I fell for a Demigod: A Clash of the Titan’s Movie Review
Last Tuesday, my good friend Jori invited us to the press screening of Clash of the Titans. After munching on some pika pika and socializing, the three of us proceeded to the cinema and enjoyed this sonofagun, fucking-shit-hayop-sa-ganda movie together with other blogger friends.
Now for the movie review.
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THE REVIEW
The first thing I noticed was Perseus’ similarities with Hercules: they’re both sons of Zeus (Perseus is a demigod; Hercules is pure god but was raised human); they both grew up as humans not knowing of their true origins; they’re both destined to help damsels in distress, hesitant to step up to their godly powers, save a city from titans, got help from the gods to put Hades back in the Underworld, and chose to be human instead of taking their rightful place as a god in Mt. Olympus.
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Of course, when I thought about these, I haven’t read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology yet and that my closest reference point was Disney’s animated movie Hercules, which is inaccurate and misleading according to my friends who have read the real account of Hercules in Mythology.
I didn’t know that the 2010 Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 version. I haven’t seen the original movie (no intention of doing so) so I’ll just focus my review on how the 2010 version’s storyline deviated from the timeless tale of the demigod who cut off Medusa’s head.
Perseus’ tale according to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology
King Acrisius of Argos had a daughter named Danae whose beauty was above everyone else in the land. However, the king wanted to father a boy but an oracle revealed that Danae’s son will bring about his death.
Acrisius didn’t want to slay his own daughter. Instead, he built a bronze house and placed it underground with only its top open to the sky for light and air. He hid Danae in this bronze house and shut her out of the world. One day, golden rain fell from the sky and filled the chamber. Zeus visited Danae and soon she bore his son. When the king discovered the boy, he was terrified for his life but didn’t want to kill the boy in fear that he might anger the gods. He made a great chest and trapped Danae and her son Perseus inside and threw them out onto the sea towards their death.
They were found by Dictys, a fisherman, who took them back to his kind wife. For years, the couple treated the Danae and Perseus as their own children. After so many years, Polydectes, the ruler of the island where they live, fancied Danae and set a trap for Perseus to bring back Medusa’s head as a gift.
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Perseus, bold and eager to prove himself, set out on a journey where he was guided by the gods Hermes and Athena. Perseus received the winged sandals from Hermes, a magic wallet that adjusts to whatever he stuffs in it, Hades' cap of invisibility, Athena’s bright shield, and the sword Hermes gave. He found Medusa and her two mother sisters asleep. He aimed at Medusa’s throat while floating using the winged sandals and with one strike, he cut her head with the sword and scooped it in the magic wallet. All this time, he was looking at her through her reflection in the bright shield so he won’t turn to stone because of her gaze. Some versions of the story say that the winged horse Pegasus sprang forth from Medusa’s slain head while others tell us that Pegasus is a gift from Zeus himself.
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On his way back home, he came across a beautiful maiden named Andromeda, the princess of a city that was being destroyed by a giant serpent of the sea. The gods were angered because Andromeda’s mother, Queen Cassiopeia, boasted that her daughter’s beauty was more superior to the gods. Perseus killed the serpent, rescued Andromeda, and asked for her hand in marriage.
Perseus went back to his island home and found out that Dictys’ wife was dead and that his mother and his mortal father were taking refuge at a temple because Danae refused to marry Polydectes. Perseus entered the king’s hall and turned everyone into stone using Medusa’s head. Dictys was made ruler of the land while Perseus and Danae sailed back to Andromeda in Greece.
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Perseus tried to reconcile with Acrisius, thinking that the years might have softened the king’s heart. But in Argos, they found that Acrisius had been driven out of the city and no one knew where he was. Perseus heard that King Larissa was holding a discus-throwing contest and he took part. However, when he threw the missile, it swerved and killed many spectators, including Acrisius. A lame ending to a story, if you ask me.
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Perseus and Adromeda lived a happy life. They had a son named Electryon, the grandfather of Hercules.
2010 Warner Bros.’ Story is better (for me)
First of all, Danae was human. Her death and Perseus’ survival made the story more logical in an era where nothing is impossible. Perseus survived because he was a demigod, that’s believable. The death of Perseus’ foster family sparked his anger towards Hades and his bold quest to destroy him. Comparing this to the turning point in Hamilton’s Mythology, the former is more “human” and explicable because it makes Perseus’ quest to get Medusa’s head no longer his own, but the battle for the survival of an entire city.
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In Mythology, Perseus was guided by the gods themselves—Hermes and Athena—who told him what to do and brought forth gifts that helped him slay Medusa. In the movie, Perseus was guided by beautiful woman named Io, who was cursed with agelessness when she refused a god’s advance. That was their version. Timeless stories tell us that Io was once the priestess of Hera. Io was loved by Zeus and in order to protect her from Hera’s jealousy, he changed her into a heifer (a young cow). But let’s stick with Io’s image as the ageless woman because I’ve decided to adapt her hairstyle.
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Io’s curse made her knowledgeable of the gods and gorgons. She guided the mortals to strange and distant lands and answered their questions. And so Perseus was able to slay Medusa but Io was killed by Acrisius (reminds me of how Meg died in Disney’s Hercules). Perseus flew to Argos with Pegasus and used Medusa’s head to defeat the Kracken. Compared to how Perseus slew the sea monster in Mythology, this version is better because it made his quest to gain Medusa’s head of great importance.
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The princess Andromeda was made queen of Argos. Zeus visited Perseus who went back to where his foster family drowned. Zeus made him an offer to take his rightful place in Mt. Olympus but Perseus said he has all he needs in the land. Again, this reminds me of how Hercules refused Zeus’ offer in Disney’s animated film where Meg was brought to back to life. Likewise, Io was brought back from the Underwold and the demigod and the mortal woman went on with their lives as humans.
CINEMATOGPRAHY & CAST
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Over all, I think Warner Bros. did a great job of bringing to life a mythical classic. I was surprised to hear the characters use slang terms like “hell” and “bitch” in the movie. Heck, there’s even a robot owl in Argos—what the heck was that for? But I enjoyed how the story was altered and rendered in the big screen.
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The ability to relate—this is one of the reasons why old classics won’t budge the younger generation. They hate old men (gods) wearing bed sheets for costumes or women (goddesses) parading in the same material throughout the movie. In the 2010 film, the gods and goddesses are clad in white and gold armor, the soldiers were looking fierce, and the hero itself is a hot commodity when compared to the gay-looking Brad Pitt in Troy. Even Medusa herself turned a great deal of male viewers into “hard stone” that night. Why? Because her face was strikingly beautiful and Io’s story of Medusa’s punishment made her more appealing. Thus turning more men into “hard stone.” If you know what I mean.
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But one thing’s missing…the carnal cravings, the sexy scenes, the hot, passionate, sexual encounters that put Troy and 300 up there in film history.
In the Clash of the Titans, don’t expect sexy scenes like those of 300 and Troy. The closest you can get to seeing something sexy is when Io was teaching Perseus how to dodge Medusa’s deadly gaze and whipping tail. So much for the hot Greek past time, alright.
Of course, this is big deal to my male friends who said that they find a big chunk of the movie boring. But not for me. I was fixated on Sam Worthington’s body. Gosh, he makes horseback riding look so damn sexy. Sizzle.
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Why do we need films like this…
I’ve always been a sucker for hero movies. There was a time when I was so into knights and champions that I watched The First Knight twice, got goosebumps over Brave Heart, and fell in love with Dragon Heart 1 and 2. Even today, I’m still fascinated with myths and legends like the stories of lost continents and gods and heroes.
In college, one of my classmates raised a question as to why we had to study Greek tragedies, comedies, and tales of gods and goddesses. Perhaps, he was thinking that it was a total waste of time when we could spend 1.5 hours of the day reading contemporary stories that we can better relate to.
Patiently, our literature professor explained the reason why World Literature is a pre-requisite in college. She told us these timeless tales of gods and heroes serve as the basis for today’s literature. The old world concepts of unrequited love, hero conquests, might and magic, fear, hope, camaraderie, betrayal, love, tragedy and comedy are all loosely based on the stories of the gods. The movie’s intro was right: The best stories are written in the stars. Personally, I think mythology is the ultimate manifestation of man’s imagination.
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So if your brothers and sisters or friends are fucking up World Literature, give them a good whack on the head. If not for these timeless stories, we wouldn’t have Harry Potter, Transformers, 300, Twilight (ewww), or Cosmopolitan’s Bedroom Blog by Veronica.
Now for the movie review.
THE REVIEW
The first thing I noticed was Perseus’ similarities with Hercules: they’re both sons of Zeus (Perseus is a demigod; Hercules is pure god but was raised human); they both grew up as humans not knowing of their true origins; they’re both destined to help damsels in distress, hesitant to step up to their godly powers, save a city from titans, got help from the gods to put Hades back in the Underworld, and chose to be human instead of taking their rightful place as a god in Mt. Olympus.
Of course, when I thought about these, I haven’t read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology yet and that my closest reference point was Disney’s animated movie Hercules, which is inaccurate and misleading according to my friends who have read the real account of Hercules in Mythology.
I didn’t know that the 2010 Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 version. I haven’t seen the original movie (no intention of doing so) so I’ll just focus my review on how the 2010 version’s storyline deviated from the timeless tale of the demigod who cut off Medusa’s head.
Perseus’ tale according to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology
King Acrisius of Argos had a daughter named Danae whose beauty was above everyone else in the land. However, the king wanted to father a boy but an oracle revealed that Danae’s son will bring about his death.
Acrisius didn’t want to slay his own daughter. Instead, he built a bronze house and placed it underground with only its top open to the sky for light and air. He hid Danae in this bronze house and shut her out of the world. One day, golden rain fell from the sky and filled the chamber. Zeus visited Danae and soon she bore his son. When the king discovered the boy, he was terrified for his life but didn’t want to kill the boy in fear that he might anger the gods. He made a great chest and trapped Danae and her son Perseus inside and threw them out onto the sea towards their death.
They were found by Dictys, a fisherman, who took them back to his kind wife. For years, the couple treated the Danae and Perseus as their own children. After so many years, Polydectes, the ruler of the island where they live, fancied Danae and set a trap for Perseus to bring back Medusa’s head as a gift.
Perseus, bold and eager to prove himself, set out on a journey where he was guided by the gods Hermes and Athena. Perseus received the winged sandals from Hermes, a magic wallet that adjusts to whatever he stuffs in it, Hades' cap of invisibility, Athena’s bright shield, and the sword Hermes gave. He found Medusa and her two mother sisters asleep. He aimed at Medusa’s throat while floating using the winged sandals and with one strike, he cut her head with the sword and scooped it in the magic wallet. All this time, he was looking at her through her reflection in the bright shield so he won’t turn to stone because of her gaze. Some versions of the story say that the winged horse Pegasus sprang forth from Medusa’s slain head while others tell us that Pegasus is a gift from Zeus himself.
On his way back home, he came across a beautiful maiden named Andromeda, the princess of a city that was being destroyed by a giant serpent of the sea. The gods were angered because Andromeda’s mother, Queen Cassiopeia, boasted that her daughter’s beauty was more superior to the gods. Perseus killed the serpent, rescued Andromeda, and asked for her hand in marriage.
Perseus went back to his island home and found out that Dictys’ wife was dead and that his mother and his mortal father were taking refuge at a temple because Danae refused to marry Polydectes. Perseus entered the king’s hall and turned everyone into stone using Medusa’s head. Dictys was made ruler of the land while Perseus and Danae sailed back to Andromeda in Greece.
Perseus tried to reconcile with Acrisius, thinking that the years might have softened the king’s heart. But in Argos, they found that Acrisius had been driven out of the city and no one knew where he was. Perseus heard that King Larissa was holding a discus-throwing contest and he took part. However, when he threw the missile, it swerved and killed many spectators, including Acrisius. A lame ending to a story, if you ask me.
Perseus and Adromeda lived a happy life. They had a son named Electryon, the grandfather of Hercules.
2010 Warner Bros.’ Story is better (for me)
First of all, Danae was human. Her death and Perseus’ survival made the story more logical in an era where nothing is impossible. Perseus survived because he was a demigod, that’s believable. The death of Perseus’ foster family sparked his anger towards Hades and his bold quest to destroy him. Comparing this to the turning point in Hamilton’s Mythology, the former is more “human” and explicable because it makes Perseus’ quest to get Medusa’s head no longer his own, but the battle for the survival of an entire city.
In Mythology, Perseus was guided by the gods themselves—Hermes and Athena—who told him what to do and brought forth gifts that helped him slay Medusa. In the movie, Perseus was guided by beautiful woman named Io, who was cursed with agelessness when she refused a god’s advance. That was their version. Timeless stories tell us that Io was once the priestess of Hera. Io was loved by Zeus and in order to protect her from Hera’s jealousy, he changed her into a heifer (a young cow). But let’s stick with Io’s image as the ageless woman because I’ve decided to adapt her hairstyle.
Io’s curse made her knowledgeable of the gods and gorgons. She guided the mortals to strange and distant lands and answered their questions. And so Perseus was able to slay Medusa but Io was killed by Acrisius (reminds me of how Meg died in Disney’s Hercules). Perseus flew to Argos with Pegasus and used Medusa’s head to defeat the Kracken. Compared to how Perseus slew the sea monster in Mythology, this version is better because it made his quest to gain Medusa’s head of great importance.
The princess Andromeda was made queen of Argos. Zeus visited Perseus who went back to where his foster family drowned. Zeus made him an offer to take his rightful place in Mt. Olympus but Perseus said he has all he needs in the land. Again, this reminds me of how Hercules refused Zeus’ offer in Disney’s animated film where Meg was brought to back to life. Likewise, Io was brought back from the Underwold and the demigod and the mortal woman went on with their lives as humans.
CINEMATOGPRAHY & CAST
Over all, I think Warner Bros. did a great job of bringing to life a mythical classic. I was surprised to hear the characters use slang terms like “hell” and “bitch” in the movie. Heck, there’s even a robot owl in Argos—what the heck was that for? But I enjoyed how the story was altered and rendered in the big screen.
The ability to relate—this is one of the reasons why old classics won’t budge the younger generation. They hate old men (gods) wearing bed sheets for costumes or women (goddesses) parading in the same material throughout the movie. In the 2010 film, the gods and goddesses are clad in white and gold armor, the soldiers were looking fierce, and the hero itself is a hot commodity when compared to the gay-looking Brad Pitt in Troy. Even Medusa herself turned a great deal of male viewers into “hard stone” that night. Why? Because her face was strikingly beautiful and Io’s story of Medusa’s punishment made her more appealing. Thus turning more men into “hard stone.” If you know what I mean.
But one thing’s missing…the carnal cravings, the sexy scenes, the hot, passionate, sexual encounters that put Troy and 300 up there in film history.
In the Clash of the Titans, don’t expect sexy scenes like those of 300 and Troy. The closest you can get to seeing something sexy is when Io was teaching Perseus how to dodge Medusa’s deadly gaze and whipping tail. So much for the hot Greek past time, alright.
Of course, this is big deal to my male friends who said that they find a big chunk of the movie boring. But not for me. I was fixated on Sam Worthington’s body. Gosh, he makes horseback riding look so damn sexy. Sizzle.
Why do we need films like this…
I’ve always been a sucker for hero movies. There was a time when I was so into knights and champions that I watched The First Knight twice, got goosebumps over Brave Heart, and fell in love with Dragon Heart 1 and 2. Even today, I’m still fascinated with myths and legends like the stories of lost continents and gods and heroes.
In college, one of my classmates raised a question as to why we had to study Greek tragedies, comedies, and tales of gods and goddesses. Perhaps, he was thinking that it was a total waste of time when we could spend 1.5 hours of the day reading contemporary stories that we can better relate to.
Patiently, our literature professor explained the reason why World Literature is a pre-requisite in college. She told us these timeless tales of gods and heroes serve as the basis for today’s literature. The old world concepts of unrequited love, hero conquests, might and magic, fear, hope, camaraderie, betrayal, love, tragedy and comedy are all loosely based on the stories of the gods. The movie’s intro was right: The best stories are written in the stars. Personally, I think mythology is the ultimate manifestation of man’s imagination.
So if your brothers and sisters or friends are fucking up World Literature, give them a good whack on the head. If not for these timeless stories, we wouldn’t have Harry Potter, Transformers, 300, Twilight (ewww), or Cosmopolitan’s Bedroom Blog by Veronica.
