GotMyNerdOn: Clash of the Titans makes for poor mythology

By this time, you guys already know about the good and the bad about Clash of the Titans. It's a box office smash, which is why you we had the sequel a few months ago (haven't fully watched it yet; just some vignettes). Regardless, it has its faults, but some are more... unforgivable than others. :)

I got my nerd on -- Greek mythology is one of my favorite subjects since... well ever -- and I just want to speak out on some things that are really wrong about this movie from the literary/geeky/nerdy point of view.

BTW, my knowledge on Greek mythology is largely based on the Mythology by Edith Hamilton. So that's my reference, in case you want to compare notes. (I hear Bullfinch's Mythology is also a great source, but I sadly do not have a copy, so I can't judge how good that is.)

So here we go...


Below three items can be summed up to one. But to better explain, I've broken them down to the three points below.

Olympus is not the Judeo-Christian Heaven.  For some reason, people have a hard time distinguishing religion with mythology, which is just plain wrong. Olympus is the home of all the Olympians, the main three being Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. This is the place common to all three, because they rule the "universe" together; Zeus the sky, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the underworld and everything in it (the dead and the riches of the earth).

The Greek Underworld is not the Judeo-Christian Hell. Whereas the Judeo-Christians believe that good souls are in heaven somewhere up in the sky and evil souls are in hell deep below the earth, the Greeks believe that all souls go to the underworld beneath the earth. The places for the souls of the heroic (Elysium), the damned (Tartarus), and the neutrals (Asphodel Meadows) are all found beneath the earth, in the Underworld.

Hades is not evil. Hades is a terrible god, but not an evil, bloodthirsty god. He is a just god. As stated, he is in charge of all the souls of the dead in the underworld, both good and evil. He is no more evil than the other gods in Olympus. [Olympians are just like people; sometimes they do good things, sometimes bad. Zeus, for example, is the order-bringer, but at the same time, a very adulterous god, hence his many offsprings and demi-gods throughout the ages.] I guess, darkness and death are always associated with evil, hence, the modern depiction of the evil Hades.

All in all, the above can be summed up into the Judeo-Christian belief influencing the mythology, hence, we end up with a "Christianized" version of Greek mythology. The modern religious influences are taking a lot away from the classics, which IMO should not be the case.

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Below are the other details in the movie which do not follow the conventional mythology. They are actually less serious and the changes for the sake of whatever poetic license they invoke for these are fine.

• The Kraken. It's not even on the same mythology! The Kraken is a mythic creature from the Norse myths, not Greek. (Age of Mythology players know this!) Also, if the monster is Hades' child, wouldn't it be more appropriate if they chose a creature comes from, say, the underground instead of under the sea? :)
• Acrisius fears Zeus.In the classical myth, Acrisius is a King of Argos who feared Zeus, and did not challenge him. He received a prophecy that his daughter's son will kill him. To prevent her from bearing a child, he imprisoned his daughter, Danae, within a bronze chamber in his palace. Still, Zeus, in the form of golden rain impregnated her. Fearful of the prophecy but not wanting to kill Zeus' child, he cast her and her son, Perseus, in a wooden chest out into the sea. The oracle was fulfilled anyway; Perseus kills Acrisius, though the circumstances differ.
• Andromeda marries Perseus. After being rescued from Poseidon's sea serpent, Cetus, and after fulfilling the oracle, Perseus marries Andromeda and later became the ruler of Mycenae.
• Pegasus came from Medusa.When Medusa was beheaded be Perseus, the winged-horse Pegasus and the golden sword-wielding giant Chrysaor.
• Perseus was loaned magical items from the gods.When Perseus ventured out to kill Medusa, he got a magical bag that will hold Medusa's head, an adamantine sword for the killing blow, the helm of darkness of Hades, and the winged sandals of Hermes.

There are a few other items which are not taken from the classical mythology (like that mummy-djinni thing), but many are just minor details.

That's all my rants about this movie. :)