posted
Today film: Clash of the Titans (1980). Okay I am sorry for anyone who is a fan, but today's post will be dogging this movie big time. I just caught a little of this last night. Terrible visual effects. The film looks like it should be in black and white and made by the Japanese. I cannot believe how well the effects were in Star Wars, and this film is post that. Why would they even bother. And what was with that mechanical owl, were they trying to be like R2D2? I am sorry once again, but this film was lacking big time.
What do you all think of the film?
Posts: 5319 | From: KANSAS | Registered: Sep 2003 | Site Updates: 2
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I saw "Clash of the Titans" when it first came out. I can't say that it was all that great. As far as I'm concerned, it is just a minor b-movie adventure fantasy story, but part of jlp937's following quote got my attention:
quote:...Terrible visual effects. The film looks like it should be in black and white and made by the Japanese. I cannot believe how well the effects were in Star Wars, and this film is post that. Why would they even bother...
Jlp, I respect your opinion, but that comment about the special effects is a bit unfair. So, I'm going to have to respond here.
First of all, that movie's special effects were done by the legendary Ray Harryhausen, who was best known for his sci-fi b-movies from the 50's and 60's. He used a stop-frame motion animation technique throughout his career. "Clash of the Titans" was the last movie project Ray worked on the special effects personally.
OK, so it isn't anything like what "Star Wars" or "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was, but it still interesting to watch, if only because they were trying to use 50's-type effects in an 80's movie.
If they made that movie now, it would've easily been done by CGI and other computer-related gimmicks. But Harryhausen preferred to work alone, with no assistants or crew behind him. And I think it was neat that the filmmakers wanted to pay homage to Harryhausen's career by using him for this film, just one last time. Also, keep in mind that he was about 60 years old when he worked on this movie, so I think that he was probably too old and set in his ways to try new styles of animated special effects which has obviously became advanced during the late 60's and the 70's.
It is my understanding that the DVD version of this movie does have an interview with Harryhausen.
Granted, the movie looks dated and hokey nowadays. Hell, I would say that it looked dated and hokey even when it first came out!
Just take it for what it is: a 50's movie that happened to get made in the 80's.
My biggest problem with this movie was that cast really wasn't given a chance to do all that much.
No, this isn't a great (nor even good) movie by any means. But if I were given a choice between this movie and any of the "Lord of The Rings" movies, I'll reluctantly take this one.
Posts: 3385 | From: Sacramento, California, USA | Registered: Sep 2002 | Site Updates: 0
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I recall seeing a review of this movie upon its debut calling it "Thud of the Beefcake." That always stuck in my subversive mind. I think the Harry Hamlin-Ursula Andress relationship got more press than the movie. Conventional wisdom of the time was that Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, et al, should have been ashamed of themselves for taking a part in this turkey.
Posts: 1019 | From: NYS | Registered: Dec 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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I love Clash of the Titans and watch it whenever it's on. I saw it when I was a kid, loved it then love it now. The story is actually kinda cool if you look past the fx and use your own imagaination.
MAybe I appreciate it more beacause I was a kid when I first saw it, but it's still one of my fav films of the 80s. Posts: 2242 | From: Here | Registered: Aug 2002 | Site Updates: 0
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Ray Harryhausen was always kinda like the Nick Park of his day (Nick Park, for those that don't know, makes the Wallace and Grommit movies and made Chicken Run a few years back - all in what he calls 'claymation') It's all hand-made, stop-motion stuff, which even now is real tough to do. back then it was even tougher, and nearly impossible to get them to interact with live footage at the same time. Even though it might look a little ropey by today's standards, Harryhausen's work on this and other movies will always be sheer genius.
and just as an aside - this will finally be my 500th post!!!!
- Paul
Posts: 3646 | From: Shermer, IL - where else? | Registered: Mar 2001 | Site Updates: 37
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