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Summary: Classic Greek Mythological Adventure
Review: Watching 'Jason and the Argonauts' brings childhood memories flooding back. I recall being wide eyed and mesmerised by this movie way back when I was a kid. Astonishingly I still enjoy this movie, and marvel at its atmospheric qualities. This really is one movie which showcases technical achievement. Given the fact that this was made in 1963, it is technically brilliant. In my opinion the skeleton battle scene is one of the all time great animated action scenes of its type. Sure, it has been eclipsed many times since, and looks tacky now, but when considered in context with its year of production, it rates up there with "2001 A Space Odyssey " as a movie ahead of its time. Greek mythology, coupled with dated, but fun animation, this is a classic movie deserving of a place in my DVD collection. Its a tribute to movie makers of old.
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Summary: Great Sword and Sandal flick with the epic aftertase.
Review: It is a crying shame, but I don't think that they could ever do a film like this. It rides the coattails of the other "sword and sandal" epics of the late 1950's and early 1960's, but it combines that style of epic pageantry with Harryhausen's stop motion magic. This film mesmerized me as a little kid, and I am glad that the copy to DVD is of such a high quality.I think the opening fanfare and drums that get me. You know that this is an important story, and are guided along by the mock Greek frescoes that foreshadow the story. I have to say that this is an incredible adaptation of the story of Jason. It is a McGuffen story, but set in ancient Greece with the gods being alive, well, and interested in human affairs. The do take some liberties with the story to modernize it here and there, but the essence is in tact, and that is what we are after. The sets and costumes are incredible, with the only drawback being the rather lumbery Talos. I think that this is the only place where the special effects become really obvious, but hey, this is what life was like before George Lucas. One modern element in the film is Jason's strong humanism. I'm all for human empoweremt, sicne weak people are easier to control, fool, exploit, and they are rather boaring to be around. But the funny thing is, is that every time Jason mutters a humanistic platitude, the gods step in and save his bacon. I think the funniest moment is when he is apotheized to Olympus and says that he doesn't need the gods help. This shows man at his best and worse-he is self sufficient and trying to do all within his power to get his job done, but his stupidity and arrogance before the divine. Jason's humanism doesn't bother me, because, as a person of faith, I believe that humanity is created in God's image, and as a Christian, I believe that God took on man's image. The line between man and God isn't as far as we may think. Another gem is the interplay between Hera and Zeus. Hera is the lead female in this movie, not Medea. She is a strong woman without being a dominatrix. In fact, the type of interplay that she has with Zeus is the type of relationship that long-married couples have. They read each other's mind, and can barb each other without being barbarians. Beneath it all, really love one another. My favorite scene is when the disguised Hera is in her temple and talking with Pelias, who has just killed Jason's mother. She says, "The gods abandon you, Pelias," then she disappears. That scene still sends chills up and down my spine. Yes, this film is not a textbook on archeology, and is not an adequate substitute for boning down on Homer, but if you want a good clean fantasy flick, you can't go wrong with this film.
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Summary: greatest film from a special fx master
Review: I love this film. I first saw it when I was twelve and I've loved it ever since. Especially after seeing this wonderful film butchered for television viewing, I couldn't wait to get the DVD. This is a fairly faithful adaptation of the myth; the script is well-written and the cast does a great job -- this has got to be the best Hercules (Nigel Green) in any classical movie. The wonderful music is by Bernard Herrman (Fahrenheit 451, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Vertigo), and the effects by Harryhausen are superb, maybe his best. I'll never forget the first time I saw the giant bronze Talos turn his head and step down from his pedestal. Seeing the harpies come to life, and the seven-headed Hydra, the skeletons, Triton, the gods on Mount Olympus .... too many great effects to list! The DVD version is worthwhile. The picture quality here is very good and the sound quality average. Special DVD features include English, French or Spanish language and subtitles; a great 12 minute discussion between John Landis and Ray Harryhausen (1995); a 1963 trailer.
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Summary: A cult classic that deserved to be a mainstream one
Review: Ok, Todd Armstrong is not very impressive as Jason - rumour has it that he got the role because he knew someone big at Columbia - his uncle or something like that. Apart from that, the movie is a classic. Starting with the obvious, I doubt anyone can find a movie made until then - 1963 - and even much later that can match "Jason and the Argonauts"'s technical brilliance - not only in the realm of stop-motion animation. Two sequences stand out - Talos and the skeleton fight. Both are not only brilliantly executed from the technical point of view, but their build-up and atmosphere - helped by Bernard Hermann's score - is fantastic. But other scenes - like the one with the Triton and the one with the harpies - are also way beyond anything made at the time. This is indeed Ray Harryhausen at his very best. But there are other good points besides the technical ones. As a life-long Greek mythology buff, I felt that "Jason" was one of the very few movies to convey the right atmosphere. It's much superior to Harryhausen's later "Clash of the Titans" in this respect. The scene where the princess goes to Hera's statue to ask for protection, with Hera appearing in the guise of a priestess soon afterwards, and the scene where Hermes reveals himself to Jason - those are the best proofs that the movie was written and shot by people who really understood and cared about Greek mythology, in my opinion. "Clash" isn't very good at that, although the recent "The Odyssey" is. In some ways "Jason" hasn't aged very well; some dialogues and some performances seem a bit corny now. And although Todd Armstrong was the worst of all, other actors weren't well cast, either. The DVD edition is very good, with excellent extra features, including the John Landis interview of Ray Harryhausen and the documentary on his careers - the latter extremely valuable for some glimpses of Ray's early work. One thing bothered me a bit. Both in the interview and in the documentary there was a defensive attitude, saying that stop-motion animation should be seen with "imagination" or something like that - presumably to preempt comments of those who belittle stop-motion-animated figures in comparison to today's computer animated ones. I couldn't disagree more. Of course "Jurassic Park"'s dinosaurs are more realistic than anything that could be achieved via stop-motion animation. And the latter can indeed look phony sometimes. But at its best - as in the Talos and skeleton sequences - it was and is a very convincing *special effect*, meaning that audiences were supposed to believe what they were seeing. Moreover, to say that computer-animated dinosaurs are more realistic than dinosaurs animated by a master of the craft is like saying that photographs are more realistic than paintings by the old masters.
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Summary: The classic film using Ray Harryhausen's Dynarama process
Review: "Jason and the Argonauts" remains the best use of stop-motion animation, the epitome of Ray Harryhausen's artistry using the exciting process of DYNARAMA! The story is the anicent Greek myth where Jason (Todd Armstrong) heads to the end of earth where there is a tree upon which hangs the Golden Fleece. The film is comprised of a series of set pieces featuring Harryhausen's animation: the bronze giant Talos, the harpies, the clashing rocks, the hydra, and, best of all, the skeleton soldiers (a sequence which took four months to film for three minutes of action). And who can forget the talking figurehead of Hera (Honor Blackman), installed on the back of the Argo rather than on the bow? Nancy Kovack plays Medea, who falls in love with Jason and betrays her people with scarcely a hint of what mythology says happened to the happy couple down the road. The supporting cast is a nice assembly of character actors with Laurence Naismith as Argos, Niall MacGinnis as Zeus and Nigel Green as Hercules standing out. I still prefer "Jason and the Argonauts" to the more recent "Clash of the Titans," and will always thinking the battle between the Argonauts, in their neat looking armor, and the skeletons is the best thing Harryhausen ever did. Show this one to your kids when they are young so they can have the rest of their lives to enjoy it like we have.
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Summary: iron man!
Review: The special effects obviously make the film, the highlights being the big bronze man with the sword and the skeletons. bernard hermann's score is good and i can hear snatches of 'taxi driver' in there. there is great acting by jason and his crew, some great rowing(sewing) and rowing(plowing).acastas is a slimeball. the bits with the gods gets bogged down. then you have the bit when the goddess tells polias at the start 'kill Jason and you kill yourself'. Why is this so? I guess if this wasn't the case, we wouldn't have a film. As for, the special features, i've watched the documentary and it's good,it goes through some early stuff ray harryhausen did like hansel and gretel then onto sinbad the sailor. i haven't watched the interview yet
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Summary: One of the best "Ancient Greece/Rome" movies ever made!
Review: I first saw this movie in 1991, when I was 11 years old. Now, at 21, I can appreciate it even more. The directing, special effects, and dialogue are all top notch. I still love to sit down with popcorn and a six pack of Coke, turn off the lights, and let this movie take me back to the days of Thessaly and Athens! Ray Harryhousen's special effects still enthrall me more than Titanic, Jurassic Park, X-Men, or Star Wars: Episode One. Their excellent! The time and painstaking accuracy that went into those characters was well shown in the realistic way they moved. And remember, this is 1963, decades before CGI and digital filming. Just fantastic. One part of the movie many fans overlook is the moral aspect, and the psychology. Pelias' "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, with the goddess Hera, is a perfect example of real life decision-making. When Hercules and Hylas ran from Talos the Titan, we re-learn the consequences of theft. And Jason's honor, courage, faith, and truthfulness are the true badges of a real leader and hero. Three cheers for "Jason And The Argonauts"! Still one of my all-time favorite movies, and a true classic to boot!
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Summary: A feast for the eyes, ears, heart --- and mind
Review: The masterpiece of Harryhausen's fruitful career, this film is one of those rare fantasies where all the elements come togetehr to create something truly special. Ray's creatures (and Wilkie Cooper's photography)fill the eyes; Bernard Herrmann's magnificent score fills the ears; and the drama of Medea's betrayal of her people for love gives the timeless adventure of the plot a steely spine of tragedy. Niall McGinnis (the superb villain of CURSE OF THE DEMON)and Honor Blackman are nothing short of wonderful as Zeus and Hera. CGI creatures move; but Harryhausen's LIVE.
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Summary: Great film!!!
Review: JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS: okay, okay...too many B actors in it saying, "By the Gods!" but great scenery and special effects. And, even if some of the actors truly needed to work on their roles, the overall plot was well done. Based on mythology; the search for the Golden Fleece. The Greek gods, who intervened, were fascinating. Don't miss the cool skeleton fight at the end.
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Summary: Best film version of a classic Greek myth
Review: Taking a break from his usual Sinbad movies, Ray Harryhausen created a wonderful version of the Jason and the Golden Fleece myth in this great film. The film holds your sense of wonder, while being basically true to the original story. Todd Armstrong is a solid hero as Jason, while Nigel Green probably creates one of the more believable Hercules performances on film. Nancy Kovack is an alluring Medea, and Honor Blackman adds a touch of class to the whole proceeding as Hera, queen of the gods. This film moves at a good clip and provides much to enjoy, especially the scenes with the bronze giant, Talos, and the final battle with the skeleton army. If you're looking for a great introduction to the world of Greek mythology, you can't do better than to see this masterpiece. Highly recommended.
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