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Clash of the Titans is a 2010 fantasy film and remake of the 1981 film of the same name (the rights to which had been acquired by distributors Warner Bros. in 1996). As with the 1981 film, the story is very loosely based upon the Greek myth of Perseus. Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington, the film was originally set for standard release on March 26, 2010. However, it was later announced that the film would be converted to 3D and was released on April 2, 2010.
The film begins with the story of the Titans. The Titans were finally defeated by their sons Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, when Zeus convinced Hades to create a monstrous creature, the Kraken (made from Hades' flesh). Zeus became ruler of the heavens, Poseidon became king of the seas, and Hades (tricked by Zeus) was left to rule the Underworld. Zeus created humankind, and in time, humankind began to question the gods.
A millennium later, a fisherman named Spyros finds a coffin in the sea. A baby and his dead mother are in it. Spyros adopts the boy (whom he names Perseus) and raises him as his own son. Years later, the now adult Perseus is aboard a small fishing boat with his family, when they witness a group of soldiers from Argos destroying a massive statue of Zeus, as a declaration of war against the gods. Hades appears in the form of a flock of demons and massacres the soldiers. After Hades has achieved victory, he destroys the fishing boat as well, drowning Perseus' family.
Perseus is found by soldiers who march him into Argos. He is brought before King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia during their celebration of the war on the gods. Cepheus and Cassiopeia are oblivious to the lives already lost in the newly declared war. The King makes boastful statements to disrespect the gods, and the Queen compares their daughter Andromeda to the goddess Aphrodite, much to their daughter's dismay.
Zeus is extremely angered, which gives Hades the opportunity to appear before his brother on Mount Olympus. Hades argues that the gods must act with vengeance against the uprising, and convinces Zeus that he has to be allowed to destroy Argos. Hades appears in the courtroom, kills the remaining soldiers and ages Cassiopeia to the brink of death. Hades threatens that if Princess Andromeda is not sacrificed to appease the gods within ten days, Argos will be destroyed by the Kraken. As he departs, he identifies Perseus as a Demigod. Hermes informs Zeus that his son Perseus is alive in Argos. Zeus refuses to protect his son when he learns of this.
The King imprisons Perseus, because he will not fight with Argos against the gods. Io reveals to Perseus his true lineage. In order to punish King Acrisius for his own war on the gods, Zeus disguised himself as Acrisius and seduced Danaë, impregnating her. When Acrisius set Danaë and the baby Perseus adrift in their coffin, an enraged Zeus struck Acrisius with lightning leaving him hideously disfigured. She also tells Perseus she does not age as punishment for refusing to be seduced by the god Poseidon. After learning that killing the Kraken would allow him to have his revenge against Hades (whom he blames for his family's deaths) Perseus agrees to lead Argos's finest soldiers on a quest to find the Kraken. They are joined by a pair of monster hunters named Ozal and Kucuk. Io follows as well.
Hades finds Acrisius (now called Calibos) and reveals his plan to use the Kraken to destroy Argos, thereby strengthening himself and gaining his revenge against Zeus for his betrayal after the Titan battle. Hades imbues Calibos with superhuman powers in order to kill Perseus.
While in the woods, Perseus discovers a sword forged in Olympus, as well as Zeus's sacred herd of flying horses, the Pegasi. Perseus refuses both the sword, which only he can use, and Pegasus, which the gods were offering as assistance, as Perseus does not wish to become a god. Calibos attacks the group and kills nearly all the praetorian guards and tries to murder Perseus, but is forced to flee after Draco cuts off his hand. However, Calibos's blood forms giant scorpions out of the sand, which attack Perseus and kill all of the guards, except for Draco, Solon, Eusebios and Ixas.
The survivors are saved by the Djinns, a band of former human shamans who have turned themselves into the Demons of Arabian mythology, by replacing their "battle wounds with charwood and black magic." Though they do not trust the Djinn at first until their leader Sheikh Suleiman (Ian Whyte) heals Perseus' wounds. When Solon and Draco see Suleiman healing Perseus, they think he is attacking him and try to save him. Suleiman effortlessly defeats all the warriors and says that the only way to help Perseus is by them all working together. The Djinn joins Perseus' group, as they too wish to see the gods overthrown.
The heroes go to visit the Stygian witches and are told that the solution lies with the head of the Gorgon Medusa, which could kill the Kraken by turning it to stone. When Perseus is warned that his group will die in the process, all of the Djinn, except for Suleiman, leave them. Ozal and Kucuk also leave, explaining that they cannot fight in the Underworld. Perseus is visited by Zeus who offers him asylum on Mount Olympus, but he refuses. Zeus gives him a golden drachma as a means to bribe Charon, for passage into the Underworld.
In the battle with Medusa (Natalia Vodianova), the Gorgon shoots Solon, and he falls to his death. Medusa kills Ixas and Eusebios by petrifying them. Perseus then lures Medusa out, and Sulieman tries to behead her but only manages to cut through a few snakes on her head. Medusa traps Suleiman by coiling her tail around him and attempts to petrify him. Suleiman cannot be petrified and he self-destructs, blasting a part of her body by using his magic. Draco then sacrifices himself by distracting the injured Medusa, so that Perseus is able to behead her. Emerging from the Underworld, Perseus sees Calibos stab Io from behind. After a short duel, Perseus kills Calibos, using the sword from Olympus, which restores Calibos to human form. With his last breath, Calibos (now Acrisius) urges Perseus not to be like the gods. Perseus watches as Io is transformed into gold dust and is swept away to Olympus. He then rides Pegasus back to Argos, with Medusa's head.
In Argos, the Cult of Hades plots to sacrifice Andromeda to the Kraken. As the Kraken is released, Hades reveals to Zeus that the destruction of Argos will give him enough power to overthrow the other Olympians, ending Zeus's reign, as revenge on Zeus for cheating him, but Zeus reveals Perseus is still alive in Argos. Although Hades sends his harpies to kill Perseus, Perseus uses the head of Medusa to turn the Kraken into stone and saves Andromeda. Cepheus stops Prokopion, the cult leader, from killing Andromeda by grabbing his burnt arm, who in turn stabs Cepheus, but both Cepheus and Prokopion are then crushed by the Kraken's stone hand. Hades appears and smugly sneers that as he is immortal, Perseus cannot kill him. Perseus retorts that Hades can live forever, but not in the world of humans. He then uses the Sword of Olympus (amplified with Zeus's lightning) and throws it at Hades, hitting him in the chest with enough force to send Hades flying back into the Underworld (through the crack from which the Kraken emerged, which closes behind Hades). Andromeda asks Perseus to become king of Argos, but he declines. Zeus again offers Perseus his place on Olympus, but Perseus declines this as well. Zeus warns him that Hades will someday return for revenge again when humankind's fear is great. Since Perseus insists on staying on Earth, Zeus (before disappearing) resurrects Io, while Pegasus flies overhead.
The special features of the Blu-ray has an alternate ending that was cut from the film. After defeating the Kraken and Hades, Andromeda falls into the sea and Perseus dives in to save her. When he reaches her, he embraces her with a passionate kiss, indicating that he fell in love with her, and she with him. After reaching the shore and regaining consciousness, Andromeda asks Perseus if he will stay and he says there is someone he needs to talk to, before kissing her again, indicating that he will come back. Getting on Pegasus, he flies to Mt. Olympus where he confronts Zeus, stating that he does not wish to be one of them and that any conflict between them has just started. After slamming his sword into the gods' map and shattering the models of every living person, he leaves and is seen flying on Pegasus over the sea, presumably back to Argos.
The DVD features several other deleted scenes, some of which differ from those in the theatrical release (for example in one of the Apollo, rather than Zeus, gives Perseus the coin to pay Charon, while also observing that Perseus's arrogance makes him "truly Zeus's son"), and others were absent altogether (notably one which features an extended debate among all of the gods of Olympus, most of whom had few or no lines in the film after this scene was cut, and another scene in which Apollo sits in Zeus's throne while Artemis warns him that Hades will destroy all of the other gods). |
