Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name.  The story in the new film generally follows the plot line of the old film with a few key changes. Clash of the Titans 2010 was directed by Louis Leterrier, and features an all star cast that includes Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator: Salvation), Liam Neeson (Star Wars: Episode I, Taken, A-Team) and Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, The Hurt Locker, Schindler’s List).  Clash of the Titans was also packed with CGI effects.

Unfortunately, the cast, script and effects didn’t play nice together.  A film as epic as the remake of Clash of the Titans should be can’t be rushed.  And that’s what I felt like during the entire movie.  It seemed like each scene was pushing past you to make room for the next scene.  It almost felt like I was watching a video game with objectives of each level being checked off as the movie progressed.

Fight Acrisius. Check. Fight Scorpions. Check. Find Witches. Check. Fight Medusa. Check. Show Medusa’s head to Kraken. Check. You win. Game over.

I went it with expectations as high as Lord of the Rings.  I left feeling I had just witnessed a Greek mythology version of Gone in Sixty Seconds.

Despite the great talent in the cast, the script never allowed them to connect with the audience.  Brief attempts at humor were cheap and unflattering to the tone of the movie.

Somehow, in the same 2-hour span of time, the 1981 version of the film managed to connect.  All of the gods seemed to have a role in the old film.  The gods in the 2010 film were superfluous (with the exception of Hades and Zeus).  And then, Perseus was a side show to the power plays on Mount Olympus.  In the old film, it was all about Perseus, with every other god trying to get back at Zeus by leading Perseus to destruction – and maybe that’s where the remake lost its way.

Visual effects were abundant throughout the movie.  Some were spectacular; however, most were disconnected.  Many parts of the movie felt like a special effects show instead of part of the film.  Does it really take 10 minutes for the Kraken to surface while Perseus is chasing flying monkeys on his flying horse?

The one hiatus from the rest of the disaster was Medusa, who stole the show even though she didn’t see enough screen time.  The effects artist nailed it with Medusa.  She was creepy, hideous and yet beautiful all at once.  We see a hint of who she was before her transformation by Aphrodite.  Even still, the battle with Medusa did not have the same intensity of the original film thanks to the presence of a hero that isn’t harmed by Medusa’s gaze.

As for the 3D version, don’t get your hopes up – it’s not the same kind of 3D you experienced in Avatar.  The film was shot in conventional 2D and then converted to 3D in post-production.  In short, it’s a waste and very underwhelming.

During several scenes, I took my 3D glasses off and couldn’t tell a difference.  The 3D effect is mildly appealing in only some scenes, and then only adds a bit of depth between the foreground and background.  It most certainly isn’t worth the premium that theaters are demanding for 3D screenings today.

It’s unfortunate that Clash of the Titans is being passed off as a 3D film; however, I won’t be surprised to see films converted to 3D as the medium gains popularity.  The big loser in this sham is the consuming public.

If you go see it, go to the 2D version.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t fault you for waiting for it come out on Blu-ray or DVD.

While I had seen many previews for How to Train Your Dragon, it seemed to have slipped under the radar.  After the first weekend and the rave reviews, however, I expect that it will pick up momentum in the weeks to come.

How to Train Your Dragon is fun from start to finish for both kids and adults.  The story is compelling, witty and very well presented.  The voice acting is great, with an all-star talent lineup of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler and several others.

While DreamWorks hasn’t necessarily been knocking it out of the park lately, How to Train Your Dragon can go head-to-head with recent animated films from any studio.  I connected with the characters (both human and dragon) in a way that is rare for an animated film.  The boy, Hiccup, and his dragon, Toothless, are an endearing pair and combine for some stunning visuals in the flying sequences.

The 3D effects are not in-your-face, and although there are some things that really pop off the screen, the 3D effects generally add depth and an immersive feel to the film.  The RealD 3D screening that I saw was smooth and seamless.

DreamWorks has a solid hit on its hands that will likely build quite a bit on its $43M opening weekend.  Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film are in the works for a later release.  I don’t see the 2D version of this film taking too much away from it because of the compelling story and character connections.

That said, How to Train Your Dragon 3D is definitely worth the price of admission at the theater.

My first screening of Avatar was in IMAX 3D, and it was great.  Yesterday, I caught Avatar in RealD 3D.

If you read my Avatar review, then you’ll see that I experienced some slight issues with out of focus objects in the foreground of a few scenes.  I wanted to compare this issue with 3D experience of RealD.

Most of the recent films that I’ve watched in 3D have been in RealD 3D, which have been very impressive for the most part.  I expected the RealD version of Avatar to outshine the IMAX 3D version; however, once I got settled in, I really couldn’t tell that much difference in the overall video and 3D quality.

I think that Avatar is slightly smoother in RealD, but not by much. In fact, I would recommend seeing Avatar in IMAX 3D as opposed to RealD.  The screen size makes a big difference in the viewing experience.  The top and bottom of the film screen were just too limiting after having seen it in IMAX 3D.

That’s not saying it was a bad experience in RealD 3D.  The 3D glasses were a world better in RealD 3D.  The special effects looked just as good in RealD, just not as big.  And that’s what makes IMAX 3D such an epic experience.

If you’re trying to decide which 3D version to see, my recommendation is the IMAX 3D version.