Ancient Greek Expert Recommends 1981’s Clash Of The Titans Despite Inaccuracies
1981’s Clash of the Titans received praise from an expert on Greek mythology, despite the movie having some notable inaccuracies. Dr. Daisy Dunn, a classicist who’s written multiple books on Ancient Greece.
Clash of the Titans stars Harry Hamlin as the hero Perseus as he battles Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker). Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Maggie Smith as Thetis, and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite also star. Perhaps the movie’s most memorable component is Ray Harryhausen’s special effects work.
Some inaccuracies Dunn details in her History Hit video on YouTube include Medusa having the body of a snake; that the character Calibos (Neil McCarthy) is an invention, “based on nothing ancient that I can identify;” and wondering why the Kraken is not referred to by its name in Greek myth, the Cetus. Mechanical owl Bubo is mostly omitted.
Yet she says that none of that hindered her overall enjoyment of the movie, which she said she would watch again. Ultimately, she wasn’t uncomfortable with the movie’s various tweaks to Greek mythology, saying:
“This is a film that’s been informed by myths, and myths were forever changing, they were forever being retold by different poets and different writers. So I think they’ve really taken the ideas and they’ve run with them.”
Among her favorite parts of the movie were the performances by the actors playing the Greek gods and goddesses, as well as Harryhausen’s pre-CGI special effects, which “make this film.”
What This Means For Clash Of The Titans Legacy
The Kraken emerging from the water.
Dunn isn’t alone in enjoying 1981’s Clash of the Titans. The movie has a 63% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 71% positive score from audiences. That far outpaces the 2010 remake starring Sam Worthington, with its 27% critics’ score and 40% audience score (and a memorable Pitch Meeting video). ScreenRant also recommended it as a great fantasy movie.
As Dunn points out, since this is a movie based on myths, rather than a movie based on historical sources, these inaccuracies are perfectly acceptable creative licenses. Her biggest critiques on the invention of Calibos and changing the Cetus name to Kraken are more about not understanding what they brought to the movie.
Our Take On Clash of The Titans Inaccuracies
Perseus holding up Medusa’s head.
It is definitely interesting to hear from an expert on ancient Greek mythology about what is accurate and what are Hollywood creations in Clash of the Titans, and I agree with her wholeheartedly that none of these inaccuracies should be the deciding factor in whether you enjoy the movie or not.
One point I have to disagree with Dunn, however, is while I can understand her questioning why the filmmakers changed Cetus to Kraken, “release the Kraken” just sounds better.
Dunn’s mentality over inaccuracies in Greek mythology should also be something we consider with Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey coming out in 2026. Probably best to let the Oscar-winning director decide how he wants to interpret Homer’s epic tale.
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