‘Clash of the Titans’ gets overhaul

Movie: "Clash of the Titans"

When: Opening tonight at local theaters

Cast: Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson

Director: Louis Leterrier

The story: In this tale drawn from Greek mythology, Zeus' mortal son, Perseus, embarks on a perilous quest to stop underworld underlings from spreading their evil to the heavens -- and Earth.

The buzz: Release the Kraken! This remake of the 1981 extravaganza stars "Avatar's" Sam Worthington as hunky hero Perseus (played in the original by "L.A. Law's" Harry Hamlin), Liam Neeson (in Laurence Olivier's role as Zeus, king of the gods) and resident "Harry Potter" villain Ralph Fiennes as underworld lord Hades. For director Leterrier ("Transporter 2," "The Incredible Hulk"), the remake was a chance to revisit a childhood favorite. "I was 8 when I saw the original," he told theater owners at the recent ShoWest convention. "It was my first 'Wow!' experience at the movies" -- in part because he saw it before "Star Wars." And Worthington, ShoWest's male star of the year, considers his emergence as Hollywood's latest go-to action hero "extremely humbling." After all, "I'm the bloke who grew up in the power-plant town in Australia."