BlackAirs87 reviews Clash of the Titans

this movie was really good for being made in 1981...HA late April fools.lol. Today I picked up on blue-ray the original 1981 version of Clash of the Titans starring Harry Hamlin as Perseus. This is the first time I have seen this film as a whole. I saw clips of it on I love the 80s and was curious. So after viewing it, what's my take. Its really good....cheesy, but good.
I heard from somewhere that 80s films were either cheesy or not cheesy enough, and this film falls into the middle. It's got a great story, a very loose retelling of the story of Perseus and Andromeda. The story begins where Perseus's human father is jealous and vengeful and casts his wife and son(Perseus) into the sea. This angers Zeus(played by Lawrence Olivier), he tells his brother Poseidon to unleash the Kraken and destroy the city of Argos. Perseus grows up on an island with his mother. Zeus messes with Thetis's son and makes him grotesque and monstrous. She turns that around and brings Perseus to a land he is unfamiliar with(known as Joppa). He meets Ammon(Burgess Meredith), a man of many talents. Perseus is then given 3 gifts from the gods(Sword, Shield, and Helmet). He goes on a quest to free the land of a curse. He enters a giant city and there he meets Andromeda. He follows her Spirit(?) to a swap with the help of the Pegasus. He discovers Thetis's son Calibos as demonic creature. Calibos tells Andromeda to give a riddle no man can solve but Perseus sees the answer and leaves, but then has a quick battle with Calibos, cutting off only his hand. Perseus solves the riddle and gains Andromeda's hand in marriage. Thetis is mad and tells the kingdom in 30 days the kingdom will be destroyed by the Kraken. Perseus and a small group of men(and bubo, coolest owl ever.lol) to meet the 3 witches. They tell him to gain the head of Medusa. Perseus and CO. travel to the River Styx and travel across it to the Isle of the Dead. They fight of a 2 headed dog(supposed to be cerebus but 3 heads took longer to film), Perseus defeats the dog and heads into the liar and has one the best suspense moments in movies. He cuts her head off and gains her power to turn things to stone. He travels back and rests, which Calibos has trailed them. He stabs the head and it causes the blood to turn into giant scorpions(go with it.lol), another good fight scene later and Perseus is weak from battle. Bubo frees a stolen Pegasus and they arrive and pick up Perseus. Meanwhile back in the Kingdom of Joppa, Andromeda is presented and then taken to the sea and presented for the Kraken. As the Kraken reaches for Andromeda, Perseus flies in and shows the head of Medusa to the Kraken and it turns to stone and shatters. The film ends with Perseus and Andromeda getting married.
And thats just the abridged version. Go pick this film up. It's a great time capsule film. This feels very retro and deserves the title "classic". Now for the special effects. This was Ray Harryhausen's last works and some consider his "swan song". All the monsters and creatures were all stop motion, and boy does it show. For a modern viewing, you can see all the things that make it look funny, but for its time thats how it was done and you gotta suspend your belief. I loved how they film the Pegasus, Bubo, and Calibos. They have the fake one in a wide shot and close ups show them but limited, the Pegasus was only shot with the head in frame and Calibos was mainly his upper body and hand. The Kraken is truly and Iconic character to remember and has been seen in Robot Chicken.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It's a great afternoon viewing. I recommend this to anyone who likes old style action movies. I loved seeing all the little things that made the film cheesy but that doesn't mean I hated it. The acting is good in it. The set pieces are great. Plenty of action scenes, and to my surprise A NAKED WOMAN(YOU KNOW FOR KIDS). I give this film a 8.5/10