"Clash of the Titans" teaser rocks!

- Posted by Rusty

Liam Neeson as a god? Terminator Salvation breakout Sam Worthington fighting mythological beats? Huge creatures, great British actors, and some crazy-looking action? This thing had me at “Liam Neeson as a god” (Zeus, for that matter!). I’m a sucker for Greek mythology, and this looks like the best stab at this material in years. It’s also a remake—I’ve never seen the original film, but I know it’s a beloved, cult-ish kind of property, especially famous for the effects work of creature-king Ray Harryhausen. [more thoughts after the jump]

But I love the look of this. This is one of my most anticipated movies of next year, and it looks like pure adrenaline—a zippy adventure with some awesome effects. Loosely based on the myth of Perseus (played here by Sam Worthington), a brave warrior who defeated Medusa, that snake-haired demon with a thing for turning men into stone (she makes a quick cameo in the beginning of the teaser, if you watch carefully), to rescue his love, Andromeda (Gemma Arterton, who’s going to have a very good year, with the double-whammy of this and Prince of Persia). It’s a myth ripe for some visual fun, and the story’s foundation is strong (and simple) enough to allow the filmmakers to add plenty of new details.

Mostly, though, I’m excited that this is from director/loveable-French-guy Louis Letterier. This is the man who made the insane (but very fun) Transporter 2 and the excellent, Edward Norton-starring The Incredible Hulk. I think he’s going to be a major force one day—his action scenes have a great kinetic kick to them, and he gets terrific performances from his actors (say what you will about Jason Statham, but that guy put in solid, subtle work as the world’s most dangerous, laws-of-physics-defying delivery man). By the way, if you ever get a chance, the guy's an absolute blast to listen to--his DVD commentary on The Incredible Hulk is entertaining with lots of great factoids, and his comments about Transporter 2 (and Jason Statham's big gay secret) are priceless.

Plus, I think this will be the movie to cement Sam Worthington as a superstar (if next month’s Avatar doesn’t do it first). This part should be a perfect fit, making good use of some of the cheer-worthy hero moments he got to show in Terminator.

What do you guys think of the teaser? Since the movie comes out in March, you can expect a much longer trailer in a few months.

And has anyone seen the original? Does it hold up, or do you think the story could use a tech-savvy update?

Trailer courtesy of Yahoo! Movies.