"Clash of the Titans" . . . did not age well. While the stop motion animation was really good at the time this movie came out, these days it comes off as nothing short of cheesy. The story is also a bit of a mess - much like Greek Mythology. Though it is linear, the beginning skips through time quickly with no warning, and the setup is explained like it is the start of a video game with a deep history that you need to know right away. It bogs you down quickly, with moments of overacting brought to you by the Greek Pantheon.
The camera work is an issue with this movie, too. In almost every scene it is noticeably shaky, as if someone was just holding the camera without a support structure in every scene. There are also bizarre close-up shots of things like Charon's skeletal hand for several beats at a time. Many shots are poorly framed, and when they are framed correctly we're usually stuck looking at Harry Hamlin doing his best Orlando Bloom impression. Yes, I know this movie came out when Bloom was only 4 years old, but you get the idea.
This isn't a bad movie. I actually quite enjoy it when I'm in the mood. Like I said, it just didn't age well at all. Instead of opting for the up-and-coming special effect technology, they chose to utilize stop motion and super-imposed images. Sometimes this creates really great looking scenes - like right after Perseus tames Pegasus and we see silhouetted images of Perseus and Ammon standing in front of a silhouetted Pegasus. Other times it creates scenes that are a mess, like Perseus and Calibos wrestling in the swamp, or when the gull is flying through the rocky outcroppings at the beginning of the movie. But after you've seen the movie a few times, it loses its charm. Even Bubo just becomes an annoying tchotchke.
Can we take a moment to discuss how creepy Perseus is? He uses his Helm of Invisibility to sneak into Andromeda's room - when no one in the castle knows who he even is - just to stare at her while she sleeps. That's creepy. He has no reason to sneak in there, other than to be the ultimate peeping Tom, but he takes the helmet off anyways.
It can be enjoyable, but mostly I recommend skipping it if you haven't seen it. Whatever you do, do not replace it with the 2010 remake! Do not watch the 2010 remake! If you have to watch something "Clash of the Titans" related and don't want to sit through two hours of stop motion monsters, watch this one minute clip and call it good. It covers all the important bases of the movie.
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