Clash of the Titans (1981)

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Final picture for which legendary stop motion master Ray Harryhausen would do the special effects work, though it still features some of his most memorable and highest quality animated scenes, including extraordinary characters like Medusa and the Kraken. Based on the Perseus myth of Greek mythology, Clash of the Titans tells of a conflict between gods fought via men and monsters, which pits the young hero Perseus (Harry Hamlin) against the demonic Calibos (performed by an actor in close-ups, but animated in long shots), both of them attempting to conquer the heart of the fair princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker, indeed quite a beauty). When the maiden is threatened to be offered to the monstrous Kraken in sacrifice to save her city, Perseus sets out on a quest to kill the serpentine Medusa and bring back her head since her gaze turns all living creatures to stone and might be the only weapon against the otherwise indestructible monster of the depths. Fortunately Perseus is aided by man and god alike, as well as the winged stallion Pegasus: good thing too, considering the host of gruesome monsters Calibos turns loose upon him. Undoubtedly the most star studded cast ever assembled for a Harryhausen picture – including Laurence Olivier, Ursula Andress, Maggie Smith and Burgess Meredith – it's still the fabulous stop motion puppets that fire the imagination the most in this excellent fantasy film. Ranks right up there with Harryhausen's other fantastic masterpieces The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

Starring: Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Judi Bowker

Directed by Desmond Davis

USA: MGM, 1981