Clash of the Gods

The deities of myth and legend are explored in this History Channel series released to coincide with the arrival of Hollywood's Clash of the Titans remake. Clash of the Gods follows a familiar format as a narrator outlines the various tales while scholar interviews fill in details and offer interpretations. But the production grows more hokey and overwrought as pageant-like scenes—silently played out by hammy performers posturing against appropriate backdrops—are offered as illustration, with flashy visual punctuation, ominous music, and cheap digital effects adding to the drama. Each of the 10 episodes here profiles a god, hero, or monster of classical mythology—including Zeus, Hercules, Hades, Odysseus, Medusa, and the Minotaur of Greek myth, as well as Beowulf and Thor (with a single episode dedicated to the mythology created by J.R.R. Tolkien)—describing historical events and experiences that may have inspired their creation. Myths were a way for primitive cultures to “explain the unexplainable,” so for example, the deluge of the Greek plateau at the end of the Ice Age may have inspired the tale of the great flood of Zeus (and, by extension, the story of Noah's Ark), while an enormous, hugely destructive volcanic eruption on a Greek island is explained as being the result of a war between the gods. It's all speculative, of course, but part of history's mission lies in making such connections, and despite its flaws, this series is nevertheless rich with such observations. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)