Clash of the Titans (1981)
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The story
After being cast into the sea by his father, Perseus grows to adulthood on the island of Seriphos. He eventually finds himself in the city of Joppa, where he must navigate a series of trials to win the hand of Princess Andromeda. To do so, he must face the consequences of the goddess Thetis' actions and the looming threat of the Kraken, a massive sea monster unleashed to destroy the city. Armed with divine weapons and accompanied by a loyal companion, Perseus must navigate a world of gods and monsters to save his bride and the people of Joppas.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
King Acrisius of Argos imprisons his daughter Danaë, but after the god Zeus impregnates her, Acrisius casts her and her newborn son Perseus into the sea. They land on Seriphos, where Perseus grows up. In the city of Joppa, the malevolent Calibos is betrothed to Princess Andromeda. Perseus, seeking to win her hand, is gifted a magical helmet, a sword from Aphrodite, and a shield from Hera. He also captures the winged horse Pegasus. After a confrontation with Calibos, the goddess Thetis demands Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken. To save her, Perseus travels to the Stygian Witches to learn how to defeat the beast: he must obtain the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus travels to the underworld, defeats the guardian Dioskilos, and beheads Medusa. After a final battle with Calibos, Perseus faces the Kraken. He uses Medusa's head to petrify the beast, saves Andromeda, and the two are wed while the gods create constellations in their honor.
- First release year
- 1981
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Desmond Davis
- Writers
- Beverley Cross · writer
- Cast and characters
- Harry Hamlin · Perseus; Laurence Olivier · not specified; Judi Bowker · not specified; Maggie Smith · Thetis; Burgess Meredith · Ammon; Ursula Andress · not specified
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- heroism; mythology
- Tone and mood
- epic; adventure
- Premise and plot tags
- sword and sorcery; monster movie
- Source material / true-story basis
- Perseus
- Franchise connections
- Clash of the Titans
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews, praised for its special effects and sense of adventure, though some critics found it dated.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 65% · review count: 108; Metacritic · score: 59 · scale: 100 · review count: 9
- Production trivia
- The film features the final work of stop-motion artist Ray Harryhausen.; The character Bubo was created before the release of Star Wars.; The character of Calibos was not derived from Greek mythology.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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