Clash of the Titans

People I know have raved about this movie, so I was expecting big things. It’s a movie that should really be seen on the big screen because of the massive monsters and landscape scenes. But we missed that moment.

The story took awhile to warm up, although the opening scenes with Pete Postlethwaite as Perseus’ earthly father, Spyros, were engaging. Liam Neeson was brilliant as Zeus, as was Ralph Fiennes as Hades, although they reminded me of 70s rock stars with their slicked back hair, long beards and sparkling cloaks!

Sam Worthington definitely had the bod for Perseus, but something wasn’t quite right – the accent maybe? Or maybe that he looked more like your average man, rather than a demigod? There wasn’t enough sex appeal in his face. Okay, he was meant to be angry, but he just brooded all the way through. I think the PERFECT actor for this role would have been Tom Welling who plays Clark Kent in Smallville.

He is just beautiful, and looks like a demigod!

The women were stunning, and included Alexa Davalos, as Andromeda, and Gemma Arterton as Io.

 Io was played beautifully by Gemma Arterton; her voice is captivating, and she stole many of the scenes.

Considering the huge budget they would have had for this movie, some of the computer graphics should have been better. Although the ideas for her character were brilliant, the Medusa looked completely animated. The scorpions and the white Pegasus were stilted and unconvincing (but I guess they were a whole lot better than the ones in the original Clash of the Titans film!) The black Pegasus was impressive, as were the scenes with the Kraken.

Ultimately, this film didn’t really grab me. There was a lot of action, but what was really missing was a sense of humour. If you think of other big movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, and Transformers, it is the comedy that adds warmth and endearment. So, if you want to see a movie about the Greek Gods and have a laugh as well, see Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – now that movie has the wow factor!

Up

This is a completely adorable movie! It is clever, quirky, and funny, but also has some sad moments. There is a beautiful sequence of the main character and his wife growing old together, which is just heart warming.

Watch this if you are a total romantic, love colour and balloons, and the very Wizard of Oz notion of a house moving through the air! My son found it a bit depressing, but when I pointed out that people sometimes have to give up their dreams because their love for someone is more important, he seemed to get it.

I also LOVE the instrumental soundtrack; the main theme music has been going through my head since I watched the movie!

City of Ember

This film was exactly what I hoped it would be - interesting, quirky, mysterious and adventurous! The story is of an underground people attempting to find access to an outer world, as theirs begins to fall apart. The setting, characters and culture are cleverly constructed, and my family and I were captivated from the intriguing opening sequence until the end. The actors were perfectly cast and the script was spot on, one of those ones where every word counts. There  were a couple of dud computer effects, but it didn't spoil the overall brilliance of the movie. A great one for holiday viewing with primary age kids. This goes on my top 20 list of favourites!