Clash of the Titans (1981)

Directed by Desmond Davis. Starring Harry Hamlin, Burgess Meredith, Laurence Olivier, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith, Neil McCarthy, Claire Bloom, Tim Pigott-Smith, Siân Phillips, Susan Fleetwood. [PG]

Old-fashioned adventure spectacle based around Greek mythology and the story of Perseus (Hamlin), one of Zeus’ (Olivier) many half-sons. Sometimes stilted and illogical (not just because of the quixotic nature of the gods), with the expected picnic components—ham in the acting, corn in the dialogue—but still pretty good fun when the mood strikes. Hampered by an excess of juvenile interests aimed at the juveniles, but the plucky mechanical owl is slightly more endearing than irksome; meanwhile, the real owl belonging to Athena (Fleetwood) is quite striking. Upon the film’s release, Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion effects seemed almost quaint in the post-Star Wars world of cinema, but those fleshy, disjointed qualities only served to make the monsters more terrifyingly unworldly and evil. Highlight: the suspenseful visit to Medusa’s lair. Believe it or not, but Princess Andromeda is not one of Harryhausen’s creations, she’s simply played by the lovely yet inexpressive and charisma-free Bowker. Final film role for Flora Robson in a bit part as one of the three Stygian witches. Remade in 2010.

60/100