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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