Liam Neeson and a Star-Studded Cast Launched a Forgotten 2010 Fantasy Franchise

In the early 2000s Hollywood seemed torn between comic-book blockbusters and mythic spectacle: Iron Man made nearly $600 million, 300 made almost $500 million, and James Cameron’s Avatar made seemingly endless sums. Louis Leterrier’s 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans rode that uncertain moment, betting on several wrong horses while still delivering a pretty fun film.

The movie is a loose adaptation of the Perseus myth, with Sam Worthington as Perseus caught between feuding gods and humans. The cast is notably large and decorated: Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Gemma Arterton as Io, Luke Evans as Apollo, Danny Huston as Poseidon, and soldiers played by Mads Mikkelsen, Liam Cunningham, Nicholas Hoult, and Rory McCann.

Hades resents his lot in the underworld, Zeus punishes humans for their lost faith, and Perseus must expose Hades and confront the Kraken — a moment marketed with the line “Release the Kraken,” though the scene is more understated than the ads suggested.

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