Clash of the Titans

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Clash of the Titans Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 14+

Gods vs. man 3-D action fantasy is full of scary monsters.

PG-13 2010 118 minutes
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 24 reviews

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 89 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What 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.

Community Reviews

ConssumerRay
ConssumerRay Adult
July 2, 2020
age 14+

Clash of The Titans Proves That Fantasy Can Still Entertain

This version is no Ray Harryhausen (the master of early claymation film making), but it does fit the bill in terms of providing solid entertainment within the fantasy genre. The movie is interesting from start to finish and the visual, sound effects and music keep the audience captivated, but it is not for younger viewers because of the some of the content Parents use discretion,. Younger viewers would get more out of the Harryhausen flicks.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
adnanfix
adnanfix Adult
June 2, 2020
age 2+

not so bad

See all 24 parent reviews

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?

This remake retains most of the wooden characters and stiff dialogue from the original, 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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

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