Kratos vs. Perseus

Like movies, I obviously have a love for video games. One of which being the God of War series on Playstation, which seems fairly obvious because of it’s primary subject matter BEING Greek mythology. I’m playing through God of War 2 on the PS3 to prepare for the upcoming sequel and reached a level where the main character (Kratos) is forced to fight Perseus, the hero from the “Clash of the Titans”. I had no idea this was coming, so I was delighted by the instant nostalgia. It’s a relatively tough battle, as Perseus is well equipped with the famous items the gods gifted with from the movie (the sword, shield, and helmet of invisibility). During the cut scene that led up to the fight, there was some kind of strange familiarity that made it all seem especially nostalgic. After finishing the level, I had a crazy hunch and looked up God of War 2 on IMDB. Low and behold, Harry Hamlin himself reprises his (voice) role as Perseus. I couldn’t help but admire the undeniable coolness of that moment. Is it hard to believe that Harry Hamlin is doing voice acting for video games? Not especially. Is it awesome that someone at a round-table production meeting for this game probably halfheartedly suggested that they get him to do the voice… and they actually did? By the gods… yes.

If you’re at all interested, here’s the low-res cut scene. If you’re not, I won’t hold it against you because I’m a bigger nerd than you.

10. Delores Umbridge – Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
This one might be a bit of a surprise, but I couldn’t find a good enough excuse to leave this dastardly educator off the list.  After having read the book, it’s clear to me there’s no character this movie series has captured more tastefully than Ministry minion, Delores Umbridge.  She’s a frightful git, and if she were a crayon her name would most likely be “bitchy schoolteacher pink”.  I think most of us have had teachers that remind us of Ms. Umbridge, which makes that much easier to loath her.  From her torturous disciplinary tactics to her unrelenting desire to take over the school, this is one serious witch.  Thankfully, she meets her demise at the end of the story.  I can only hope that she was actually torn to pieces by the Centaurs who dragged her away, perhaps that will be in the director’s cut…

9. Johnny Lawrence – The Karate Kid
There’s nobody’s ass I wanted to kick (or “see kicked”, who am I kidding he would’ve wasted me) more than blond haired, blue-eyed, kung fu shitkicker Johnny Lawrence. Not only is he trained by an ex-Special Forces Vietnam Vet, but also accompanied by an intimidating entourage that even Jeremy Piven wishes he could’ve been a part of. Sprinkle on top a well-endowed ex-girlfriend that our protagonist has the hots for, and you have a recipe for shenanigans. But like many of his other colleagues on this distinguished list, he lives only to meet his demise. The build-up to Johnny’s fall is like none other… with a series of events that can only be likened to a Rocky Balboa training montage (including token 80′s motivational song that, when you hear it, will NEVER LEAVE YOUR HEAD). This leads us to the finals of the All Valley Karate Tournament, where Johnny falls prey to a move that would be imitated by children everywhere for years to come. Real life Johnny (William Zabka) went on to really test himself as an actor by playing a jerk in “Back to School”, and the jerky boyfriend in “European Vacation”.

8. General Zod – Superman II
What do you get when you take a jaded aristocrat, give him a cool accent and throw in a severe grudge against all of mankind?  You get Stewie Griffin from
the Family Guy.  Slap on a manicured beard and a 30 gallon Glad trash bag and you have arguably the coolest villain in the comic book universe.  Played by actor Terence Stamp, General Zod was found guilty of treason and therefore enslaved by Jor-El Corleone (Superman’s father) for all eternity in the apt named “Phantom Zone”.  After his escape, the details of which depend on the version of the Superman II you prefer (see Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut), he leads his minions earthbound to cause trouble and seek out the son of Jor-El.  After he destroys a considerable part of “Planet Hooston”, he sets his sights on the man in red and blue tights.  Zod’s powers are equal to that of Superman, which seems to better validate him as a worthy advisary to our favorite invincible alien.  Lex Luthor is a historic villain in the world of comics, but the fact that he is mere mortal really makes the fights seem unfair.  Zod could match Superman punch for punch, kick for kick.  Sadly, his hellbent determination to make Superman fall to his knees (insert joke here) ended up being his downfall.  The Man of Steel used his brains to suck the powers (insert additional joke here) right out of Zod, leading to the coolest hand crunching scene in film history.  If the Superman franchise ever hopes to take flight again, they better give serious consideration to bringing Zod back from the Phantom Zone.

7. The Shark – Jaws
I had to think twice about putting chompers, here, on the list. I was trying to avoid anything that could be considered a “mindless killing machine” (a la Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, etc.). However, anything that I saw as a kid that still gives me nightmares to this day certainly deserves it’s due credit. Not to mention it’s one of the best damn films that has ever been made. Out of all other entries, Bruce the Shark (named after Spielberg’s lawyer) actually has the least amount of screen time. This was due, in large part, to the numerous mechanical issues the shark suffered during production. It’s not really missed… as John Williams’ masterful score fills in for the shark when his bolts were being tightened off screen. The story climaxes when this 25 foot great white begins EATING THE BOAT carrying our 3 unlikely heroes. A few minutes later he meets the business end of a bullet that pierces an oxygen tank he was nibbling on. It was said that Jaws writer, Peter Benchley, was not happy about this ending because of a complete lack of plausibility. But hey… sometimes you need an unusually large face melting explosion to stop a man-eating shark with a chip on his dorsal fin. Does he deserve any less?

6. John Doe – Se7en
To say our #6 entry is a “messed up guy” would be the understatement of any decade. This anti-hero ritualistically murders his victims using the Bible’s seven deadly sins (Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Pride, watching the Real Housewives of Orange County, and Envy). Kevin Spacey masterfully plays the innominate “John Doe”, who like our fishy friend also has very little screen time. As much praise as Spacey deserves for this performance, writer Andrew Kevin Walker and director David Fincher were the ones who crafted this character into the sociopathic head job that he was. After killing most of his victims, John Doe anointed himself a prophet of sorts by willingly orchestrating his own demise. No matter how much you might root for our heros, you can’t ignore that sinking feeling that John Doe has his plans set in irreversible motion. In the end we have a disheveled Brad, a lamenting Morgan and a headless Gwenyth. No Hollywood ending here, folks. We’re left wondering what happened to poor Brad and Morgan as the credits roll (backwards, I might add). Perhaps we’ll find out when Hollywood gets desperate and starts pre-production on the inevitable sequel, Ei8ht… directed by Brett Ratner, no doubt.

To Be Continued…
That’s it for this installment. I’ll be back soon with the rest of the list. Until then, don’t let your meat loaf…