Review CXXIX - Jason and the Argonauts

Review 129
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

What started with a They Might Be Giants song became one of the most enjoyable and impressive films I have ever seen on screen. I am, of course, talking about Don Chaffey's Jason and the Argonauts starring Todd Armstrong, Douglas Wilmer, Niall MacGinnis, Honor Blackman, and Nancy Kovack.

After receiving a message from Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) and taking it too far, Pelias (Douglas Wilmer) overthrows a king and attempts to kill the king's son, Jason (Todd Armstrong). However, having killed the woman protecting Jason in Hera's (Honor Blackman) temple, Hera becomes Jason's protector, warning Pelias of his actions and helping Jason in his future journey to take back the Golden Fleece and his rightful kingdom.

I wish I could explain what made this film so great, but seriously, it was everything. The plot, based on Greek mythology about Jason and the Argonauts (what a surprise), was perfectly set up and I was totally engrossed throughout. I found the film set everything up super well, and I was rooting for Jason and his fellow crew the whole time. This may be a bias on my part as I've always enjoyed Greek mythology. To say I'm an expert, no, but I remember sitting down and watching cartoon re-enactments of the Odyssey and falling in love with the imagination of it all. Watching Jason and the Argonauts revived that love. I guess some things really do never change. But even as an adult, you could definitely enjoy the plot, and I would recommend it for all ages.

However, the plot aside, the film also has something that puts it down in the hall of fame: the special effects. Even living in the present day, this effects show ingenuity and class. I'll be spoiling the film a bit, so if you'd rather go in completely clean, stop here - though it really shouldn't ruin your experience. The first time we get these effects is when Jason visits Hera and Zeus and they tell him of his journey to obtain the Golden Fleece. All right, we kind of saw something familiar in The Wizard of Oz, about 25 years earlier, but it still looks pretty clean considering the time period. But there are other effects used, including miniature models, to get other effects, which was just awesome.

But this was the tip of the iceberg. What I really mean by special effects is the stop motion. Yes, the stop motion in Jason and the Argonauts is, hands down, some of the best stop motion I have ever seen. But you know what? I won't explain it. I think this video explains it enough and you get to hear it from the master himself: Ray Harryhausen.

I don't really have much else to say about the film because its genius can't be explained: you must see it to believe it. And I highly, highly recommend it for adults and children.

This also made me want to re-watch Army of Darkness. I wonder why? Hehe.