I remember going to see this at a cinema in Glasgow aged 13 and loving every minute of it. The combination of some great Greek myth and some superb Ray Harryhausen stop motion animation was enthralling. 40-odd years later, it's still a great action adventure film that kicks off with a rousing orchestral score from Laurence Rosenthal then introduces us to poor "Perseus" (Harry Hamlin) who is living peaceably with his mother on a quiet island, unaware that he has a great destiny. Helped along the way by the rather mischievous "Thetis" (Maggie Smith) he arrives in the city of Joppa where he solves a riddle that enables him to free the city - and his beloved princess "Andromeda" (Judi Bowker) from a terrible curse. Snag is, her mother goes a wee bit over the top with the thank you speech and "Thetis" literally loses her head. Another task, even more perilous than the first looms pitting "Perseus" and his merry band against the Stygian witches, the three headed "Cerebrus" and then the dreaded "Medusa" herself. Sure, Sir Laurence Olivier hams it up a bit ("Zeus") but there are engaging efforts from Burgess Meredith as his sagacious mentor "Ammon"; Siân Phillips as the the Queen "Cassiopeia"; Dame Flora Robson is one third of the all seeing witches with a voice you instantly recognise and there is even a glimpse of Ursula Andress too. The animations are the stars, though - "Bubo" the mechanical owl; Pegasus the flying horse and "Kalibos", the cursed half man half lizard all make for a great series of friends and foes for our intrepid hunters who must rush if they are to save his love from the giant "Kraken". Certainly, time has maybe not been so kind to some of then cinematography and neither Hamlin nor Bowker are much good - but it's still a cracker of a fantasy that I heartily recommend.

Fans of stop-motion animation know this movie as a great achievement. This was special effects genius Ray Harryhausen's last movie and he demonstrated what an expert he truly was. Many people scoff at this movie's effects because they seem crude coming after the jaw-dropping "Star Wars". I choose to appreciate them because they seem like a tribute to the great stop-motion films of the past like "King Kong" "Jason and the Argonauts" the "Sinbad" movies and others. There are many impressive creature creations. Medusa the Kraken the giant scorpions; they all deserve consideration as the greatest entries in the stop-motion Hall of Fame. The scene with Perseus hunting for the head of Medusa remains tense and suspenseful. Medusa slithers around her lair hunting for Perseus the silence broken only by her flying arrows and rattling tail. The Kraken is also impressive a giant beast from the sea summoned by Zeus and released by underwater god Poseidon. Where "Clash of the Titans" falls apart is the frustrating scenes with the gods who bicker and place curses on the favorite mortals of each of them. I also continue to wonder why Poseidon has to pull a lever to release the Kraken? If the Kraken is so powerful how can it be caged? If Zeus is really all-powerful why doesn't he just retrieve the magic invisible helmet for Perseus after he loses it? Why does the blood of Medusa only turn into giant scorpions when her head is poked with a big fork? But putting all of these questions aside "Clash of the Titans" is a fun last hurrah for one of stop-motion animation's greats.