SUSO

ALOT To Live Up To

"The original is a reference for creativity, how will the remake stack up?"

Clash of the Titans, the 1981 fantasy adventure film based on the myth of Perseus, was originally released on June 12, 1981. It cost a significant $16 million to produce (Laurence Olivier never came cheap!) for what was a steady if unspectacular return of $41 million at the box office. However the relative commercial success of the original is perhaps the least significant part of the film. Entirely more significant were the highly creative special effects used to create the imaginative creatures in the film and the extent to which these have come to represent a landmark in cinema history.

This was largely the work of the cinema special effects legend that is Ray Harryhausen and his stop motion animation technique. Although more sophisticated technology quickly eclipsed Harryhuasen’s pioneering approach his contribution to this film and the film industry as a whole is not lost on his ever growing legion of fans who have graduated into the professional film industry over the last decade. Although none of Harryhausen's films were ever nominated for a special effects Oscar, in 1992 he was finally awarded a Gordon E. Sawyer Award for "technological contributions which have brought credit to the industry" and near the turn of the 21st century, Harryhausen was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More significantly in the 2001 Pixar film, Monsters Inc. pays homage to Harryhausen in a scene where characters Mike Wazowski and Celia Mae visit a restaurant named "Harryhausen's". Not quite South Park but a huge accolade none-the-less.

The remake has been in development since 2002 and was first visited by director Stephen Norrington in 2007. However Norrington quickly recognised his lack of connection to the famed original and the scrutiny it (and he) would come under as a result.  Managed by the same agent as Louis Letterier (director of The Hulk and a man who had been inspired throughout his career by the earlier version) Norrington stepped aside and amicably handed the reigns to Letterier for the good of the overall project.  The pressure on Letterier to create a work that builds on the special effects genius of the original will be significant.  We, the viewing audience will certainly be looking for something new and eye-opening and Avatar in recent months has set that benchmark at a new high.

Filming began as late as April last year and the speed of completion reflects the obsession of all for delivery of the project. A large amount of filming was done here in the UK at London’s Shepperton Studios so homegrown talent has been driving this determination to bring the creative to the masses. Take a deep breath and check out the trailer below – then we’ll see you cinema side on the 26th March!

And if you liked that, check out the extended trailer in HD and find out more about the film here.

Or better still see the original sequences against the new trailer soundtrack here.  Nice

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By Juan on 11/1/10