I remember watching this film a few times when I was younger, but as I grew up, I could only remember the most obvious parts, so I'm glad when I watched it again as an adult to get a proper opinion of it. Basically, King Acrisius of Argos (Donald Houston) banishes his daughter Danaë (Vida Taylor) and his new-born grandson Perseus to sea. It is revealed that Perseus is the son of Zeus (Laurence Olivier), king of the gods. In retribution, Zeus orders Poseidon (Jack Gwillim) to release the last of the Titans, a gigantic sea monster called the Kraken, to destroy Argos, and Acrisius is killed in the destruction. Danaë and Perseus safely float to the island of Seriphos, where Perseus (Harry Hamlin) grows to adulthood. Calibos (Neil McCarthy), the spoiled and rebellious son of the sea goddess Thetis (Dame Maggie Smith), is betrothed to Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker), daughter of Queen Cassiopeia of Joppa (Siân Phillips). But for committing several atrocities against Zeus, Zeus transforms Calibos into a deformed monstrous satyr-like creature. In revenge, Thetis transports Perseus from Seriphos to an abandoned amphitheatre in Joppa. There he befriends elderly poet named Ammon (Batman's Burgess Meredith) and soldier Thallo (Tim Pigott-Smith). Perseus learns that Andromeda is under a curse and cannot marry unless her suitor, who faces execution if he fails, successfully answers a riddle concocted by Calibos. Zeus realises that his son has been sent to a dangerous region of the world and sends a helmet from Athena (Susan Fleetwood) which makes its wearer invisible, a magical sword from Aphrodite (Dr. No's Ursula Andress), and a shield with a reflective underside from Hera (Claire Bloom). Wearing the helmet, Perseus captures Pegasus, the only remaining sacred flying horse of Zeus; the others were destroyed by Calibos. He follows Calibos's giant vulture carrying a cage which Andromeda's spirit enters as she sleeps to learn the next riddle. Perseus is discovered and nearly killed by Calibos, but he severs one of Calibos's hands, losing his helmet in the process. The next morning, Perseus meets Andromeda as her husband-to-be and correctly answers the riddle, winning Andromeda's hand in marriage. With Thetis unable to act against Perseus, Calibos demands that she take vengeance on Joppa. At the wedding in Thetis' temple, an earthquake shakes the temple, causing the head of the statue of Thetis to break off, and Thetis speaks through it, demanding Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken on pain of Joppa's destruction. Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, but Pegasus is captured by Calibos and his men. Zeus commands Athena to send her owl Bubo as a replacement for the lost helmet, but instead she orders Hephaestus (Pat Roach) to build a mechanical replica of Bubo as an aid for Perseus. Bubo finds Perseus and leads him, Andromeda, Ammon, Thallo and some soldiers to the Stygian Witches. The three cannibalistic witches (Flora Robson, Anna Manahan, and Freda Jackson) share a magical glass orb which they use as an eye. Perseus steals the eye and forces the witches to reveal that the only way to defeat the Kraken. They tell him that he must use the head of the Medusa, whose gaze can turn any living thing into stone. Medusa lives on an island in the River Styx at the edge of the Underworld. The next day, the group continue their journey without Andromeda and Ammon, who return to Joppa. On the Gorgon's island, most of the men are killed, and Perseus fights and kills Medusa's guardian, a large two-headed dog named Dioskilos. Perseus and two other soldiers enter Medusa's lair, where the Gorgon kills the other two men, one with an arrow in the back, the other with her gaze turning him to stone. Perseus uses the reflective underside of his shield to deceive Medusa, and when she approaches him, he decapitates her, and collect her head; but the shield is dissolved by her corrosive blood. Perseus and the remaining men form a camp for the night. Calibos arrives and punctures the cloak carrying Medusa's head, causing her blood to spill and spawn three giant scorpions. Perseus's remaining escorts, including Thallo, are killed by the scorpions. Perseus defeats the scorpions, then finds and kills Calibos. Perseus sends Bubo to rescue Pegasus from Calibos's henchmen and, weakened and exhausted, he collapses in the amphitheatre in Joppa. Andromeda is shackled to the sea cliffs outside Joppa, and the Kraken is summoned. Bubo diverts the Kraken's attention, until Perseus appears on Pegasus. Perseus petrifies the Kraken with Medusa's head, causing it to turn to stone and crumble to pieces into the sea. He then tosses the head into the sea, frees Andromeda, and marries her. The gods predict that Perseus and Andromeda will live happily, rule wisely, and produce children, and Zeus forbids the other gods to pursue vengeance against them. Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus, and Cassiopeia are honoured in the constellations. Hamlin looks the part as the hero, and the star-studded cast including Olivier and Smith all do well, but the performances that steal the show are that of the stop-motion creatures created by the genius of Ray Harryhausen, especially the nasty snake-haired Medusa. The mythological story is just about easy to follow, the special effects are entertaining, and there is a good score by Laurence Rosenthal, it is cheesy and slow at times, but overall, it is something the whole family can enjoy, a fun fantasy adventure. Worth watching!
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