The new ‘Clash of the Titans’ gleefully recreates the cheesiest and best elements of the 1981 original film  about bickering Gods and giant monsters. And, thank goodness, the goofy mechanical owl only appears in a single, brief scene.

Directed by Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”), “Titans” is one of those rare guilty pleasures: A trashy movie that often succeeds in spite of itself. It powers through a thin storyline and a stiff performance from ‘Avatar’ star Sam Worthington, but at least Leterrier seems to be aware of the film’s obvious shortcomings.

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Everyone else can love it, but the mega-blockbuster “Avatar” is certainly NOT one of my favorite movies of 2009.

James Cameron’s science-fiction epic continues to shatter box office records, and three weeks after its worldwide release, word of mouth seems to be stronger than ever. Critics have gushed over it, and many consider it to be the front runner in this year’s expanded Best Picture race at the Academy Awards.

To all of this, I say, “Eh.”

I’m not here to bash the popular kid. I’ll give “Avatar” the credit it deserves in that it’s easily the most spectacular looking movie I’ve ever seen. The special effects are seamless, and the motion-capture animation is revolutionary and realistic. Gollum in “Lord of the Rings” is nothing compared to the subtle performance by Zoe Saldana as Na’vi warrior Neytiri.

The problem is everything else.

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