How to Clash Those “Titans”

Oh boy, I just found this new trailer to the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans, starring Terminator hunk Sam Worthington as Perseus. The 1981 original is perhaps one of most favorite guilty pleasures. There’s a story behind this, of course (with me, always a story), but watch the trailer first:

OK, here’s the story on why I love the original: Right before I went off to college, I had to spend about a month in Lake Tahoe with my mom, who had just moved there. She lived in this little A-frame house, on top of this big hill, so she really didn’t have any TV reception to speak of. Instead, the little A-frame house came with free cable, which in 1982 was sort of rare commodity — and it meant she got a free movie channel. FREE MOVIES, UNCUT! I thought that was just the coolest thing. Of course, what I didn’t realize was that meant they’d play the same four or five movies over and over and over again, but since there was nothing else on, I watched. And watched and watched.

There was The Blue Lagoon (yesssssss), Outland (High Noon in space) and — you guessed it — the mythological Greek God-fest Clash of the Titans, starring Harry Hamlin as Perseus, half-human son of Zeus (played with relish by Laurence Olivier), who must battle many mythical creatures in order to save his lady love, Andromeda. All the special effects were done by the late great Ray Harryhausen, whose Sinbad movies I had also loved. I knew it was cheesy as hell, but I just got a kick out of it and still hold it close to my heart.

The remake looks equally kick ass but in a far more serious way, sort of like 300 meets Greek mythology. I’m already all a-twitter.