The main reason for watching this movie of course is the outstanding work of master animator Ray Harryhausen which includes some of his most memorable creations pitted against Greek hero Jason as he strives to capture the famous Golden Fleece from the other end of the world. In fact, it wouldn't be too far wrong to say Harryhausen's clay-mation constructs act better than many of the human flesh and bone characters they're pitted against here.
Amongst the creations are two bothersome Harpies, a giant statue of ancient Titan Thetis which comes dramatically to life, the six-headed Hydra which guards the precious fleece and of course at the climax, the skeleton army born of the Hydra's teeth. These scenes form the highlights of the film, even if the Argonauts don't appear to interact with them too naturally.
It's a pity that the production couldn't have enlisted better actors for the main roles, but the poor dubbing of almost all the lead parts doesn't help either. Todd Armstrong as Jason and Nancy Kovack as Medea are as wooden as the Hera figurehead on the front of the Argo with the only half-decent acting coming from British stalwarts, speaking in their own accents too, Laurence Naismith and future Dr Who, Patrick Troughton.
The story's not quite as I remember it either (was Hercules an Argonaut?), but the episodic tale sails along nicely enough from one dangerous situation to another. Harryhausen's excellent work does show up other production flaws elsewhere in the movie, especially with some poor back-projection work. The dialogue too was fairly lame throughout, likewise the fight scenes, but it's the special effects which make this film worth watching.
Amongst the creations are two bothersome Harpies, a giant statue of ancient Titan Thetis which comes dramatically to life, the six-headed Hydra which guards the precious fleece and of course at the climax, the skeleton army born of the Hydra's teeth. These scenes form the highlights of the film, even if the Argonauts don't appear to interact with them too naturally.
It's a pity that the production couldn't have enlisted better actors for the main roles, but the poor dubbing of almost all the lead parts doesn't help either. Todd Armstrong as Jason and Nancy Kovack as Medea are as wooden as the Hera figurehead on the front of the Argo with the only half-decent acting coming from British stalwarts, speaking in their own accents too, Laurence Naismith and future Dr Who, Patrick Troughton.
The story's not quite as I remember it either (was Hercules an Argonaut?), but the episodic tale sails along nicely enough from one dangerous situation to another. Harryhausen's excellent work does show up other production flaws elsewhere in the movie, especially with some poor back-projection work. The dialogue too was fairly lame throughout, likewise the fight scenes, but it's the special effects which make this film worth watching.