About

"Release the Kraken!" is a catchphrase and image macro series based on a memorable quote uttered by Zeus in the 1981 fantasy adventure film The Clash of the Titans as well as the 2010 3D remake. Despite the dramatic delivery of the line in the reboot, the quote was perceived as unintentionally funny and quickly became a target of image macro jokes on the web.

Origin

The 3D reboot of the 1981 fantasy adventure film Clash of the Titans inspired by the Greek myth of Perseus was released on April 2nd, 2010. Months prior to its release, Warner Bros. unveiled a two-minute long teaser trailer in which Liam Neeson's character Zeus orders his men to unleash the legendary squid-like sea monster by shouting "release the Kraken!" The trailer was uploaded onto YouTube by Hollywood Streams on February 18th, 2010, which has received more than 3 million views in three years.

On March 22nd, 2010, Internet humor website Urlesque^[1] posted an article about the upcoming release of Clash of the Titans, noting the ridiculous nature of Neeson's line in the teaser trailer. The article was accompanied by an image macro template featuring the screen capture of the scene and the quote, as well as an instruction for readers to create their own parodies using the template.

Spread

The first Urban Dictionary entry for the phrase "Release the Kraken" was submitted on March 31st, 2010, defined as "to pwn or to kick the ass of whomever you're releasing the kraken on." Throughout the first week of April 2010, the phrase was dubbed the latest meme by various tech and internet news outlets including Geekosystem, Vulture, Now Public, MTV and Mediate among others. In December, the phrase was listed in TIME Magazine's Top 10 Buzzwords of the Year.

Notable Examples

Search Interest

External References