Australian-born Sam Worthington (from Terminator—Salvation, Avatar) plays mythical Perseus, the demi-god son of Zeus—king of the gods—and mortal queen in this re-make of the 1981 Greek epic under the same name.
Like most mythological stories the characters are archetypal. The theology is apparent in the screenplay of both the original 1981 film and this one, as the gods are depicted with very human characteristics and are differentiated from man only by their power and influence on the world. And so Perseus’ role becomes particularly interesting.
Although the cinematography isn’t anything to shout about, we can say that the special effects are certainly worth the ticket price. Scorpions spawned from the blood of Acrisius’ hacked fore-arm bolt up from the ground as huge as spacecrafts. Hades appearing and disappearing in plumes of smoke, and winged nasties in air battle with the demi-god on a winged stallion is definitely a digital effect score. Highlights of such iconic imagery are also the ugly three witches, the ferryman, and Perseus holding up the severed head of Medusa at the unsuspecting Kraken.
This is a popcorn flick bound to bring on the “ooh”s and “aah”s, with Worthington’s superb acting and the awesome set design. The overall verdict? Absolutely entertaining and legitimately fun!
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