Jason and the Argonauts
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Movie Reviews of Jason and the Argonauts
Movie Review: Entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a classic. I watched this many times as a kid, and love it still. This film stars Todd Armstrong as Jason, a young man seeking to restore his birthright from evil king Pelias who has stolen his throne and murdered his sister.
The gods become involved in Jason's quest because Zeus orders Pelias to conquer Thessaly. Pelias learns from a seer that he will lose his throne to an heir of Pelias, and so decides to murder the existing heirs, a practice which angers Zeus and Hera (which seems sort of strange to me, since Zeus seemed to want him to conquer Thessaly in the first place, what pray tell did he expect to have happen?) But since the death of a Thessalian princess occurs in her temple, Hera is justifiably peeved and becomes Jason's patron. Jason returns to Thessaly, inadvertently rescuing Pelias from drowning and thus returns to him to Thessaly, where he is given the quest to find the Golden Fleece.
This is a beautifully made, and classic sword and sandal flick. The monsters, brought to light by Ray Harryhaussen's stop motion are wonderfully done. I particularly like Poseidon holding apart the clashing rocks and Hercules's adventure on the island with the giant statue.
Interesting factoids: This story plays fast and loose with the actual Jason and Medea myth, however. In the real story, Pelias is the half-brother of Jason's father. Pelias spares the life of Jason's father Aeson, not Jason himself. Hera is angry at Pelias for killing Jason's stepmother not his sister. Medea tricks Pelias's daughters into murdering their father and cooking him in a pot. Acastus survives to rule Thessaly and Hercules was bisexual as were many Greeks at the time.
Movie Review: Where's Ray Harryhausen When You Need Him?
Summary: 5 Stars
Right here! BUY THIS DVD! And check out Ray's new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - very close to Graumann's Chinese Theater where, almost exactly seventy years before the wet cement event, Ray saw "King Kong" for the first of innumerable times!! . . . . I was already a huge Harryhausen fan in '63 when I dragged my consenting adult parents to the theater, along with my younger brother and sister, to be feted and regaled and thoroughly entertained by "Jason". My favorite semi-human character was Nigel Green (After "Mysterious Island"; before "Zulu!") as Hercules; the best of the pantheon? Honor Blackman: future Bond Girl in "Goldfinger"! Hera Galore! (Hey - I was thirteen!) Of the crew of the "Argo" of course it was the builder Argus 'imself: Laurence Naismith (Captain Smith of HMS "Titanic" in "A Night to Remember" and to play Professor Horace Bromley in "Valley of Gwangi")who was my fave human character. BUT HOW to pick a favorite monster? It would have to be the skeleton who acts surprised when he loses his skull!..... "Jason"'s was the only movie soundtrack I later attempted to tape on my little battery-powered reel-to-reel off Grandpa's COLOR TV, and I still use the Hermann 'skeleton theme' when stalking my grandkids! Recommended that you introduce this to kids 8-10 who might be prompted to do a bit of reading in Bullfinch as a followup. Watch this with the kids! make it a family tradition like one of our other reviewers has done . . .The DVD in widescreen will have to do (and do QUITE WELL, it will) until your local film society does a fantasy film retrospective on The Big Screen!Movie Review: Awesome Rewatch after A number of years
Summary: 5 Stars
This is usually available for a better price than the Amazon one, but it is still good value here at Amazon. The interview with Harryhausen about this project is both enlightening, and entertaining. Landis definitely conveys the fans sense of enjoyment when talking with Ray... worth a watch for the interview alone.
The Film itself is fabulous in visual quality, and also in audio playback on a 5.1 sound system. Some shots show up the lesser quality of the source tape, however these parts are few and far between.The majority of the film is done superbly, and illustrate a way of film making that has been very absent from many films, and it definitely shows that lower budget does not have to translate as lesser quality.
For many people, I suspect they already know the story from this film, and the favorite moments will no doubt be ingrained from previous versions. The aspect ratio brings back more of the original, and instead of the TV edits, the fun of seeing this in it's fullness is great. I Hope to get more of the Signature series, and hopefully the work done by the masterful Ray Harryhausen will be so very evident.
My personal favorite sequence is the warriors brought back by the teeth of the Hydra, and the quality of the DVD definitely exceeded my expectations and my memory.
For those concerned about it, the film is very definitely a Family friendly film, and one I would highly recommend to all fans of films, and especially of the films that were made with such loving care, and acted with a passion for superb drama.
ENJOY
Movie Review: "The Gods Are Best Served By Those Who Want Their Help Least"
Summary: 5 Stars
The ultimate movie experience of my adolescence was 'Jason And The Argonauts.' I remember quite vividly the first time I saw it at the theatre in '63 at the age of eleven. It was at the long defunct Roxy Theatre in Whittier, CA in the old days when you paid to see a double feature. 'Jason' was the main feature, who remembers the other movie. I do remember that my friend Gary and I wanted to see it again so I called my Dad to see if he would let us stay for the midnight viewing and pick us up when it was over. He agreed and we got to see it twice that night. It has been a favorite all these years.
Believe it or not the magic of Ray Harryhausen's stop-action special effects still holds up quite well after all these years and the storyline and acting was suprisingly good for a film of this genre which usually was concerned primarily with visuals and weak on dialogue. To this day my favorite sequences are those showing the Gods resting comfortably in Olympus viewing the affairs of man from a remote, aloof distance. If you bother to listen to their conversations you might be surprised to discover an amazing amount of depth in this mythological action/adventure film.
Note: Unfortunately this DVD has been released only in a full screen version. This is not the way it was meant to be viewed, but for now we must endure with what has been made available.
Movie Review: Harryhausen At His Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
Practically everyone with a passing interest in sci-fi films or mythology knows about "Jason and the Argonauts", so I won't go into detail about the film's plot here. I'll limit my comments to the quality of the films direction, acting and it's special effects. If you are one of the few who aren't familiar with the movie/story, a quick check of this films other reviewers will quickly bring you up to speed.Until the advent of CGI, it was considered by most to be the epitome of the art of F/X and to many (myself included), it's still one of the best. Ray Harryhausen pulled out all the stops when making this film and it shows! The movie itself has a tried and true plot, good acting and excellent production values. The special effects by Harryhausen, even using todays computer generated effects, have seldom been equalled, much less surpassed.
If you can only own one Ray Harryhausen film, THIS is the one to get. If you have a choice, buy the DVD. You get a number of special features, such as the Harryhausen Chronicles, and you get to see the film in widescreen (worth it alone). Even if you aren't a fan of Harryhausen, I'd still get this movie. It's a classic story told in a way that everyone from 6 to 66 can enjoy. And, there are always those spectacular Harryhausen special effects!!