Trailer Tuesday: Clash of the Titans
Every time a new piece of information surfaces online about fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans, I find myself frantically blogging about it again and again. Now the first teaser trailer has been released for this remake of the 1981 film very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, the demigod hero who battled Medusa and reclaimed his royal birthright.
There has been something of an outcry about the trailer for Clash of the Titans 2010, with many people calling it cheesy and obvious. "Titans. Will. Clash!" Well, duh. But frankly I didn't expect the remake to be anything but cheesy... and a rollicking good popcorn flick at the same time. I've long given up hope that the film will be a faithful depiction of the original mythological tale, just as the original Clash of the Titans wasn't. Hollywood just can't leave a good story alone... This doesn't mean however that the film can't be fun.
Anyway, the way Clash of the Titans 2010 is being punted (at least in this trailer) reminds me of the approach taken with video game sequel Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Trying to come across as dark, edgy and generally "badass", the game makers and marketers upped the violent content, flashed plenty of nubile female flesh, turned the amiable hero brooding and aggressive, and inserted a music score that comprised largely of pumping nu-metal - which was completely inappropriate for the game's ancient Middle Eastern setting. This fan-made trailer for Warrior Within captures the game's tone far more accurately than the official one released in 2004.
The point is that Prince of Persia: Warrior Within tried just a little too hard to look cool... to the point of coming across as a joke. And now, several years later, Clash of the Titans has adopted the same flawed approach to selling itself. 11 year old boys may gobble up the depiction hook, line and sinker, but anyone older, or with a little more sense, should see straight through the posturing and posing.
This may all sound like I'm being very cynical about the Clash of the Titans remake, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Ignoring the laughable amounts of testosterone packed into the trailer, what I've seen so far looks great. When the remake was announced I was always most excited about how the mythological creatures in the story were finally going to receive a 21st Century special effects treatment - especially since, till now, ancient world-set movies have tended to be more historical than mythical in focus (Gladiator, Troy, Alexander, 300). What is glimpsed in the Clash of the Titans trailer (giant scorpions, Medusa, harpies(?)) looks fantastic - slick, credible-looking and everything I imagined. Squeeeee!
Crucially too, while the Clash of the Titans remake has a substantially different plot from the original, if you look carefully, you can spot moments that have made the transition from the 1981 film - including Princess Andromeda all trussed up, ready to be sacrificed. For the record the plot of Clash of the Titans 2010, for those who don't know, sees furious Perseus (Sam Worthington) drawn into a battle between the Olympian gods, when Hades (Ralph Fiennes), lord of the Underworld seeks to depose the almighty king of the gods, Zeus (Liam Neeson). Perseus, assisted by Zeus's loyal Olympians and a band of mortal heroes, must realise his demi-god destiny (Zeus is his real father) and stop the unleashing of hell on earth.
I've compared the imagery for Clash of the Titans 2010 and 1981 here and if you're interested, you can also compare the trailers for the 2 films here. It's amazing the difference almost 30 years can make!
If that still isn't enough Clash of the Titans for you, you can also check out these leaked, low quality concept posters - one of which gives us our first glimpse of winged horse Pegasus.
Clash of the Titans is set for release in the United States on 26 March. South Africans can probably expect the film round about the same time, given that's the time of year when the blockbuster season kicks off and our cinema schedule seems to align more closely with the American one.
With video game adaptation Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time also releasing in cinemas next year, 2010 seems to be the year of ancient world fantasy. Finally!
Comments
I still say Hades constantly gets a bad rap. Of the three, he was the least war-like of the main brothers. And, because I'm nice, I won't go into how Hades never really figured into the Perseus story--except when he had to go to the head of the Styx in order to find the Stygian Nymphs. And that's not even really Hades, just a river that eventually runs through his realm.
Although I don't think I would ever set a full story in that time frame myself, I know I would probably pull elements from old myth and legend of the region and insert it into whatever stories I wrote.
As for Hades, you're right, he doesn't feature much in myth. Consulting my dictionary of Classical Mythology there's a story about Heracles shooting him in the shoulder with an arrow, as well as his decision making in regards to the whole Orpheus-Eurydice issue.
Still though, I'm not so keen to think of Hades as a "nice guy". It's hard to forget the fact that, with his brother Zeus, Hades abducted his niece, presumably sexually abused her and kept her prisoner underground with him. How very Fritzl of him!
This said, Hollywood has made Hades far more of a villain than he ever was in myth (although Hades wasn't even in the original Clash of the Titans!).
Mostly Hades was feared by the Ancient Greeks and Romans as a powerful invisible force, and was therefore not to be spoken about in case they angered him - the original He Who Must Not Be Named. And now he's being played by the movie He Who Must Not Be Named.