Clash Of The Titans (Cert 12, 101 mins, Warner Home Video). Starring Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Pete Postlethwaite, Vincent Regan, Polly Walker, Alexa Davalos. **
This is a lazy update of the much-loved 1981 swords-and-sandals epic. With all of the new-fangled technology at his disposal, the screen is bombarded with computer-generated giant scorpions, flying demons, a slithering Medusa and a gargantuan Kraken. However, all of that slick digital trickery cannot replace the personality or the wonder of Ray Harryhausen’s expressive stop-motion creatures in the original. Australian actor Worthington, last seen as the paraplegic hero in Avatar, perfects a macho scowl as Perseus, mankind’s reluctant saviour, but there is scant indication of the grief over the death of his adoptive family that drives his character. A romantic subplot with Gemma Arterton is so slow-burning it barely catches fire, while the script generates no dramatic urgency.
The Bounty Hunter (Cert 12, 106 mins, Sony Pictures Home Enter-tainment). Starring Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Christine Baranski. **
This tale of a boozy bounty hunter (Butler) hired to track down his reporter former wife (Aniston), who has jumped bail, is a major disappointment. They both find themselves on the run, and have to put their differences to one side to avoid their pursuers. There is no fizz in the screenplay, leaving the two leads with nothing to spark their on-screen chemistry. Butler musters the occasional smirk and sigh, but otherwise he forgets to deliver a performance, while there is considerably more bounce in Aniston’s glossy locks than the actress herself. Car chases and gun-slinging are introduced to cut through the emotional syrup of Butler and Aniston feigning interest in each other by gazing longingly into one another’s eyes.
Remember Me (Cert 12, 107 mins, E1 Entertain-ment). Starring Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Tate Ellington, Lena Olin, Gregory Jbara, Ruby Jerins. ***
A soporific tale of young love on the streets of 2001 New York, this film wallows in the misery of the lead characters and only resolves their communication problems in a messy final act. Robert Pattinson steps away briefly from his role as a lovesick vampire in the Twilight Saga, playing the black sheep of a wealthy family who falls for the daughter of a cop who arrests him, but is just as anaemic. Co-star Emilie de Ravin does her best to pretend she would fall for such an inexpressive loser. Young Ruby Jerins is a mesmerising presence in her few scenes as a gifted artist, putting older co-stars to shame with her layered portrayal of a child who is desperate to win her father’s approval.
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