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Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith ... see more see more... , Burgess Meredith , Ursula Andress , Susan Fleetwood , Sian Phillips , Tim Pigott-Smith , Neil McCarthy , Pat Roach , Flora Robson , Anna Manahan , Freda Jackson , Donald Houston , Vida Taylor , Jack Gwyllim , Harry Jones , Jack Gwillim

The eschewing of modern optical effects techniques in favor of the classic stop-motion animation work of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen was a delightful highlight of this action adventure that... read more read more... attempted to give Greek mythology the Star Wars (1977) treatment. Harry Hamlin stars as Perseus, a mortal who, due to the interference of the mighty god Zeus (Laurence Olivier), finds himself in the city of Joppa, far away from his island home. There, he falls in love with Andromeda (Judi Bowker), an imprisoned princess. To free her, win her hand, and thus half of the kingdom, Perseus solves a riddle, but Joppa's enraged ruler orders Andromeda fed to the Kraken, a towering sea monster that's the last of the powerful Titans. In his quest to save Andromeda, Perseus must endure a series of trials with the help of the winged horse Pegasus and a friendly playwright, Ammon (Burgess Meredith). His ultimate goal is to secure the head of the grotesque Gorgon named Medusa and use it to turn the Kraken into stone, but dangers await, including the hideously deformed Calibos (Neil McCarthy). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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68% liked it

54,339 ratings

Critics

65% liked it

37 critics

PG, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Desmond Davis

Release Date: June 12, 1981

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004

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Stats: 2,877 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,877)

  • fb733768972
    March 30, 2012
    fb733768972
    "Clash of the Titans (1981)," although dated, has a very good mythical story about rescuing the princess whom he is in love with. Along his journey, he encounters a two headed dog, a snake woman (medusa), giant scorpions, and the Kraken, something that you will be waiting to see ... read morethroughout the entire film. What I love so much about this film is the fact that instead of giving small action scenes here and there, just to be let down by the short battle at the end, is the fact that they wait until the last three quarters of the movie to show any action sequences, so my needs are met by the end. Overall, I still am not a huge fan of fictional mythical stories, but this one has really caught my attention and deserves several watches. The action is cool, the characters are likeable, and the shots are key, for keeping the scale of the actual monsters a secret. I had a lot of fun with "Clash of the Titans (1981)" and I would definitely recommend it!
  • fb100002359227440
    March 25, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    A unique and unforgettable Greek mythology film. Clash of the Titans it's a delighful classic from the ending of my childhood. Fresh.
  • spielberg00
    October 7, 2011
    spielberg00
    The original CLASH OF THE TITANS is overly dated film that looks more like a fantasy film of 1968 than 1981.

    This film, which (in case you did not know) tells a mythological story focusing on Perseus, cried its cinematic eyes out for a remake, and when someone finally decided ... read moreto give it a try twenty-nine years later, the result was an automatic failure. Because no matter how talented of a director one is, it has been proven quite difficult to concoct a worthwhile remake of a bad picture.

    Maybe "bad picture" is not the correct term for this one. What I should say is "underwhelming, corny picture". I did not expect too much of this, but when the stop animation is not done well; the cinematography is dull; the acting is so horrible it makes the viewer laugh; and it takes so much struggling just to see what the whole point is; I knew I was expecting too much by expecting the slightest.

    Don't waste your time with this one.
  • skeletonking101
    August 15, 2011
    skeletonking101
    Harryhausen definitely went all out for his final film he would work on, and considering how I love Harryhausen and Greek and Roman Mythology, it worked like bread and butter. The stop motion is top notch as always for Harryhausen, and the acting is also very well done especially... read more Burgess Meredith as the playwright Ammon, then newcomer Harry Hamlin as the protagonist Perseus, and Laurence Olivier as Zeus. The effects look good if you invest yourself in the time this film was made, and though it looks really cheesy now and somewhat bad, for the time it looks incredible, such as the blue screen effect where Perseus is riding a Stop Motion Pegasus in the sky. The plot is also very well told and the characters do a great job at telling this story. Though the only thing I find distracting in this movie is the nudity and gore in this film, because I know the R rating existed at the time this was created, but it was pretty shocking to see a womans breasts once and a womans bare behind, now I know at the time where this movie took place that was common, but when you look at it now, a film couldn't be made like this nowadays and not be R. But overall Harryhausen does fantastic at animating this stop motion and the story is well crafted just like the monsters in it.
  • sergioogarcia
    July 6, 2011
    sergioogarcia
    When I was a boy I paid to see this movies 5 times! Incredible stop motion effects. By the way, the remake pfff what a piece of trash.
  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    A pretty good fantasy movie, it's got a lot of great clay-mation and special effects like those in Jason and the Argonauts sorta. It's entertaining for the most part, but also sometimes a bit boring.
  • stormyweather980
    November 14, 2010
    stormyweather980
    I've never been huge on mythology, except that certain characters have always been interesting to me, such as Medusa and Poseidon, but I'd always heard so much about this movie...and I'd been wanting to see it long before the remake was made (which I'll watch soon); I never saw i... read moret available to rent and saw it on TV, but never caught it at the beginning, and I'm one that refuses to watch a film unless I catch it from the very start. Now that I have Netflix, it was one of the very first ones I watched, and I can see why it was one of my grandmother's favorite movies. I definitely wouldn't mind owning it. Excellent film with interesting characters, battles, effects, everything about it. I know one thing, the remake will have to be spectacular to be as good as this!
  • cosmo313
    November 8, 2010
    cosmo313
    This may be somewhat dated, but it's really hard not to like.Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion work is the definite highlight of this take on the classic Greek myth. Purists can complain all they want, but when you ignore the liberties, this is a really fun action adventure epic. Wha... read moret's not to like about mythological creatures and the fact that they (somehow) got Laurence Olivier to play Zeus?

    As a kid, all of the notable names that show up here went over my head, but looking at it now, it's awesome to see a Bond girl, Hamlet (and other Shakespeare characters), Mother Superior from Sister Act, and the original Penguin among others ham it up and have a good time.

    Saw what you will about the crudity of stop-motion, but I think it's awesome. It really makes you appreciate craftsmanship, hard work, and creativity. There are many great sequences, but for my money the absolute best one is the showdown with Medusa- even today that scene is still pretty top notch.

    Give this one a shot- it's a nostalgic campy treat.
  • ajaymuthecooldevils
    July 17, 2010
    ajaymuthecooldevils
    Well, I was hoping to see the original movie before I watch the remake, and I was lucky to find this movie was aired on TV... For a movie that made 20 years ago, Clash Of The Titans was extremely amazing, especially how they made the effects of Pegasus, Kraken, and Medusa, which ... read moreis in my opinion, is one of the scariest enemy in a fiction movie which I ever watch... The cast did a pretty good job, but I like it when Perseus had to fight Medusa, it was probably the best scenes in this movie, and it was a pump-your-adrenaline scene type... Overall, for an early 1980s movie, Clash Of The Titans was pretty amazing... Just can't wait to see the remake and see how good can it be...
  • ythelastman89
    June 6, 2010
    ythelastman89
    The ultimate look into Greek mythology, it is a classic tale of heroes and villains. Anyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre can appreciate the rich story and characters. The visual effects, while not perfect, certainly get the point across. I will always commend movies that don... read more't let little things like technology get in the way of the story they want to tell. The style is great and there are some beautiful sets and costumes. I still think Calibos looks great today, he is the ultimate hellbound servant. Perseus is a true hero and someone you root for the whole time. This movie is still entertaining to me and doesn't ever really have dull moments or unimportant elements. It's a classic in every sense of the word.

View All Clash of the Titans Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Nusair
March 31, 2010
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a camp-infused fantasy flick that will probably work best among younger viewers and those with fond memories of its original theatrical release. Full Review

Louise Keller
March 31, 2010
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile

Teenage boys will love it, but the rest of us will be frustrated by the storytelling, the shaky camerawork and the dubiously effective 3D presentation, which distracts more than it offers Full Review

Rob Humanick
March 30, 2010
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth

Less Burgess, more Bubo. Full Review

John J. Puccio
February 27, 2010
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...the last hurrah for the master of stop-motion animation, Ray Harryhausen, and it's unfortunate he went out on a less-than-perfect note. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
December 25, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

A poignant eulogy to Harryhausen's handcrafted illusionism in a decade of increasingly synthetic effects Full Review

Jason McKiernan
December 4, 2009
Jason McKiernan, Filmcritic.com

let your mind go, forgive the wear and tear of time and enjoy the adventure Full Review

Pablo Villaca
May 6, 2008
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Os efeitos criados pelo lendário Harryhausen podem parecer frágeis diante dos avanços atuais, mas são perfeitos para esta obra que permanece descompromissadamente divertida.

Ken Hanke
May 24, 2006
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

For Harryhausen worshippers only.

Dennis Schwartz
April 21, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Though star-packed the film is sleep inducing. Full Review

Kevin Carr
August 12, 2005
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

I learned much of my mythology from this film.

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Clash of the Titans Trivia

  • In this movie, Perseus had to win the head of Medusa in order to defeat The Kraken.  Answer »
  • In Clash of the Titans, what did Perseus need to save Andromeda?  Answer »
  • In Once Upon A Time In Mexico when Sands gives money to Belini in a tin lunchbox what is the theme of the lunchbox?  Answer »
  • Which movie had characters based on Greek Mythology?  Answer »
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