BOTTOM LINE: Buried underneath the mechanical and arbitrary special effects sequences lies some resemblance to a good story, but not even a valiant attempt by an excellent cast can rescue this film from the utter bore that it is.

THE GOOD: The original “Clash Of The Titans” is considered an 80s classic and featured some of the great work of special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. This modern update of the film seeks to use the latest in digital technology to recreate the Greek myths and in many respects, the visuals are quite stunning, particularly Mount Olympus, the haven of the Gods. Sam Worthington plays Perseus, the son of God Zeus (Liam Neeson), who finds himself on a journey to save the city of Argos from the monster the Kraken before the gods unleash it on humans for their failure to worship the gods. With this somewhat simple setup, director Louis Leterrier cuts loose with the computer work to create some visually impressive scenes. In many respects, these visuals at least transport you to this mythical time. The cast Leterrier has assembled is first rate, with Sam Worthington lending some much needed depth to his character, as does Liam Neeson in the role of Zeus. Ralph Fiennes looks predictably creepy throughout as the lord of the underworld, and ex-James Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen plays a very good soldier supporting Perseus. “Clash Of The Titans” is visually engaging, and has some interesting points to it.

THE BAD: Strip away the visuals and you have all the usual problems of a barely thought out Hollywood blockbuster. The script and subsequent direction do not give you a dramatic point of entry in to this story. Everything seems arbitrary. We have to accept that the humans have good reason to defy the gods. We have to accept that Perseus is hell bent on avenging his family’s death, despite the clunky and all to brief setup with his family. Despite all the impossible dangers the characters face, you never get the feeling they are in any real danger, and are far from surprised when Perseus in particular always comes out on top in any given situation. The amazing cast is dramatically under-utilised; it is quite amazing that they got so many good actors together and did nothing with them. Liam Neeson looks good in his shining robes, but is not given anything to do. Ralph Fiennes looks like he is repeating his performance from the Harry Potter films, and Sam Worthington really looks like he is trying hard to give dimension to his one-dimensionally written character. All of this combined makes the experience of watching this film rather dull and boring; a go-through-the-motions experience that barely registers a heart-beat. One other thing: do not go to see this film in 3D. The last minute decision by the producers to convert it from its original 2D has yielded some shoddy, and sometimes barely noticeable results, and is definitely not worth the inflated ticket price.