Friday, July 11, 2025

Jason and the Argonauts

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Don Chaffey

Starring: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith, Niall MacGinnis

From: Columbia

A movie I had seen before… during my high school years, meaning “over a quarter-century ago.” Like with probably many, the dominant memory is the legendary Ray Harryhausen stop-motion effects finale where the titular heroes do battle with sword-wielding skeletons, a moment paid homage to countless times in the 60+ years since. It is rather loosely based on the ancient Greek poem The Argonautica but as I am not a devotee of such classical tales, the bastardization of those stories isn’t particularly offensive.

It's the sort of tale as old as time: an adventure where a villain slays the king of a land; a prophecy foretells that the king’s infant son Jason will overthrow that tyrant. Meanwhile, he meets Zeus, Hera, and the other Greek gods as he goes to the ends of the Earth to locate the Golden Fleece, a key item in eradicating the villain Pelias. Via competition he found such figures as Hercules, Hylas, and Acastus to join the crew on the epic voyage. 

Jason and the Argonauts was a rousing adventure, buttressed by a bold, confident score from Bernard Herrmann that ironically for the composer of the Psycho score contained no stringed instruments, solid direction, and attractive cast of tanned men & women in exotic locations dealing with a variety of different threats.

Of course, it’s the Harryhausen effects that are still the most memorable aspect; regrettably, even in the late 90’s, some in my age group poo-pooed and dismissed those effects. While those and the other practical moments of the past may look “dated” to people in 2025, they are still rad in my eyes. The knowledge that the art of stop-motion is a time-consuming, difficult art—that may color my opinion but I hope there’s never a time where people of all ages aren’t able to be enthralled by stop-motion animation.

I could quibble about some narrative decisions, acting and dialogue that isn't always stellar, or a final scene that felt abrupt; those points duly noted, Jason and the Argonauts was still a pretty good time and was as much fun as during my teen years.

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