Clash of the Titans

  • Review Date: March 22, 2010
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Release Year: 2010
  • Running Time: 118 minutes

Common Sense Media says

Gods vs. man 3-D action fantasy is full of scary monsters.
  • Review Date: March 22, 2010
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Release Year: 2010
  • Running Time: 118 minutes

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Quality(i)

 
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What parents need to know

Positive messages

This is Greek myth, so unsurprisingly there's the good and the not so good. Gods are needy, jealous, vain, and selfish. Men have the potential to be noble, to live and die for each other, and to love each other. Perseus is both god and man, so he has both positive and negative qualities. Overall, the movie tries to give a positive message.

Positive role models

Perseus is the movie's major role model, and though his personal struggle between manhood and godhood never comes to much, he at least shows devotion and love to his adoptive father; he's brave and is a good problem solver, and triumphs in the almost-impossible task of defeating the Kraken. The other characters display all sorts of bad behavior, from jealousy to deception, but they are not meant to be role models. Since this is Greek myth, characters are godlike and fallible.

Violence

Mid-level fantasy violence with lots of fighting -- including decapitation, dismemberment, and electrocution, knives, bows and arrows, swords (and sometimes biting). Most of the monsters and creatures, ranging from the giant scorpions and the huge toothy Kraken to the eyeless witches and the slithery Medusa, are pretty scary. We see some blood and charred bodies, as well as some goopy monster guts.

Sex

In one scene, Zeus climbs in bed with a mortal woman; it is suggested that they conceive a child, though hardly anything is shown. In another scene, Io tries to demonstrate to Perseus the dangers of Medusa. She attacks him from various angles and eventually lands on top of him, where they linger for a moment, touching hands and gazing into each other's eyes. Another character enters the scene and is embarrassed to find them in that position. Io wears a sexy outfit throughout, including boots and a short skirt. There is no kissing. The computer-generated Medusa is also designed to be slightly sexy.

Language

We hear one use each of "bastard" and "bitch," plus "damn" and "hell." at least once. It should be noted that the words "gods" and "Hades" are used frequently, but only as terms of Greek mythology.

Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Background characters drink wine at a celebration early in the film.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Clash of the Titans is a remake of a 1981 film about characters that kids might be familiar with from Greek mythology -- like Perseus (Sam Worthington) and Zeus (Liam Neeson). It features bigger, louder, and faster visual effects than parents might remember from the original and the 3-D effects up the action's intensity. The CGI monsters are often frightening. The movie is filled with fantasy violence, including some blood and fighting with swords or bows and arrows that sometimes result in death and dismemberment. There are a few mildly gory scenes featuring charred bodies and a decapitation. There is some very minor language ("bitch" and "bastard") and some scenes of sensuality -- with more innuendo than action. 

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What's the story?

Perseus (Sam Worthington), the half-human son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), lives life as a simple fisherman with his mother and adoptive father. When mankind declares war on the gods, his family is killed and he vows his revenge against Hades (Ralph Fiennes), who seethes with revenge after soldiers destroy some statues. Unfortunately, in order to get to Hades, he must first defeat the mighty Kraken, a monster that will be unleashed in 10 days by the vengeful Zeus. Accompanied by soldiers from Argos, Perseus embarks on a mission to find his secret weapon, crossing paths with giant scorpions, witches, the ferryman to the underworld, and finally, Medusa herself. But can he get back to Argos before the princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is sacrificed to the Kraken?

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

Directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, The Incredible Hulk), this modern-day remake retains most of the wooden characters and stiff dialogue from the original 1981 film, but also replaces the charming, old-fashioned visual effects with noisy, fast-moving, computer-generated ones. All of this fast-paced action might appeal to modern-day kids who will be more interested in the scary monsters and brutal battle scenes than the dull acting, muddled message, and poorly executed 3-D.

The Greek myths have long been a source of drama in literature and film, and this film continues in that tradition -- using the conflict between the needy, jealous, and vain gods and the more noble men as a metaphor for man's struggle with his own good and bad tendencies. Kids eat this stuff up, and though some will find the film lacking on several levels, older kids who can handle the violence and scares might be inspired to learn more about mythology and ancient history.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the behavior of gods and humans. Are humans more loving and compassionate toward their fellow man? Why are the gods so selfish and badly behaved? Can you connect any of the movie's messages about humankind to real life? What do you think the movie was trying to say about people?

  • Which monsters in the film were the scariest? What was scary about them? What else besides how the monsters looked make them scary? How did the noise and music affect how you felt about the monsters?

  • Is the relationship between gods and men in this movie anything like the relationship between parents and children? What do you know about Greek mythology? Did this movie make you want to find out more?

  • Why would Perseus refuse to use the magic sword his father gave him? Would you do the same thing in his place?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:April 1, 2010
DVD release date:July 27, 2010
Cast:Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Sam Worthington
Director:Louis Leterrier
Studio:Warner Bros.
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:118 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality

This review of Clash of the Titans was written by

Jeffrey M. Anderson

About our rating system

  • 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.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Kid, 9 years old July 31, 2010
AGE
9
QUALITY
 

Movie is appropriate for tweens.

This is a very tame PG-13, with just some brief frightening images being the problem with kids. No bad language or anything, good movie for tweens.
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Teen, 13 years old Written byEragonopotter June 9, 2011
AGE
10
QUALITY
 

Cool

Epic movie and is not that violent my brother watched it when he was 8 and wasn't a bit scared
What other families should know
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
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Teen, 14 years old Written byskyrebel April 20, 2011
AGE
11
QUALITY
 

This Movie Was Awesome!!!

This was one of the best movies ever!!! I mean, like sure, there were some iffy bits, but all good movies have iffy bits. And I love Greek mythology so totally fine by me.
What other families should know
Too much violence
Great role models
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