CLASH OF THE TITANS (VCD)

Clash of the Titans
(Original VCD)

Starring: Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker

Movie: * *
Disc(s): * *

What if you make a special effects movie, but the special effects aren’t really special at all? What if they are downright terrible? No, I’m not referring to the movie version of Spawn (1997) here, but rather the 1981 Clash of the Titans, which mixed Greek mythology with other elements (some Shakespeare and Norwegian mythology is to be found, not to forget about a dash of R2D2 in an out-of-place robotic owl).

In brief: the movie deals with Perseus battling creatures such as Margaret Thatcher, er sorry, that would have been too scary for the kids, I meant Medusa, oversized scorpion monsters, the Kraken, etc. Perseus is played by Harry Hamlin. (Yes, him of L.A. Law fame!) Zeus is played by Lawrence Olivier who were probably thinking retirement fund at this stage of his career!

Did you catch the reference about the creatures in Monsters, Inc. going to a restaurant named Harryhausen’s? Well, then Clash of the Titans is for you. It was the last movie on which one Ray Harryhausen (1920 - ) has ever worked as effects supervisor. Harryhausen is one of the greatest special effects men ever to have worked in Hollywood and revolutionized so-called “stop motion,” a painstakingly slow process in which models of creatures are brought to live by moving them one film frame at time. Modern examples of the process include the clay models of Chicken Run and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas.

Today we have computers: director Burton wanted to use stop motion to animate his Martian invaders in Mars Attacks! but finally settled on CGI instead because stop motion was considered too expensive and slow. If you’re in your mid- to late 30s or older, then the chances are good that some of your childhood fond memories would include those of a threatening golden minotaur in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) and other fantastical creatures. Harryhausen’s credits include amongst others The Beast from 20 000 Fathoms (1953), Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1955), Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and One Million Years B.C. (1967).

Younger age groups may also have fond memories of Clash of the Titans I’m told since the movie has been shown often on Ted Turner’s TNT channel throughout the years and probably have become Harryhausen’s best known movie in the process.

Nostalgia is however a thing of a past as I often say. Today the effects in Clash of the Titans look really really bad. To be honest, I remember thinking the same when I saw the movie as a kid back in the early 1980s – in the meantime Harryhausen’s special effects have been overtaken the visual wizardry of flicks like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Now don’t get me wrong: I am not the type to harp on bad special effects or old movies. Au contraire. The problem with Clash of the Titans is that the movie lacks the energy, wit or flaming camp to make it truly enjoyable. Instead, some bits are rather dull and plodding and the acting lacks the over-the-topness that would have made it a more of a Mystery Science Theater 3000 type of affair.

However, small boys would probably be terrified by it and Harryhausen fans would want it for completeness’ sake.

THE DISCS: These discs are available from Eureka-Movies.com, the on-line Malaysian-based retailers of VCDs (or Video CDs). The two discs come in a standard double CD packaging and the cover consists of the movie’s original poster and some stills. The discs themselves feature some suitably garish original movie poster art.

There are no extras (trailers or features), just the movie itself, which looks older than it really is. This isn’t the fault of the MPEG compression used, but instead the problem lies with the original film stock used, which at times is quite scratched. The point is however that the movie probably wouldn’t look much better on DVD, so VCD is just as safe a bet. Sound is decent though. The image is presented in full-screen mode.

WORTH IT? Clash of the Titans retails for US$11.97 at Eureka-Movies.Com whereas the DVD (which I’m told is a bit disappointing) goes for US$19.98 at Amazon.com. On VHS it will set you back US$14.95.

RECOMMENDATION: If you want to give your little boy nightmares, then this is the disc to buy him! Er, just kidding, but I think small kids will enjoy the movie and so will Harryhausen fanatics. My problem is just that if the movie were something like ten years older, then its aged special effects would have been easier to forgive. If you are intent on your 1980s movie nostalgia trip however, then these VCDs are the cheapest way to go about it . . .

NOTE: You can skip this if you’re familiar with the VCD format. VCDs (short for Video Compact Discs) are very popular in Asia. Sort of a predecessor to the DVD format, it is a movie stored on two CD-ROM discs. Since they are digital, VCDs can never wear or tear like videotapes. VCDs can be played on most modern computers with standard CD-ROM drives as well as by DVD players. However, some DVD players won’t play them, so make sure beforehand by consulting your user manual or your player’s manufacturer.