Starring: Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Burgess Meredith, and Claire Bloom.

Directed By: Desmond Davis

Where I Watched It: TCM (though it is also available on HBO MAX)

English Audio Description Available?: Not on tCM.

The Review: I’m going to break tradition again, and instead of using my usual format. Honestly, it was February, and it’s the time when Turner Classic movies runs some solid films in preparation for the Oscars, though technically the Oscars are later than they used to be, so I get Clash of The Titans. Which is fine. I actually got to watch this film probably 22-23 years ago in high school when we were learning all about the Greek gods, so I was thinking that even without the audio description, my brain would click in and fill it all in for me.

I must have slept a lot during those class periods, because even with that, and having seen the remake, and being fairly aware of Greek mythology, I was still tremendously lost in the long sequences where Perseus and R2D2 travel from well known mythology idol to another. At least, I think it was R2D2. It sounded like him. I’m happy he got cast outside of the Star Wars universe, even if his casting here seems a bit misplaced.

I can remember how cheesy the sound effects looked to a teenager in the late 90’s. After all, we had already seen the White House explode in Independence Day, and really innovative effects in films like Terminator 2, and creature features like Tremors, Alien, and even ET and Gremlins. Special effects seemed to take a giant leap directly before Clash of The Titans filmed, except for the fact that it was released in 1981, years after A New Hope, and it doesn’t even come close to that.

So in my second viewing, one after a long time, I admit I have nothing substantial to offer except some memories of what I saw in a classroom over twenty years ago, plus the now full realization and appreciation for Maggie Smith serving realness during the entire film. I think, at the time I saw this the first time around, I was probably like “Oh, she was Wendy in hook.”, but every line she delivers here is delicious. Five star excellence.

I guess, I can’t always expect my brain to fill in for me when audio description isn’t offered to a film I was able to watch many moons ago, though. Sometimes it does. Here, my brain mostly deleted this experience, so I’ll save it a grade.

Final Grade: I don’t know what I got in that class back in the day, but I have a feeling my grade in the class would have been higher than I would be grading this film. Take that for what you will.