Year of Release: 1981
Director: Desmond Davis
Screenplay: Beverley Cross
Starring: Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress
Running Time: 118 minutes
Genre: Fantasy
In Ancient Greece, Perseus (Hamlin), son of Zeus (Olivier), King of the Gods, must battle against. multitude of mythological monsters in his quest to rescue the Princess Andromeda (Bowker) from the dreaded Kraken.
This film is loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, and showcases special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen's stop motion creatures, which include, among others, a two headed hellhound, the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa, giant scorpions, cursed monster Calibos, winged horse Pegasus, the giant sea-monster known as the Kraken (borrowed from Norse mythology) and a friendly mechanical owl called Bubo. This is a hugely enjoyable fantasy adventure, which is thoroughly old-fashioned. Pouty Jim Morrison look-alike Harry Hamlin is kind of bland but effective enough in the lead, while Judi Bowker isn't really given much to do as Andromeda. As often happens with fantasy films, a supporting cast of acclaimed heavyweight actors gives the procedures some gravitas. The story moves along at a good pace and is packed with incident, meaning it never gets dull. Some modern viewers may roll their eyes at how dated the film looks now, particularly the special effects, which in all honesty were seen as dated when the film was released, but there is an innocent, naive charm to the whole thing. The creature effects are still striking, and each creature is distinctive and has something like a personality. The film has an appeal that the charmless 2010 remake lacks entirely. This is fully escapist entertainment.
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