Product Details

• Actors: Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Jack Gwillim
• Directors: Desmond Davis
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: August 6, 2002
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (296 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000687MS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,348 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You have a classic tale full of drama, passion, and adventure. A tale of universal archetypes that speak to everyone. A tale that has remained unfailingly popular for thousands of years. Why not spice it up with a wacky mechanical owl? Such was the thinking behind Clash of the Titans. Maggie Smith, Laurence Olivier, and Harry Hamlin (one of these things is not like the others...) star in a toga-ripper about a valiant hero, capricious immortals, and lots and lots of giant stop-action monsters. Perseus (Hamlin) is the favored son of the god Zeus (Olivier), but he has unwittingly ticked off the sea goddess Thetis (Smith). Just to make things worse, Perseus falls in love with the lovely Princess Andromeda, who used to be engaged to Thetis's son. Soon Perseus is off on one quest after another, with Zeus helping, Thetis hindering, and lots of innocent bystanders getting stabbed, drowned, and squished. Of course, the whole thing is just an excuse to show as much of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion animation as possible, and good thing too. It's an old technique, but it still looks pretty darn cool, and it means the cast can just relax and do a bunch of reaction shots. Don't use this one to study for that big classical mythology exam, but if you just turn your brain off and enjoy the Kraken, it's pretty good fun. --Ali Davis

Product Description

The classic Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda re-told with an all-star cast. To win the right to marry his love (Andromeda) and fufill his destiny, Perseus must complete various tasks including taming Pegasus, capturing Medusa, and answering riddles. The result is a timeless adventure that's a treat for kids and adults.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

246 of 264 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great film, lousy DVD, May 15, 2003

By 

josh bellin (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clash of the Titans (Snap Case) (DVD)

I love "Clash of the Titans," but I'm terribly disappointed by the quality of this DVD. The "all-new digital transfer" that the manufacturer promises is quite possibly the worst transfer I've ever seen, enhancing the film's visual flaws while disguising its merits. In composite shots, live-action elements are so washed-out as to appear almost black-and-white at times, while stop-motion elements are garishly bright and crisp, looking more like cartoons than dimensional objects. This is particularly pronounced in shots of the flying Pegasus; the digital transfer so exaggerates the matte lines around the figure that it appears to be a paper cut-out plastered against the sky. Even the glorious Medusa segment suffers from these defects: what was, in the original (and on VHS), an atmospheric balance of rich darks and flickering red lights, becomes a clash of nearly impenetrable spots of shadow against grainy, pale-brown relief. I'm no authority on digital transfers, but my guess is that this one was done as quickly and cheaply as possible, the manufacturer's reasoning being (probably) that fans of Harryhausen will be so thrilled to have his films on DVD that they could care less what the films look like. Well, I was thrilled to have "Clash of the Titans" on DVD--but when the abysmal quality of the transfer interferes with the very effects that make the film great, my enthusiasm wanes considerably. I'd advise fans of Harryhausen to buy the video version, and to write angry letters to the manufacturer protesting their callous desecration of one of the master's greatest films.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Excellent movie.. HORRIBLE Blu-ray transfer!!!, July 29, 2010

By 

HiDefGuy (Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray Book Packaging) (Blu-ray)

Okay, I really like this movie and have since 1981 when it was theatrically released. It's not my favorite Harryhausen fantasy but it's in my top 5.

I ordered this blu-ray from Amazon.com a week or so ago and it just arrived today. This is where I kick myself in the head for not reading other's reviews of the blu-ray first. The transfer sucks BIG TIME or, perhaps it was just the elements used to create this blu-ray that were a mixed bag! Most (not all) of the daylight scenes were excellent but the evening and night scenes were truly horrid. From the opening scenes of the soldiers on the sandy beach right up to the end titles all I could see were large chunks of dirt that wasn't removed prior to making the transfer. Way too much film grain (much more than should be for a film of this age) and artifacts throughout.. all this clearly visible in the darker and some of the daylight scenes viewed on a 65 inch HD LED TV.

It seems the studios are really getting lazy (or is it just cheap?) in releasing newer and older films in substandard transfers.

I can name on perhaps 1 hand the films I feel are really superb transfers to blu-ray. Another 25 to 30 that are good and all the rest (approx 985 in my collection) as dismal failures as far as the quality of the transfers. I invested in Blu-ray for the promised superb quality this new format offered and to be honest I feel cheated MOST of the time to the point where I'm not going to be buying blu-rays based on how much I like/love the film but more importantly how good the quality of the transfer is. It's just a slap in the face from the studios to wait for them to make one of my favorites available on blu-ray and to be let down once again by a skanky presentation.

Two other blu-rays of recent note that I have had problems with (Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan) have been recalled by the studios for faulty transfers because we consumers bombarded them with complaints. I don't expect that to happen in this case because compared to the two just mentioned, CLASH is an older film with (I'm guessing) nowhere the amount of fans.

So if you really like this film and have a TV larger than 40 inches I'd stay away from this title. However if your TV is smaller and don't expect to be buying a larger one in the next couple of years, then go ahead and buy it coz you probably won't be able to see the deficits in the transfer.

And for all of you who won't be buying this blu-ray, do check out two other Harryhausen films (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts) on blu-ray coz they look really GREAT. Sony 10 / Warner 2

Peace out.

68 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GREAT HARRYHAUSEN MOVIE DESERVES BETTER TRANSFER :-(, March 7, 2007

By 

! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b "DR SHOCK" (TRI STATE AREA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Clash of the Titans (Snap Case) (DVD)

What a shame, this is Ray's last feature film and they give the man a kick in his pants with this transfer. This has some of Ray's best creations and it's ruined with a washed out grainy print. I could not bring myself to give it a lower rating. The film deserves 5 stars for Harryhausen's incredible work, but the DVD transfer keeps me from giving it a full thumbs up.

The print is very watchable and at a bargain price of $5.00 it should not be passed up, but the film and Harryhausen deserve much better! Thankfully they are releasing this film on BluRay and on a new DVD, so I will update my review when it has been released and I have a chance to compare them.....I'll keep my fingers crossed that they do this gifted genius justice!

****DVD/BLU RAY UPDATE****

Save your money as the new release of this film looks to be the same old transfer and the Blu Ray isn't worth the upgrade as it just brings out the wear and tear all the more. There are no new extras either. It's a shame because this film desrves to be completely restored and preserved for future generations and old school Harryhausen fans!

****END OF UPDATE****