Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a god's shrug turned into a catchphrase: one sentence that unleashes a catastrophe. Olivier's version is almost weary, and Zeus is quietly rigging the odds for his son as he says it. The 2010 remake's trailers made the line a meme, and it is now the stock cry for starting something enormous, from product launches to football match talk.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Clash of the TitansShow the scene
In Desmond Davis's Clash of the Titans (1981), with stop-motion monsters by Ray Harryhausen, the sea goddess Thetis has demanded that Princess Andromeda be chained to a rock at sunset in thirty days, or her Kraken will destroy the city of Joppa. On Olympus, the gods watch the hero Perseus through small clay figures. When the longest day arrives, Thetis reminds Zeus, played by Laurence Olivier, that the hour has come. He gives in with a weary "very well" and the order. Thetis and Poseidon go to carry it out, and Zeus quietly stands his son Perseus's figure upright to restore the hero's strength.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Clash of the Titans (1981 film)Olympus scenes: Thetis's demand, then 'Very well. RELEASE THE KRAKEN.'Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Clash of the Titans (1981 film)Infobox and plotReference checked
- Wikipedia: Clash of the Titans (2010 film)Internet meme sectionReference checked
Context reviewed