If you've read my review for the Clash of the Titans remake, then you know I preatty much hated it. Not that it didnt have its fun moments, but its just that while watching it, you kind of get the feeling that something is not quite right, like things just dont gel well on this one. It feels disjointed. Turns out, there was a very strong reason for this!
Director Louis Leterrier apparently shot a movie that was too freaking controversial for Warner Brothers. When you watch this new Clash of the Titans, you kind of get a whiff of the subversive qualitites the film has to it, but then it goes completely against it as the story progresses!
As it turns out, the movie was a hell of a lot more subversive and rebellious in nature. Perseus did go up against the Gods, Zeus was the actual villain! Imagine that, the main god is the villain! And Perseus was going up against him! HE wants to stop the sacrafice because he thinks its wrong to sacrafice humans to a god! Perseus actually went to Mount Olympus and threw the "magic sword" on Zeus's feet! He denied the help of the gods every step of the way! He remained true to his nature, as opposed to the theatrical release, where he first says he doesnt want any help, then accepts all the help he can get.
Poseidon and Andromeda and all the other gods in Olympus had a bigger role in the film, and that was all cut out too. Most of the problems that the studio had with the film had to do with the stuff going on in Olympus. I guess WB has lost its balls and is afraid to make a movie that's too rebellious in tone. So even if art wants to reflect life...theres always a studio like Warner Bros. willing to cut arts balls off.
Apparently, all those re-shoots that they did months before the films release were to quiet down the rebellious nature the film had. This film was going to be a heck of a lot better then what we got. Will we ever get to see this films "directors cut"? Im thinking we might not. Since this movie is making so much moolah (nostalgia will do that to a film) a sequel is probably being worked on as we speak. They wont want to mess with the fucked up continuity theyve already established.
But whatever, this movie feels a lot like what happened to Richard Donner with Superman II. Remember that fiasco? Maybe we'll get a Clash of the Titans: Leterrier Cut in a few decades, who knows. But hey, at least now we know, it was Warner Bros. who fucked with us, not the filmmakers!
If you want to read a whole article on this go check out this article over at CHUD.com, its highly informative and touches upon every single reason why this movie blew! Its called : By Zeus! The version of Clash of the Titans you didnt see!
"Calibus, go and destroy Warner Bros. for me will ya?"
9 comments:
Sounds a lot like what happened to McG and Terminator: Salvation. Movie production companies get their panties in a wad if anything goes against the grain. The art and end product suffer as a result and in the end, you're left with a less than stellar film. Bummer.
Great article-thanks for pointing it out. I still don't know if the film would have been all that good but it would have been a hell of a lot more interesting. I forgot about Danny Huston, one of my favorite actors! I saw that he was in the film and for a split second you see him, then "poof!" He is probably happy he got cut out!
I was wondering where Poseidon was. Also, the Perseus/Io thing is so weird. Why would they emphasize that relationship over Perseus/Andromeda, which makes more sense and gives Perseus a better reason to go after Hades? Love is always better than revenge. This isn't "The Wrath of Khan."
@Pot: This is also what happens when big studios are the ones that put up the money for the film, they have the final word as to how the movie is going to end up.
I guess they were afraid of having another Golden Compass in their hands...you know, churches boycotting the film and all that.
@Jen: Yup, I believe Danny Houston was playing Poseidon, and he's only on screen for five seconds...he doesnt even appear releasing The Kraken, like in the first one.
Agree on the revenge angle as well! Making love the root and reason of the journey would have made a better fantasy/adventure film, and it would have resembled the original in a better way.
Im kind of curious now for this original version of the film....because everything that the studio put in is exactly what I hate about the movie.
I mean, it would still have had some changes in it and it would still be kind of crappy at times. Just how shitty were those little flying demons? They looked so Van Helsing! But still, the original cut of the film, the one Leterrier wanted to release sounds like it would have made a better film, with more sense to it.
What I dont get is how a studio can greenlight a project (which means somebody had to have read the script to approve it, and then they completely back out of what they had approved to film.
Sounds to me like the work of those evil "test screenings". Ive always been against he idea behind a test screening. It takes away from the integrity of a film, it takes away from the directors original vision. But whatever, I guess that just goes with the territory as far as big budget hollywood productions go. They dont want to loose a dime!
Wow, I had no idea that the film was messed around with to this extent. Thanks for the like to the CHUD article, I'm gonna check it out now.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised that this happened. The studios are scared to death of making waves and risk losing those all-too precious box office dollars. I also read some reviews that said that the 3-D conversion induced headaches for some viewers because they did a rush job on it and it wasn't very good.
@JD: About the 3-D in this movie, it must have been a rush job, cause I didnt see anything 3-D. Not even the Kraken, which I was hoping was going to look awesome in 3-D.
On top of the movie sucking ass, they had to also stab us in the back with the fake 3-D.
They also tacked on that open ending for a possible sequel.
Wow, I had no idea this was the case - but it makes a lot of sense. Even the first trailers were all Defy The Gods! and such and although we see that in the revenge hungry Perseus, everywhere else it feels wiped out.
I enjoyed the film a lot more than you from the sounds of it, but would love to see it as it was intended.
Me too, that original version Leterrier shot must be an improvement over the theatrical release.
Those scenes with Zeus talking to him like "your my son for crying out loud, Im going to be looking out for you" felt so tacked on.
Basically, WB went against everything that the filmmakers had in mind, they had in mind a movie defying the divinity of the gods, showing that man can do things on his own, using his own might, his own mind. I would have loved a film like that one.
Unfortunately, the film turned out uneven. Perseus is at first all about "I dont need anything from you!" but then he takes Zeus magic sword and sends Hades back to Hades with the magic lightning bolt from Zeus...
The original take on the film sounded so much more daring. But whatever, the final cut of the film is still very much a fantasy movie, and very much in line with Greek Mythology where the gods are real and all powerful.
I haven't seen the movie, but also heard a lot of people complain about it. Do you think this will affect the plans of making it a Trilogy, or will they just have a chance to improve with a second part?
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