A passing of 45 years has barely diminished the tremendous imagination and ingenuity of this movie.
Ray Harryhausen is the man of the moment here, and his stop-go animation of miniatures has never encountered serious competition. Each work is a perfect miracle of painstaking attention to detail. The giant guardian statue of Kalos is particularly well suited to his technique. Stop-go motion makes his laboured, robotic activity seem all the more realistic. Combined with other special-effects of the day like mirror filming, the interplay between Ray's monstrous creations and the human actors are truly amazing for their age. One particular scene that depicts Kalos's lower leg and heavy foot-fall observed close-up and from behind, has a suspicious similarity to that of a certain Tyrannosaurus from Jurassic Park. I wonder if Mr Spielberg has been plagiarising again - or 'paying homage' as he prefers to call it.
Arguably Jason's battle with the animated skeletons is the highpoint of Ray's work. Each skeleton is seen in minutely observed close-up, sometimes full-figure foreground, and even en-masse in middle distance. That the whole sequence - or series of sequences - were created frame by frame, click after click, whilst the live actors intimately choreograph their own play against them is a piece of pure magic.
But whether it's skeletons, a giant hydra, or flying harpies, Ray and the special-effects boys will provide you with entertainment to both marvel and smile at.
Sound effects are also very imaginative for their time. Both they and the theme music are aptly suited to the drama they represent. Likewise lighting and colour, sets and costumes, all live up to standards set by the best sword 'n' sandals epics.
Acting, however, is a mixed bag. Honor Blackman and Nial McGinnis make fine gods and have some excellent dialogue. However, Todd Armstrong (as Jason) and one or two members of his crew look and act like handsome also-rans, reminiscent of extras in spaghetti westerns who feature only to make up the numbers and die when required. Occasionally their voices seem dubbed.
However, a few wooden actors shouldn't put anyone off. With a stirring story to tell, and with all of the exotic legendary beauties and beasties brought so wonderfully to life, this movie still has the power to enthral each rising generation of young kids, even as it did mine.
Although stop-go animation is now obsolescent in the context of any 'serious' fantasy, having been superseded by CGI; Nick Park has demonstrated that it still has a part to play in entertainment, and that it can still win fans and even Oscars.
Ray Harryhausen is the man of the moment here, and his stop-go animation of miniatures has never encountered serious competition. Each work is a perfect miracle of painstaking attention to detail. The giant guardian statue of Kalos is particularly well suited to his technique. Stop-go motion makes his laboured, robotic activity seem all the more realistic. Combined with other special-effects of the day like mirror filming, the interplay between Ray's monstrous creations and the human actors are truly amazing for their age. One particular scene that depicts Kalos's lower leg and heavy foot-fall observed close-up and from behind, has a suspicious similarity to that of a certain Tyrannosaurus from Jurassic Park. I wonder if Mr Spielberg has been plagiarising again - or 'paying homage' as he prefers to call it.
Arguably Jason's battle with the animated skeletons is the highpoint of Ray's work. Each skeleton is seen in minutely observed close-up, sometimes full-figure foreground, and even en-masse in middle distance. That the whole sequence - or series of sequences - were created frame by frame, click after click, whilst the live actors intimately choreograph their own play against them is a piece of pure magic.
But whether it's skeletons, a giant hydra, or flying harpies, Ray and the special-effects boys will provide you with entertainment to both marvel and smile at.
Sound effects are also very imaginative for their time. Both they and the theme music are aptly suited to the drama they represent. Likewise lighting and colour, sets and costumes, all live up to standards set by the best sword 'n' sandals epics.
Acting, however, is a mixed bag. Honor Blackman and Nial McGinnis make fine gods and have some excellent dialogue. However, Todd Armstrong (as Jason) and one or two members of his crew look and act like handsome also-rans, reminiscent of extras in spaghetti westerns who feature only to make up the numbers and die when required. Occasionally their voices seem dubbed.
However, a few wooden actors shouldn't put anyone off. With a stirring story to tell, and with all of the exotic legendary beauties and beasties brought so wonderfully to life, this movie still has the power to enthral each rising generation of young kids, even as it did mine.
Although stop-go animation is now obsolescent in the context of any 'serious' fantasy, having been superseded by CGI; Nick Park has demonstrated that it still has a part to play in entertainment, and that it can still win fans and even Oscars.