Three out of Five stars
Running time: 110 mins

Entertaining fantasy adventure that's saved by strong performances, mostly decent CGI and a willingness to play it straight, but see it in 2D if you can because the added-at-the-last-minute 3D effects are shockingly bad and consistently distracting.

What's it all about?
Directed by Louis Leterrier, Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 fantasy epic, in which demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington) volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades (Ralph Fiennes) before he can seize power from Perseus's father, Zeus (Liam Neeson). As if that wasn't bad enough, Hades threatens to destroy the city of Argos unless they allow his monstrous spawn, the Kraken, to eat the lovely princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) during the coming eclipse.

With the fate of Argos hanging in the balance (stop laughing at the back there), Perseus is joined by a band of warriors that includes Draco (Mads Mikkelsen) and Eusebios (Nicholas Hoult) as well as the beautiful Io (Gemma Arterton), a seemingly ageless, mysterious woman who acts as Perseus's spiritual guide. Along the way, they encounter the Stygian Witches, some giant scorpions, king-turned-hideous-beast Acrisius (Jason Flemyng) and, of course, Medusa (Natalia Vodianova). But will they be in time to save Andromeda?

The Good
Atrocious 3D effects aside, the film is pretty entertaining, thanks to some decent CGI (apart from a couple of very dodgy moments), exciting action sequences and a willingness to play it mostly straight – there's a mean throwaway gag that's a reference to the original but that's about it. Worthington makes a rather wooden Perseus but the rest of the cast are terrific, particularly Arterton, Mikkelsen, Neeson and Fiennes, who really Voldemorts it up as Hades. Great Kraken, too.

The Bad
The added-at-the-last-minute 3D effects are shockingly bad throughout, to the point where it often looks as if the actors are standing directly in front of their body doubles, while Pegasus appears to have four wings and six legs. As such, the 3D effects are a constant distraction and pretty much ruin the film, so if you're planning to see it, avoid the 3D version and see it in 2D instead.

Worth seeing?
Clash of the Titans is an entertaining fantasy adventure that's saved by a superb cast, a decent script and some exciting action sequences. Ignore the 3D version and see it in 2D instead.