Grave Reviews #11

House Of Frankenstein (1944)

Director: Erle C. Kenton

Starring: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, John Carradine.

Wow. I bought this about half a year ago because it was cheap, but had put it off till now partially due to my love/hate relationship with Karloff but I was mightily impressed. This is the middle film of a trilogy between Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman and House of Dracula.

Dr. Gustav Niemann (Karloff) has spent the last 15 years in prison after his two assistants frame him to escape prisons sentences due to their graverobbing in a bid to re-enact Dr Frankenstein's creation of the Undying Monster. He manages to escape with a hunchback named Daniel, whom he promises that if he can find Dr Frankenstein's notes he will give Daniel a normal mortal body.

Now Niemann is free to exact vengeance on his former assistants and a Burgomeister named Hussmann who sent him to prison. He murders a traveling showman named Lampini and takes his place as ringleader of a Horror show that boasts to include the staked remains of Dracula (Carradine). Arriving in the Hussmann's town, his granddaughter emotionally bribes him, her husband and the town's Police Inspector to see the Horror Show, and when Hussmann almost recognises Niemann he pulls the stake from Dracula's chest to revive him, and upon pain of re-staking commands him to assist in his revenge.

Dracula seduces Hussmann's granddaughter via the magic of his crest ring, and succeeds in killing Hussmann, fleeing by coach back to his coffin in the Horror Show. Seeing Dracula persued by the local constablary, Niemann and Daniel flee, and in an effort to distract the police, toss Dracula's coffin, and his sanctuary from sunlight onto the road. Dracula rolls the coach and is too late to make it to his coffin reverting back into a skeleton as the sun's rays strike him down.

Niemann travels to the town of Castle Frankenstein where Daniel spies a gypsy show, and subsequently falls in love with a gypsy dancer named Ilonka, whom he saves from a nasty brut, and takes her along to Castle Frankenstein where in the lower depths they find the frozen remains of The Undying Monster and the Wolfman. Niemann thaws them both out with fire, and he promises Lawrence Talbot now in his human form during the day a new body so he can be free of the mark of the pentagram.

Much to Daniel's chagrin, Ilonka falls for a non-disfigured Talbot who proceeds to change at the next full moon and kills again, alerting the town to a werewolf and the Castle used once again for nefarious scientific experiments. Daniel reveals Talbot's curse to Illonka in desperation to win her love, but she spurns his lies and finally when she learns the truth vows to love and help Talbot with his curse.

Talbot now sick of Niemann's procrastinations (and figuring out he only cared for the Undying Monster all along) attacks Niemann but relents when he realises the Doctor is his only hope to be free from the curse. Talbot changes once more at night, and attacks Illonka mortally wounding her, The gypsy girl manages to discharge her gun loaded with silver bullets into his heart, and they both die in a loving embrace (vomit).

By now Daniel has had enough and attacks Niemann blaming him for all his misery. The Monster awakens during the experiment and tosses Daniel around like leaves on a windy day, and as the villagers attack to quell the evil from rising once again, the monster thinking it is saving Niemann drags him into the quicksand nearby where they both perish.

***

I found this movie quite enjoyable until it got to the part of Talbot and The Wolfman. I am not a fan of the original Wolfman movie with Chaney Jr as I find Talbot's character to be a whinging sook and can't really stand monsters who are big crybabies about their condition. Lucikly he didn't play a big part but was in it enough to disturb me. This is the first time I's seen Carradine play Count Dracula and I quite enjoyed his version, but when I saw the crap bat effects I couldn't help but think of Taliesin and what he thought of this particular one, it was pretty damn crappy.

The Frankenstein Monster is hardly in it, and Karloff I see gave up the role to play more human (and more evil) characters and for once I could put up with his diabolical lispiness. The Hunchback Daniel played by J. Carrol Naish was sympathic enough, but reminded me of those ugly men in real life that expect to get a girlfriend that resembles an actress from Gossip Girl. Real life ain't like that, and I know this is a movie with vampires and werewolves, but Daniel baby if you ugly and ain't got the dough, you ain't got the chance.

The sets and costume were usual Universal Horror fare, so if you've seen Legosi's Dracula you know what to expect. Crumbling castles and dinner jackets galore. Still I enjoyed this enough as I have any other Universal Horror, though most now are quite corny in their old age.

My Grade is C.

Grave Reviews #10

Requiem For A Vampire (1971)

Director: Jean Rollin

Starring: Marie-Pierre Castel, Mireille Dargent, Philippe Gasté, Louise Dhour, Dominique Toussaint.

This is my favourite Rollin film though not the first I'd seen. Lips of Blood takes that honour and coming in third is Fascination tied with Living Dead Girl.

There is something about being a Rollin fan that you just can't explain to someone that isn't. Rollin isn't that accessible because his movies are quite surreal and don't really make that much sense for the most part. But as a fan you are drawn to the Gothic EuroHorror visuals of vampires, coffins, crypts, bats and haunted chateaus along with a slew of lovely French ladies who get in way over their heads when dealing with the supernatural, as the two protagonists of this film. Of course you need to watch these films in their original French Language with subtitles to get the full atmosphere of these lovely Eurohorrors. Dubbing is the root of all evil.

***

Marie and Michelle have just escaped their school party (apparently, perhaps it was juvenile hall), evading the guards for a friend waiting outside with a car. They are chased for quite a while through the French Countryside exchanging gunfire (dressed as clowns no less) until their driver is mortally wounded and tells them to head for the water tower with his dying breath.

The two girls torch the car and the body, and head for the water tower to retrieve a motorcycle to continue on their way. Passing through a cemetery through a lovely montage of bats and graves (and almost 10 minutes of no dialogue) Michelle is almost buried alive, and they find their way to an abandoned chateau where they hope to spend the night. and hide from their pursuers.

Alas the chateau is not abandoned but home to a Coven of Vampires and their evil servants who serve a Vampire Master, who is dying and needs fresh blood (read: virgins) to continue his bloodline and own immortality who is assisted by two half-vampires. The two girls are tormented throughout the night until they are finally cornered, controlled by bat-like parasites summoned by the Master and given the cursed bite. Now half vampires, the girls are compelled to do the Master's and the Coven's bidding.

 After a slew of gratuitous sex-scenes between the evil cultists and prisoners in the dungeon, the girls try to escape the chateau, but they are under the Master's power now and find themselves back at the chateau's gates everytime.

The girls are told they are be initiated into the Coven of Vampirism to replenishitsr numbers as the Master is dying because he no longer gains sustenance from the dark malediction of human blood. Erica has developed her teeth and Louise is not far behind, still half-vampires but on their way to replacing their Master as head of the coven. The two girls are tasked with going out in the daylight and seducing men back to the chateau so the vampires can feed off them. A person cannot be a non-virgin and a vampire, and from what is explained you need to be a virgin to have vampirism passed onto you. (This lore was also used recently in Helsing).

The girls use their sexuality to seduce men, but Marie goes all the way with a young man named Frederic, sacrificing her virginity because she doesn't want to become one of the Damned, while Michelle does her duty and keeps her innocence. This event is where the girls seperate in loyalty to the coven as Michelle falls into the darkness of the vampire, and captures and tortures her friend for betraying her (also Marie's mate is more attractive than the dirty old man Michelle seduces). Erica kills Michelle's mate and invites her to share his blood with her.

Marie lies lies and says she saw no-one to seduce, and the girls are told by Louise that tonight they will be fully initiated into the coven. The Master figures out Marie is no longer a virgin and is mighty pissed, sending his half-vampires to catch her and discover her mate that is hiding somewhere in the Chateau. The Master traps Marie's lover in the mausoleum, but has a change of heart. He confides in Marie a secret that he is too ancient to have passed on his full vampirism to his disciples, and that Erica and Louise will never be like him. He will pass soon and is happy as he didn't ask for this curse and decides to let Marie go.

Michelle isn't as impressed or forgiving, and at gunpoint demands to know where the lover is so she can kill him, as he is a threat to the vampires. If Marie doesn't talk the half-vampires will kill them both. Michelle's heart breaks as she chains Marie up and tortures her but Marie won't relent. Erica steps in to turn up the heat and Louise lets both of them escape so they will lead them to Frederic. The girls are chased to the mausoleum of the vampire and prove to be crack shots with a pistol, only running out of bullets when Erica and Louise show up (guns don't work on them anyhow).

The Master appears and tells them enough is enough, it's all over. Erica is to spend the rest of eternity with her Master in the tomb, and Louise is to guard it to make sure it is never opened. The girls waste no time in fleeing the cemetery as Louise stands guard heartbroken at the crypt's gates.

***

This is the film I would recommend to someone wanting to experience Rollin for the first time. There isn't much dialogue, and what there is of it is Rollin's usual musing of poetic pathos in regards to the vampire race. Vampire Lore here is a mix of standard and unusual. The half-vampires can walk about by day, are immune to injury from common weapons though don't possess any other supernatural powers such as shapeshifting, enchanced strength or flight.

The half-vampires could be the ones who summon the bats to mind control the two girls during the day as their Master is asleep in his crypt, though we do see him use this power when the girls first meet him. We see nothing in regards to weaknesses, no holy objects, mirrors or garlic. Humans must be virgins to become vampires, and start out half-vampire and become fully fledged in some unknown capacity.

Rollin has an wonderful eye for gothic scenery and pretty women, and there is plenty of both here to assuage any vampire fans hunger. Once you've seen this make sure to see his other films I mentioned above. Then once your done, or even inbetween, make sure to watch the films of his Spanish compatriot in Eurohorror Jess Franco, director of the fantastic Vampyros Lesbos and Virgin Amongst the Living Dead.

My Grade is B.

Six new occult Tattoos (plus others)

Last Tuesday, while taking my wife to the tattoo parlour for her birthday to receive a much anticipated rose tattoo sleeve, I took the opportunity to add to my collection of occult tattoos. So without further ado here are the pictures (picture headings are clickable for more info):

From left elbow to wrist:

1. Unicursal Hexagram: Used in the Thelema tradition among others, this symbol denotes TRUE WILL.

2. Monad: The symbol stands for Azoth, and used by Dr John Dee to symbolise the goal of Alchemy, the Philosopher's stone. This symbol is a mix of symbols including Aries, the Cross, the Sun and The Moon.

3. Sulphur/Brimstone: The Leviathan Cross, A symbol for the alchemical element Sulfur, (Brimstone) which is spiritually analogous to the human soul.

4. The Seal of Babalon: (Left inside forearm) The Scarlet Woman, The Great Mother, or the Mother of Abominations—is a goddess found in the mystical system of Thelema. In her most abstract form, she represents the female sexual impulse and the liberated woman; although she can also be identified with Mother Earth, in her most fertile sense. At the same time, Crowley believed that Babalon had an earthly aspect in the form of a spiritual office, which could be filled by actual women—usually as a counterpart to his own identification as "To Mega Therion" (The Great Beast)—whose duty was then to help manifest the energies of the current Aeon of Horus. Besides my right forearm sleeve this is my favourite tattoo, I was so happy with how it turned out

5. The Seal of Astaroth: Aka Astarte, In demonology Astaroth (also Ashtaroth, Astarot, and Asteroth) is a Prince of Hell. He is a male figure named after the female Canaanite goddess Ashtoreth. He is referred to in The Lesser Key of Solomon as a very powerful demon. In art, in the Dictionnaire Infernal, Astaroth is depicted as a nude man with feathered wings, wearing a crown, holding a serpent in one hand, and riding a beast with dragon-like wings and a sepent-like tail.

This tattoo is on the inside of my left bicep, and I love its lines and how it turned out. Astaroth was an important figure in my early occult years, hence the tattoo in his honour.

6. Witch's Knot: Finally found a symbol to go in the middle of my right bicep to complete the Celtic armband I got over 10 years ago.

The Witch’s knot is a common symbol in folk magic. The witch’s knot is a symbolic representation of the knot magic practiced by witches in the middle ages, and was used as a sympathetic charm against witchcraft, and usually scratched over doorways of homes and stables. One aspect of its efficacy as a protective charm lay in the ability to draw the complicated symbol in one continuous motion.


While the symbol appears to be made up of intertwined vesica pisces, it does not represent “feminine powers” as is sometimes claimed, but the inversion of those powers- the four radiating half circles symbolically reflect malefic winds. Ironically, this is a popular emblem of choice for modern witches.

This is my Ode to Lovecraft (right forearm sleeve) which also includes the earlier tattoo of The Eye of Horus. I designed this tattoo myself with EIGHT tentacles bursting out of my body with three Cthuloid eyes growing out as well, symbolising a Deep One/Innsmouth Look feel. One day I plan to finish it, perhaps my tattooing sinew to fill in the flesh for a more alien look.

I was so happy with the way this turned out and I get complimented on it often, especially by most of the populace who don't know who Lovecraft is. I'm hoping someday to get some of Lovecraft's Gods on my body somewhere, either the Great Cthulhu himself, or perhaps Nyarlathotep whom I am fond of, and works in with the eye of Horus I have tattoed on the same arm.

Inverted Pentagram: (Upper back) This is my Ode to my favourite movie, The Ninth Gate. This symbol appears on the front of the demonic text coveted in the movie The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, a book reputed to summon The Prince of Darkness in person. Those who have read the book it's based on The Dumas Club or seen and understand the movie realise that in this Lucifer appears as a female who aid's Johnny Depp's character Dean Corso on his quest through the Nine Gates represented by tarot-like engravings in the book. I own a replica of this book and it's one of my favourite possessions.

Here is a copy of The Nine Gates. The Ninth engraving is a picture of a woman riding a hydra, which represents Babalon (The Scarlet Woman) riding The Beast (Therion), which links to my Seal of Babalon tattoo. The Ninth Engraving is also something I am to tattoo on myself in the near future, I just have to decide where.

Warlock's Library #5

I am on an Aleister Crowley mission at the moment, studying his system of Thelema at this time (among other systems) and I have just finished three books relating to him that I will review in due course, including this one.

Sandy Robertson as a young lad one day asked his father who Crowley was. The look of horror on his father's face was enough for him to delve into Crowley's history and become a prolific collector of Crowleyana as it's called.

Collected here are artworks, personal photographs, articles and newspaper clipping of the man who was to be dubbed "The Wickedest Man in the World" by the British Press. Crowley did everything in his power to become recognised by the world, partially as a Great Magickian but unfortunately his notoriety got the better of him, and he wasn't taken seriously by the British People much to his chagrin.

Getting expelled from Sicily by Mussolini certainly didn't help, along with his reputation as a drug fiend, the deaths at his Sicily Thelema Abbey (including one of his own children) and his association with many Scarlet Women such as Leah Hirsig (The Ape of Thoth) with whom he sought to produce a mythical in-the-flesh Moonchild. This book doesn't go into the magickal rites of his system Thelema, but discusses his childhood raised into a family of strict (and wealthy) Plymouth Brethren, he was happy to discard as soon as he was able. It was his own mother that labelled him as "The Beast 666" for his chaotic ways, and that name stuck to him. Crowley wasn't a Satanist though, as he was a member of The Golden Dawn, O.T.O, his own society A∴A∴ (Arcanum Arcanorum), and finally his own system of Thelema that was a mixture of magickal systems including Qabala(Kabbalah), Enochian and Egyptian Mysteries.

The book attempts to explain Aleister Crowley as a man, and also as a Magickian and gives evidence of differring degrees from picturing him as a leading figure in Occultism to a conniving con-man who used his influence to take money from his followers for his various schemes. Such 'evidence' is supplied in a letter titled "The Memoir of 666" by Alan Burnett-Rae who claims to have rented a flat to Crowley and explains his eccentric behaviour, wild stories and apparent lack of assets and money.

Also described within is his various quarrels with other occult personalities such as the Head of the Golden Dawn MacGregor Mathers and the poet W.B Yeats who desired to see Crowley removed from the Golden Dawn. From Robertson's own collection of Crowleyana he provides pictures of the Thelema Abbey, poems, plays and stories written by Crowley, and discusses the influence Crowley had on horror fiction such as Dennis Wheatley's occult villain Mocata from The Devil Rides Out, who was portrayed by Charles Grey in the Hammer Film of the same name.

Lastly Robertson briefly mentions a Lovecraft-Crowley connection, and finishes with discussing Crowley's influence in the modern world, from featuring on The Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, to influencing Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page as well as Ozzy Ozbourne's song "Mr Crowley" and a mention in David Bowie's song "Quicksand" from his album Hunky Dory (Closer to the Golden Dawn/immersed in Crowley's uniform of imagery). More recently Crowley's influence found it's way into Carl McCoy's 80/90s Gothic Rock Band Fields of the Nephilim with such songs as Moonchild and Love Under Will.

If you are interested in learning more about Crowley this is a good place to start, because to understand Crowley the Magickian, you also have to know and understand Crowley the man.

Grave Reviews #9

DRACULA (1979)

Director: John Badham

Starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasance, Kate Nelligan, Trevor Eve and Jan Francis.

A few days ago, starved for vampire movies to watch I perused Taliesin's A-Z list of vampire movies and came across this film which I hadn't seen since my twenties.

I had first seen it back in the 80s as a young vampire-obsessed lad, and although there were many vampire movies still unseen on Taliesin's list my fond memory of this film made me choose it over the others, hence I found it first on my to-watch-list.

After watching it again, this time after now seeing 100+ vampire movies, and probably 10+ Dracula adaptations (but back then I believe I'd only seen the Yorga films, Salem's Lot and a Lee Dracula or two) I believe that this film is one of the best Dracula adaptations produced.

The film follows the plot of Stoker's original story close enough, but omits and changes plot points such as omitting Transylvania and the Brides altogether (a pity) as well as swapping the character histories of Lucy and Mina. Here Lucy Seward (Nelligan) is only not of the Westernra family, but the daughter of Dr Seward who runs The Whitby Asylum, from within his mansion no less. She is engaged to Johnathan Harker (Eve), and Mina is the daughter of Abraham Van Helsing (Olivier) and is also frail and sickly.

Renfield is not a committed madman at the start of the film, but actually a labourer who delivers boxes of Transylvanian earth to Carfax Abbey, and gets more than he bargains for (including a taste for bugs) when he bad mouths Dracula at the abbey for having to shift the soil-filled crates.

Dracula arrives aboard the Demeter during a storm as per the novel, and as it smashes on the rocks, Mina though sickly runs down the cliffs to the wreck and follows a wolf to the nearby cave. There she finds an 'unconscious' Count Dracula in a fur coat to whom he now regards as his saviour. The workers at the abbey lead by Doctor Seward unload the boxes to transport to the Abbey as Harker arrives by motorcar to inquire on the health and wherabouts of Dracula.

The next night the Count attends the home of Seward to meet his new neighbours in a warm Whitby welcome and much to Harker's chagrin, Dracula and Lucy seem smitten with each other. Seeing Mina suffer from one of her fainting spells, Dracula insists on using hypnotism to calm and recouperate her as he believes the laudanam Seward usually administers her will make her blood impure.

Lucy is rather sarcastic to the Count's beliefs and also his choice of lodgings, only for him to remark he prefers his women strongwilled and full of life and blood, and that as he is of an old family a new house will not do. The decrepid Carfax Abbey is just the home from one such as he. Harker grows jealous when Dracula and Lucy dance.

That night while Lucy and Harker have a secret interlude, the Count descends the wall to Mina's bedroom and picking the frame from around the window enters the room to drink of her blood. The next morning Lucy awakes afright and summons her Father only to have both of them watch her die as she struggles for oxygen, not realising that vampiric blood is taking over her body and soul.

Mina is buried, and Seward at a loss with the marks on her neck summons her father Abraham from Paris to tell him of the terrible news. Harker arrives at Carfax to give the Count his deed to the property and he insists Harker file it at his law firm in London at once. When he apologises due to Mina's upcoming funeral, Dracula uses this time to invite Seward and his daughter to dine at his house while Harker is away, and would he be so kind to deliver the message.

As Abraham arrives at Whitby, Lucy is wine, dined and seduced by Dracula and agrees to become his bride. Van Helsing learns the true fate of his daughter after a mother of a murdered baby attests that the now dead Mina was the killer. So they dig her up her coffin and discover a tunnel into the mines were a cadaverous Mina lurks, and after a struggle the grieving father kills his daughter.

Dracula comes to Lucy's bed that night and turns her while making love, and Harker finds her in a similar state with the same puncture wounds that poor Mina sported. After Dracula fails to kill Helsing does the lead hunter learn who they must now destroy to free Lucy.

After a blood transfusion to slow Lucy's vampiric transformation, the men cut out Mina's heart and rebury her with a horrified Lucy watching from the window. She flees to warn her Master only to be stopped by the new vampire hunters. Seward locks Lucy in the Aslyum as Van Helsing and Harker attempt to destroy Dracula at Carfax. Helsing is surprised Dracula is mobile during the day, and they almost destroy him with sunlight but he escapes in bat form.

That night Dracula breaks Lucy out of the Asylum, he commissions a crate full of earth to return to his homeland, and only by a stroke of luck do the hunters' cross paths with the crate. After they are outwitted by the Count do they finally make it to the Scarborough Docks to see Dracula's ship sail off in the distance.

Hiring a boat Van Helsing and Harker manage to board the ship, locate the crate with The Prince of Darkness and his new Vampire Bride encased within. Harker tears a vampiric Lucy from Dracula's grip and the Count struggles with Van Helsing gaining the upper hand by impaling Van Helsing to the side of the ship. Harker misses Dracula with a ship hook, and subsequently getting strangled by Dracula, he is saved by the last ounce of strength from Van Helsing's limbs as he sends the hook into Dracula's back.

Harker desperately pulls on the crank of the rope sending Dracula screaming through the floorboards towards the deadly sunlight. The rays destroy his vampire powers and he dies becoming a decrepid old man. Harker turns away from the now restored Lucy in disgust and pain towards his now dead friend, and Lucy smirks triumphantly as she sees Dracula's cloak break free of the hook and sail in the shape of a bat into the horizon. Does Dracula still live?

One thing this movie has going for it is atmosphere. Any vampire fan will literally drool when they witness the exterior and interior shots of Carfax Abbey as I did. The mix of marble and cobwebs was lush, though I was a bit perturbed that Dracula slept in a crate, surely he could have acquired a lovely coffin or at least stole one from the cemetery.

The Edwardian clothing and furniture were sublime and Langella played a fearsome and seductive Dracula that gives Oldman and Co a run for their money. I find it funny that Coppola stated he tried to do something that wasn't done before with a love story, yet there is a twisted love story in this film, as well Dan Curtis' Dracula with Jack Palance.

The script and acting were good enough though I found Eve as Harker a tad annoying, was a bit confused as to why Van Helsing was French and not Dutch, and as usual Donald Pleasance played Donald Pleasance just like he did in Vampires in Venice, Halloween and Prince of Darkness among other films.

The SFX in this were great. I loved the wall-crawling and shapeshifting - the vampire bat wasn't too hokey as it usually is, and the shifting to wolf shape was done rather well. The fang and demon eye effects were great, and I was surprised that Langella's Dracula did not show fang once.

 Reading up on this film I read it was on Langella's insistence that his monster be more believable (though they kept in the wall-crawling and shapeshifting) I thought Dracula was a tad thick though for a 500-year old vampire as I do now when I watch these Dracula adaptations.

Surely the people of Romania knew his weaknesses such as the cross and garlic, which was part of the reason he moves to England, so he should know what to do when others discover his weaknesses? What happened to sneaking up behind hunters so they can't pull a cross on you, or grabbing some plates from the sideboard and tossing them like frisbies at vampire hunters' heads when they confront you in a dining room?

My Grade is A.

Grave Reviews #8

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Director: Louis Leterrier

Starring: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Mads Mikkelsen.

During a storm, a fisherman finds an ornate coffin floating in the sea. Inside he finds a crying newborn lying on his dead mother. He raises the child as his own and names him Perseus, and while teaching him his trade, makes no secret of his origins though most of it is a mystery.

About 20 years later the people of Greece, especially the people of Argos have grown weary of the God's ruling them and in an act of defiance destroy their towering statue of Zeus on their coast. Perseus and his family witness this, and Hades seeks revenge through Harpies and his own appearance, where Hades murders Perseus' family with a fireball sending their ship to the bottom of the sea.

The surviving Praetorian Guard take Perseus back to Argos, where the King and Queen declare an end to the rule of the Gods, name themselves Gods on Earth and their own daughter Andromeda more beautiful than Aphrodite. On Hades request Zues sends his brother to make an example of the people of Argos, killing the rest of the soldiers, (and is surprised to see Perseus immune to his magics) damning the prideful Queen to old age and death, and threatens Argos with destruction on the coming solar eclipse with his Kraken if they do not sacrifice Andromeda to him.

Now both the Gods and the people of Argos know a demi-god walks on the Earth in the form of Perseus, who is the son of Zeus (accidently) born to a Queen who was seduced by Zeus as punishment to King Acrisius for defying him in a futile war at the base of Mt Olympus. The King has the wife and bastard child murdered by Perseus survives due to his unique heritage. Later on he is gifted with dark power by Hades to destroy the bastard son of his dead wife in an effort to upset Zeus and also protect his own immortal skin from revenge.

Along with Draco, the leader of the Praetorian Guard, Perseus leads a quest first to the Stygian Witches for information on defeating the Kraken, and then to the underworld, Charon and the River Styx to do battle with Medusa. Will the party survive Giant Scorpions, Medusa, and the Kraken to save Argos and Andromeda? Will Perseus accept his father's offer of sanctuary to live as a God in Olympus, and who is the ageless Io who watched over him since his birth and aids Perseus on his quest? Has mortal man bit the hand that feeds them too many times, and is Zeus justified in destroying the very beings he created and loved to make an example?

I saw this movie in 3D* and let's get this part out of the way first. The 3D was good for the most part, though lifting my glassed occasionally to check the entire film didn't seem to be in 3D. There was a problem with Ghosting in the film especially with Hades, and one or two times with Zeus that I found rather annoying. A lot of critics are pulling the 3D version apart and also commented on the Ghosting problem, suggesting that you watch the film in regular 2D and I agree. I am afraid the AVATAR curse will plague other 3D films for some time, because if you've seen that film and you watch this and others in 3D format you'll find the others sorely lacking.

I enjoyed the modern update to the story though, especially the new additons such as the Djinn, Arab Warriors who delve in black magic to expand their power and lifespan and weild an fantastic blue flame ability that can harm or heal. Their entire body seems to be of this fire as their eyes glow electric blue and their hearts burned with the same blue fire. They also replace their damaged and missing limbs and skin with bark and wood, which when facing a Gorgon is quite an advantage.

Aside from the slightly dodgy 3D effects the movie's own special effects were spectacular. Besides the black magic of the Djinn, the giant scorpions, The Gorgon, Kraken and scenes of Olympus were well developed. The battle scenes were great and fast-paced (though I found the final battle between Perseus and Hades disappointng), and the Gorgon fight had me on the edge of my seat. I found it a bit strange that Perseus having no former warrior training could suddenly beat Draco in his first sword fight let alone start performing somersaults or gaining unconscious access to his abilities such as lightning summoning. This was explained as 'the God in Him", and though I realise the exposition of the story was only 106 minutes it still was a slight stretch.

In regards to performances, I like Sam Worthington (Aussie Oi! Oi!), but I've yet to see anything real awe-inspiring from him. I've seen Avatar and T:4 as well, and while he has charisma I think he needs to find a role that is more emotional to win my vote. Liam Neeson once more plays the leader and Mentor role this time in his visitations to Perseus, along with bestowing him with a magic sword, flying horse and gold coin for Charon.

Besides Ra's Al Ghul from Batman Begins along with Qui Gon Jinn from Star Wars, he almost seems to fall into a bit of a mentor typecast rut much like Ralph Fiennes is as a dial-a-villain with his portayal of Hades along with Voldemort from Harry Potter. I enjoyed his rendition as Hades still, it was more sublime and less corny than Voldemort and the SFX for his powers were awesome. Gemma Arterton is stunning in this, and plays Io, cursed with agelessness because she declined a God's advances. A great gift some might say, but as she mentions to Perseus she lives while those she loves die, something he should be sympathetic too.

Mads Mikkelsen was great as Draco, head of the Praetorian Guard, and I hadn't seem him in film since playing Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. His lack of humour and stoic demeanor comes from years of combat, and he himself states he will smile for the first time when he spits in the eyes of the Gods. Just like Zeus he acts like a mentor to Perseus and is responsible for him embracing his God like gifts to win the day, even though he himself desires a Twilight of the Gods.

For the rest of the cast, and I mean this seriously, see how many of the People of Argos and Praetorian Guard you recognise from the film 300. I counted at least three. The Queen of Argos was Atia from HBOs ROME series,.

The movie is an enjoyable action romp, and a great update to the original (that I didn't really care for, I found it camp and lame) but like other reviewers I suggest you see it in good ol' fashioned 2D.

I have two grades for this film. For 3D I give it a B-. If I was to see it in 2D I would give it B+

*My cinema seemed to only offer CLASH OF THE TITANS in 3D, which giving the errors in its translation from 2D is probably not a smart move.