Clash of the Titans Essay

Clash of the Titans: Two Movies, Two Stories Tammie Hines University Composition and Communication/COM 155 July 15, 2012 Kyle Mox, Instructor As has been seen repeatedly coming out of Hollywood studios lately, there seems to be a push to “reinvent the wheel”. So many previously released movies from the past three decades are now remade and released as new blockbuster films with A-list actors in them. One such example of this is the remake of the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans that was released in 2010. The two different versions of the movie have similar characters and similar outcomes, but on the whole they are two completely different stories. It should first be acknowledged that the true mythological story of Perseus is that he was the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there. He was also the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose adventures in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians. Although neither version adheres closely to the documented mythological story of the Greek hero, Perseus, and his fabled quest, the only thing the two movies really have in common is the hero. However, his beginnings are not the same in both versions. In the 1981 version, Perseus is the son of the king of Argos’ daughter, Danae. In the 2010 version, Danae is cast as the wife of King Acrisius of Argos. In both cases, Danae becomes impregnated by the Greek god, Zeus. When it is learned of her “shame”, she is cast into the sea inside a coffin with her newborn son. In the 1981 version, Danae survives with young Perseus, is discovered by a fisherman who then marries her and helps raise her son as his own. In the 2010 version, Danae perishes at sea, but the coffin is discovered by a fisherman and his wife. They then take the baby, Perseus, in and raise him as their son. In