Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

When Titans Ruled the Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 5, 2024

Maybe sometimes "new and improved" turns out to be neither. 1981's Clash of the Titans is probably not considered a "classic" by large hordes of film goers, but it offers the final work of special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and so has understandably entered the annals of beloved cinematic experiences for a certain demographic. It's not hard to imagine that among that group was Basil Iwanyk, who co-produced both films in this new set from Arrow and who is on hand in interviews offered as supplements on both discs, and he at least alludes to his desire to "update" the original film with the blandishments of then state of the art CGI. The result was big, noisy and, yes, filled with some at least intermittently impressive visual effects, but that still left critics cold (you know how they can be), even as ticket buyers lined up in droves and made Clash of the Titans an enormous international success. That of course led to Wrath of the Titans, which attempted to be bigger, noisier, and more consistently impressive, but which was met with the same critical approbation as the first film was. The sequel did manage to rake in over 300 million globally, but its budget was so immense that it may not have shown an "official" profit, leading to the cancellation of what had been announced as a third effort in the nascent series. Both of the "updated" Titans films were released on both 2D and 3D Blu-ray well over a decade ago, but Arrow has aggregated the two films together now, offering them in either 1080 or 4K UHD, and with Arrow's typically bounteous supply of bonus features and non disc swag in another really handsomely packaged release.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Clash of the Titans Blu-ray review

Wrath of the Titans Blu-ray review

When Titans Ruled the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

When Titans Ruled the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

When Titans Ruled the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

On disc supplements are detailed in the above linked reviews. Additionally, this is yet again another really nicely designed release from Arrow. with a handsome slipbox (inside an O ring) enclosing two keepcases and a really nicely appointed insert booklet with writing by Josh Nelson and Guy Adams, along with stills and the traditional cast / crew and technical listings. The keepcases feature reversible sleeves and themselves enclose art cards and a folded mini poster.

When Titans Ruled the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are younger folks who will probably prefer the "shinier" special effects of these films when compared to the quaint "stylings" of the venerable Ray Harryhausen, but even those people will probably be only intermittently engaged by what happens in between those effects sequences. Arrow provides another release with solid technical merits, excellent supplements, and some appealing non disc swag, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.