I recently watched the new version of Clash of the Titans with much anticipation; unfortunately, what I received was what I have come to expect from Hollywood (or Vancouver or England or where ever Hollywood is now). I can forgive them for being lazy (but must I?) However, I will not be giving them a break on this one; (surprising, isn't it?) It wasn't enough that they dusted off the old script from 1981; they just had to butcher it in the name of 'redux'. Don't get me wrong; I am not railing against all 'reduxes', just this one. The movies entitled Clash of the Titans both retell the story of the legend of Perseus. The former rendition starring Harry Hamlin as Perseus and has the hero desiring Andromeda who is demanded as a sacrifice to the Kracken, a sea beast, who is ordered to lay waste to a seaport. The latter puts Sam Worthington in the role as the errant Perseus.
The story begins as the first with a woman and her young son cast out and set upon the ocean by a jealous king; however, this is where the parallel ends. The child turns out to be the son of Zeus who had visited his mother Danae, the daughter of the king. Perseus grows up unaware of his true heritage as he comes upon the cursed kingdom ruled by the jealous king. The original version has Perseus hearing of the Princess Andromeda who is set to be a sacrifice for the city to the Kracken. Perseus then sets upon a quest to save the princess and have her for himself. He is guided by a poet and playwright, played deftly by the marvelous Burgess Meredith, learns of the situation and goes about righting it according his view. He sets out to solve a dilemma of killing the Kraken by consulting the witches, who are never really identified; but, tell Perseus that he must obtain the head of the Gorgon-who turns people to stone, even when dead, apparently-in order to defeat the Kracken. During this quest he receives the help of Zeus-played by the dean of actors, Sir Lawrence Olivier-a number of items shield, helmet, sword, and bag; he also is able to break the winged horse Pegasus, who assists him in the culmination of the story-where he flies to the rescue of the princess turning the Kracken into stone and saving the day, the princess, and the kingdom.
The new version is much less creative and seemed to be more interested in mocking the previous version than making a updated version or creating its own myth as did Star Trek 2009 v. Star Trek 1966. In this current version, Perseus is no more interested in Andromeda, but in seeking revenge for his dead mother, killed by Hades as an oversight while punishing the city who brought down a statue of Poseidon or Zeus (this detail is unclear). Perseus denies the demi-god status that everyone around him is able to discern. The current version has only revenge in mind and the princess as not even an afterthought. Perseus just wants to destroy Hades and by extension Zeus as his adopted family is killed-the only one he knows or about whom he seems to care . After the attack, Perseus is rescued and brought to the city that started the tift. Perseus wants nothing to do with saving the city or even the women involved, just revenge for the death of his family. He is convinced to go on the quest; and goes knowing nothing of how to fight. Perseus is finally taught to fight by the head of a detail sent by the king to accompany him or he them (this is also unclear); they are joined by a group that claims to know how to kill the monsters they are about to encounter. This motley crew then meets up with the blue Djinn, who are the same creatures of Arabian legend and assist the errant group to tame large scorpions that grew from the blood of Calabos, after a soldier was able to cut the hand of Calabos off. It was unclear what became of the hand. The significance of this hand in the previous version was that it had a ring of Calabos which was the answer to some riddle about Andromeda. The quest then continues to the edge of the Tartaros, the realm of Hades. It was here that I left the new presentation.
The original legend of Perseus from Greek Mythology has Perseus inside the chest with his mother, Danae, banished by Acrisius; he grows up on island of Seriphus. King Polydectes of Seriphus is able to trick Perseus into the quest against the Gorgon Medusa in exchange for Danae his mother. In the original story, he is aided by Hermes and Athena; they visit the Graiae, sisters of the Gorgon (the witches in both portrayals) who possess a single eye to see and a tooth to eat human flesh. The Graiae direct Perseus, et al. to the Stygian nymphs who tell him where to find the tools against the Gorgon-the bag, the sandals (which are winged sandals), and the helmet (giving the wearer invisibility). Perseus is given a shield by Athena that he uses to defeat the Gorgon, decapitating her. The Andromeda storyline comes from a separate deed where Perseus is returning to Seriphus having obtained the head of Medusa. While on his way to Seriphus, through Ethiopia for some reason, he becomes enamored with Andromeda, the Ethiopian princess, and it was Cassiopeia-Andromeda's mother-who had boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the sea nymphs (instead of Hera in the first version). It was Poseidon who was to release an unidentified sea monster, ostensibly a squid or octopus, against Ethiopia for the boast. King Cepheus of Ethiopia consults an oracle-of whom or where is unclear; but, the oracle notifies Cepheus he must sacrifice Andromeda as justice for the insult against the nymphs and ostensibly Poseidon. Perseus became enamored with Andromeda and uses the head against the sea monster turning it to stone, saving Andromeda, marrying her and establishing the Mycenaeans , the pre-Greeks (although this detail alludes me; for, if they weren't Greeks prior to the establishment of Mycenae, then who were the inhabitants of the land prior to Mycenae being founded).
The new Clash of the titans is wholly convoluted as the writer has appeared to have picked and chosen from both original legend and the previous incarnation of the story which gives credence to the criticisms against philosophy, religion, and bad storytelling that all employ the same tactic; the so-called, salad bar approach. It seems to be a wider symptom of this post-modern era where the only thing that seems to be progressing and evolving is entropy. We have progressed even faster than before into the civilization cycle and are traveling headlong to that end visited time and again by the great civilizations of the past: dilapidation. There also seems to be a slight against Ethiopia as the only depictions of actual Ethiopians are those seen in the guilt-driven ads begging for money to sponsor a child. The rest of Ethiopia's existence seems to be glossed over in all other depictions as if no one wants to acknowledge that it had a kingdom in its own right or that it was part of the great empires of history. Perhaps it is my own lack of awareness, but I am at a loss to see a depiction of an Ethiopian in any context other than that I have already mentioned.
I still hold out some optimism as the recent version of the same legend and story arc of Perseus, Percy Jackson and the Olympians-the Lightning Thief; holds great promise as a true redux of the legend of Perseus. This occurs in the current world and recasts Perseus-aka Percy Jackson-as the unwitting son, of Poseidon this time, accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt the symbol of his power. His mother is taken by a minotaur who is in league with Hades and is held in ransom for the lightning bolt. Perseus then pursues Hades with the help of the daughter of Athena and a satyr (a goat-legged human who appears much like that of Pan). In this version the winged shoes play their proper role as Percy confronts the true villain, the disgruntled son of Hermes. I came across it thinking it a leftover of the Harry Potter stories, but the writer proved him or herself quite the adept at adapting the legend of Perseus.
All-in-all the new Clash of the Titans (2010) is a flop; while having very cool special effects, it wasn't enough to save its poor story. If you have purchased this movie, my condolences; if you have not, I implore that you save your money until a time where it will be virtually given away. If you are a fan of the many stars in this new version, especially the delightful Alexa Davalos who plays Cassiopeia, then don't give into the temptation of paying more than $1.99 for the privilege of renting it.
No comments:
Post a Comment