Hot on the heels of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief comes director Louis Leterrier's bigger budget mythological adventure. The 1981 original is best remembered now for the work of stop-motion maestro Ray Harryhausen, and his influence is keenly felt in this remake, a Greco-Hollywood tale of infighting between the gods that threatens the future of humanity. Avatar's Sam Worthington builds on his action-man credentials as Perseus, the demi-god in denial who must kill the fearsome Kraken to save Andromeda and gain revenge on Hades (Ralph Fiennes), who murdered his family. Perseus's (mostly) human allies - including Mads Mikkelsen and Nicholas Hoult - are a likeable bunch who also bring a little humour to the action, while his Olympian foes are led by Fiennes, and Liam Neeson as Zeus. At less than two hours in length, the movie has to cram its discussions of rebellion and sacrifice into soundbites, which gives some scenes an unfortunate Life of Brian feel. But it takes pains to squeeze a little character into the action, and, from the opening harpie attack, through giant scorpions, a wonderfully sinuous Medusa and the final face-off with the Kraken, there's a barrage of spectacle.

Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades, vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, Perseus and his warriors will only survive if Perseus accepts his power as a god, defies fate and creates his own destiny.