Over the years, there have been many films that have been fashioned after ancient myths, especially from the Greek culture. The stories of gods, goddesses, mortals and creatures they defeated appearing in extraordinary tales have been passed on for thousands of years. In this article, you will learn about the tale of Clash of the Titans, as told by the recent movie that has been released in 2010.
The Plot
Note: If you do not want to hear any spoilers regarding this movie, do not read this article or Part II of this article.
The Greek city of Argos serves as the setting for the Clash of the Titans movie during a time where war between the gods and man is increasingly erupting. The movie provides narration that presents the three Olympians that once battled the Titans. We learn that they are all brothers: Zeus (played by Liam Neeson), Poseidon, and Hades (Ralph Fiennes).
Hades created the Kraken, which was instrumental in defeating the Titans. After the brothers had defeated the Titans, Zeus created humans and ruled over them while Poseidon took over the sea. However, Hades deceived Zeus and because of this, was forced to rule the Underworld , the place where the dead were sent. The power that Zeus and Poseidon gain comes from the prayers of humans. Hades learns to make his connection with the humans , through fear.
In the movie, a fisherman named Spyros discovers a coffin floating in the sea. Inside, he finds a baby (Perseus) and his dead mother. Spyros decides to raise the child as his own. Perseus (played by Sam Worthington) is later shown with his family. They are fishing and at the time, they see a group of soldiers from Argos destroying a statue of Zeus. This serves as their intention to war against the gods. Hades appears and sends harpies to kill all of the soldiers. In the conflict, he also destroys the fishing boat belonging to Perseus’s family. He tried to save them, but is unsuccessful.
There are soldiers that have survived the massacre and they decide to take Perseus back to Argos. It is here that he meets King Kepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Argos. There is a feast held for the returning soldiers, but it is interrupted when Hades appears. He has received permission to punish Argos for being offensive towards Zeus. Hades kills the remaining soldiers, while Perseus is left alone. It is learned that Perseus is a demigod son of Zeus. Hades threatens that if Princess Andromeda is not sacrificed to the Kraken, Argos will perish within 10 days.
Zeus learns of the location of his son when Hermes, who is the messenger god, tells him. Hermes suggests offering Perseus sanctuary, but Zeus believes that he should be left to his fate , grouping him with the rest of the mortals.
The king wants Perseus to help, but he initially refuses. It isn’t until he encounters Io that he learns of what happened to his family. Perseus was conceived as a punishment. Zeus wanted to punish Acrisius (the former king of Argos) for his actions against the gods. Acrisius was married to Danae , Perseus’s mother. The two were set adrift in a coffin by Acrisius, which enraged Zeus to the point that he struck the king down with lightning , leaving his seriously disfigured.