"Clash of the Titans" - A Reminder

One of my all time favorite fantasy movies is “Clash of the Titans” (1981). When I saw that it was being remade in 3-D I decided to see it even though this is definitely not Mr. Fixit’s kind of movie. (The man has no imagination.) We very seldom go to the movies. We both love them and watch them on TV, and Netflix keeps us supplied.


We went to the 4:00 pm showing when the admission is cheaper, and, of course, we qualify for the senior discount. No one told us that that there is a $3.00 “surcharge” for 3-D movies. The cost of our admission was $17.00 for the two of us! After spending that much on admission, we decided to forego the usual popcorn and soda which would have probably added another $l0 or $15 to the tab. Somehow not having greasy popcorn lessened the whole theater experience.

The special effects were interesting and the 3D effects were quite good, but the jumpy camera work made it uncomfortable and confusing to watch. Sam Worthington, Perseus, can’t quite compare to Harry Hamlin in the same role in the 1981 version. It’s very shallow of me, but Mr. Hamlin was quite handsome. Liam Neeson plays Zeus in the new version, Laurence Olivier was Zeus in the old version. The mechanical owl from the earlier version had a “cameo” in the new version. Pegasus was black. I always pictured ole Peg as the typical white flying horse. The first version was more story-driven. The new 3D version is understandably action-driven. It is violent, but with the jumpy camera work, you can't really tell what was going on.

At the end of the film, it was suggested that we recycle our 3D glasses. Are they nuts? We paid a $3 “surcharge’ for those glasses. Mine went right into my purse. These glasses were much better than the ones they gave you when I was a kid. Those were cardboard; these were hard plastic that actually stayed on.

As we were leaving the theater, I remembered why we don’t go the movies often. The volume is uncomfortably loud, there are few new films that I care to see (some make me feel like a sleazy voyeur), and it’s just too darned expensive. The unreturned glasses will serve as a reminder the next time I decide that I want to see a movie in the theater.

(Does anyone remember the 3D comic books that came out in the '50's? I loved those! I also remember the first 3D movie I ever saw. I think Raymond Burr had the starring role, and the plot concerned a homocidal gorilla at a circus. That was also in the '50's I think.)