In 1981 the release of Clash of the Titans was the swansong for visual effects supremo Ray Harryhausen. After years of developing the technique of stop-motion animation in classics such as Jason and the Argonauts and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Titans was to be his magnum opus.

In a time when Hollywood appears to be more than happy to churn out tired re-makes, this new version, rather surprisingly, proudly stands out like a true god amongst men, paying fond tribute to the Harryhausen legacy.

Perseus (Sam Worthington) isn’t exactly thrilled with the gods; the family who adopted him died thanks to Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the god of the underworld, who was delivering his hellish wrath against the people of Argos at the time. They kind of had it coming though, as there was a swelling of opinion that the gods weren’t really pulling their weight and that the people would be better off without them. This did not go down at all well with Zeus (Liam Neeson) and the rest of the godly lot on Mount Olympus.

So I said to the director, "But do we really need to walk? Can't we just hop on one of those flying horsey thingies?"

However, despite being a mere fisherman, Perseus is intent on revenge against Hades, and isn’t put off by the fact that he is, well, a god. He soon learns that fate may well be on his side as he discovers that he was actually born between the ‘union’ of Zeus and a female mortal, making Perseus a demi-god.

It will be no walk in an ancient Greek park for Perseus though, as Zeus has decreed that they all only have ten days to change their ungodly ways, or suffer the consequences: having the monster known as the Kraken released upon them. So with nothing but a few men, a sword and a swishy skirt, Perseus sets off on what seems an impossible adventure.

In director Louis Leterrier’s last film 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, he managed to effectively combine CGI technology with a human interest story, whilst remaining true to the original comic’s roots. His work on that particular feature has served him well on this one. Clearly he was a fan of the original Clash, as he hasn’t strayed far off of the path of either its core story or visual tone.

Although audiences are never wowed by the surroundings, they certainly serve their purpose. There are just enough old-looking columns and sufficient sand in the air to equate to ancient Greece. To that end, you never feel like you’re drowning in CGI effects.

Worthington plays Perseus with an unrelenting energy, the kind usually reserved for Andrex puppies. And he throws himself into the role with the endless bravery of an Action Man figure. He doesn’t say much, but then again he doesn’t need to as his sword can do the talking.

And although neither Neeson or Fiennes are quite in the same league as Laurence Oliver, who featured in the original, they certainly add some well needed acting gravitas.

The film also echoes that sense of camaraderie between a band of fearless men facing an unbeatable foe, which was so evident in the original. It has little time for things like romance and girls, as there are battles to be fought.

And Harryhausen is sure to be impressed by the creatures. Although not created in stop-motion, there’s a natural, raw element to them all that makes them look impressive, without being obvious and overpowering on screen. The only real criticism, perhaps, is that the film could have done with a few more of them. But that could just be greed talking.

Much has been made of the fact that the film was originally shot in boring old 2D, and that it was decided afterwards to throw an extra dimension in for good measure. 3D purists, if there can be such a thing, argue that this process is far inferior to a film shot in 3D. That may well be the case, but whatever voodoo 3D magic they cast upon the film, it holds up pretty well under scrutiny. Thankfully however, the film doesn’t have to rely upon such obvious dark magic to make it any more entertaining, so there’s no reason a normal 2D Blu-ray/DVD release won’t be just as thrilling.

This version of Clash of the Titans is a respectful homage to not only the original, but to that entire genre of monster movies that Ray Harryhausen helped create. It is a film full of swordplay and sorcery, thrills and fantasy. More importantly, it’s the stuff of legends, and instead of angering the gods, it may well get a slight nod of approval from Zeus and company.