User Reviews

Fans of Ray Harryhausen's stop motion animation process will have a field day with JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, which Harryhausen considered his best work. And certainly Harryhausen's special effects are the highlight of this film, which is generally based on the ancient Greek myth of Jason's search for the golden fleece.

The film as a whole is very much like a superior sword-and-sandal epic of the 1950s and 1960s, very colorful and over-run with manly men and beautiful dancing girls. A bit slow to start, once the story line is established the pace leaps forward--and we are treated to some of Harryhausen's most enjoyable creations, including Talos, the bronze statue; two of the most evil looking harpies you can imagine; a really nasty hydra; and Harryhausen's most famous (and his own personal favorite) bit of work: an attack by skeleton warriors.

In the wake of computer generated graphics, Harryhausen's work may strike some as dated, but this is actually part of its charm, for we will never see its like on screen again; it has a certain visual appeal not found in contemporary films, and Harryhausen's creations always have remarkable personality. On the downside, however, some of the film's other techniques have not aged as well, and the use of rearview projection is extremely noticeable (and often annoying) to the modern eye. Still, even those who aren't overly enthusiastic about these types of special effects will find the film an excellent choice as a "family night" film. As for Harryhausen fans--the film is a must-see, must-own, and must-watch as often as possible! Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The fascinating odyssey of Jason in search of the Golden Fleece. This is an adventure movie in the old style, with no pretensions, no pomposity... The genius and pioneer of the special effects Ray Harryhaussen gave us a handful of superhuman creatures who make things quite difficult for the brave Jason.

Some may think this special effects or the movie itself are obsolete. OK, now read this: the movie was made 43 years ago, Harryhaussen made them without computers or digital effects... so, show some respect!! In short: the movie is just fantastic.

*My rate: 8/10

What do I like about this movie...besides Harryhausin's special effects? Besides the frenetic battle with the skeletons and the seemingly hopeless fight against the statue of Talos? I like the way the people are presented, I suppose...

Heracles is presented, not as a young ripped body builder, but as one would expect a middle-aged strong man to be: Formidable, a little grey and a little swaggering. Argos, the ship builder, is tan and fat, as one would expect the veteran of many sea voyages to be. The crew looks like what one would expect a crew of ancient greeks to look like.

The acting is not spectacular, but sincere. No one looks embarrassed to be in this movie. It is tight with great special effects...wonderful for children...

And, I must mention Hera, normally portrayed as a matronly and vindictive woman, is here presented as a beautiful and helpful goddess by Honor Blackman, no less. Although many of you may be more familiar with her as Pussy Galore from Goldfinger...

I decided to contribute my comments when I read another commentator who mentioned that the leads were dubbed... this fact dealt a crushing blow to "Todd Armstrong" from which he sort of never really recovered.

As I was told, he showed up at the gala premiere and nobody had told him he had been dubbed over. What a horrible shock, in public, on one's 'night of glory'!

He had a highish voice, but one that was extremely expressive - a fine instrument. The dubbed voice is very low and flat. I can't tell you how I'd love to see the film with his voice restored!

Making movies, like any creativity, is full of compromises, some of them beyond one's control. "Todd" still loved the movie - it was filmed in southern Italy - he had a great time doing it. He was always a very, very handsome and strong man, and his physical presence shines through still.

It is really a memorable, powerful film! After seeing it I dreamt my favorite kitten had been slaughtered by the other kittens in the litter, who had become sword-wielding skeleton kittens!

I hope you all enjoy it and don't get too worked up about inaccuracies with the original story (as someone here has).

Because its overall professionalism and the magnificent special effects, this movie will live on despite being technologically outdated.

Can anybody speak to the possibility of finding the original actor's voice track? What's to be done? Thanks!

As entertainment this movie is perfect. The movie is a fun adventurous one, with lots of spectacular moments and fights. From a technical point of view this movie is even a masterpiece. The stop-motion scene's created by special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen is simply brilliant and makes this movie one of the most influential and important one's, when it comes to special effects. But also the movie uses clever camera tricks and some well made miniatures. Yes, of course the effects all look out dated now but they still surprisingly, look convincing enough and at times they are even still simply breathtaking and spectacular to look at. Especially of course the legendary, fantastic end fight against the skeleton warriors.

The story is like good entertainment should be; Adventurous, exciting and simple to follow. The movie truly is none stop fun entertainment to watch with lots of spectacular moments with the legendary skeleton fight as the ultimate highlight. You don't have to be a fan of 'classic' movies in order to enjoy this movie, everyone should be able to appreciate this movie and be entertained by it, especially when you are a fan of ancient Greek tales.

Something that is not praised enough of this movie is the musical score by Bernard Herrmann.

The movie is not exactly filled with impressive and memorable actors. As many movies as I have seen in my life, I don't think I have ever seen any actors from this movie in any other movie, with the exception of course of Honor Blackman who will always be remembered for playing the Bond girl Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger". But this movie clearly isn't a character-adventure movie, it's a special effect adventure movie. The special effects are really the most important element of the movie. So for the fans of special effects this is especially most definitely a must see.

A movie that should be fun and enjoyable to everyone, of all ages.

8/10

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Hero Jason leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece which has amazing healing powers. Jason sails on the Argo-ship to the land of Colchis seeking for the golden fleece in this mythological romp . This is one of the best sword and sandals film from the history , retelling the legend of Jason in search of the famous fleece for uncharted sea . The film deals with the myth Jason (Todd Armstrong), son of king of Thesaly , the young prince has had his heritage usurped by his nasty uncle Pelias (Douglas Wilmer) who has taken the throne . He travels in search for the fabled Golden fleece located in the Colchis where is guarded by seven-headed hydra . It's based on a poem of Greek poet named Apolonio of Rodas titled ¨The Argonautika¨ (250 B.C) . In order to achieve his throne, Jason must retrieve the magical calf housed from distant land of Colchis and bring it toward city of Iolco . Jason assembles a motley , brave crew formed by a valiant band as Hercules (Nigel Green) , Polydeuces (Crawford) , the traitor Acastus (Gary Raymond) ,Castor and others ; meanwhile , evil Pelias has usurped the kingdom and taken his throne . Jason successfully leads his crew of would-be heroes throughout a series of outstanding adventures . The Argo crew are under the protection of Hera (Honor Blackman) , queen of the gods . They're confronted by a heinous giant bronze named Talos at an island and many other dangers . Jason saves Medea (Nancy Kovack) , priestess of Hecate (who later to be revenged Jason , killing their sons) from waters and both of them go to Colchis . They sail unharmed along sea storm , suffering thirsty , famine and incredible adventures , encountering giant monsters , multitudes of mythological monsters and weird creatures .

This exciting picture contains lots of action, magic , fast-moving , thrills , impressive fights against monsters and lots of fun . It is an exciting fantasy-adventure full of special effects created by means of stop-motion technique by the magician Ray Harryhausen , the Dynamation man . The previous Ray Harryhausen films were generally shown as part of a double feature in "B" theatres , Columbia and the producer Charles H Schneer were able to book this film as a single feature in many "A" theatres in the United States. This time the large list of monsters result to be the following : a huge moving sculpture of Talos , as they battle against harpies , a venomous creature as hydra, and an animated terrifying skeleton army, all brought to life by the special effects masterfully created by the maestro wizardry Ray Harryhausen who regards this as his best film. In the ¨7th voyage of Sinbad¨ , Ray designed a sword-battling skeleton , here we see a whole army of them for Jason and his crew to fight at the ending of the film . It took Ray Harryhausen four months to produce the skeleton scene, a massive amount of time for a scene which lasts, at the most, three minutes . The runtime is adequate with various incidents and sub-plots . Harryhausen works his animation magic around a passable-developed screenplay and engaging acting by the entire performers . The cast is enjoyable with effective but unknown main actors , though important secondary Brit actors as Laurence Naismith (Argo), Niall McGinnis (Zeus) , Honor Blackman (Hera) , Michael Gwinn (Hermes) , Jack Gwillin (Aetes) . As usual in Sword and Sandal films here appears the choreographic girls dancing and lots of action with several adventures including spectacular fights , storms , witchery, and some good effects .

This elaborate recounting was well directed by Don Chaffey although with little relation with the poem by Apolonio of Rodas . The film contains an evocative and powerful musical score by Bernard Herrmann conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra . Colorful and spectacular cinematography by the great Wilkie Cooper . Fun for the whole family though it tends toward the ponderous at times but for the most part , it's a marvelous and entertaining movie . Other adaptations about this classic story are the following : ¨Giant of Tessaly¨ by Riccardo Freda with Ronald Carey and Massimo Giroti , ¨Hercules¨ by Pietro Francisci with Steve Reeves , Sylva Koscina and for TV ¨Jason and the Argonauts¨(2000) by Nick Willing with Jason London , Frank Langella and Olivia Williams .

The reviewer who complained that this excellent, classic film has bad "computer effects" was being so sadly hilarious that I have stomach cramps from laughing and almost fell out of my chair. I seriously wish that people who reviewed movies would:

1. Watch the ENTIRE movie with intent from start to finish (otherwise, PLEASE do not bother with a review - as, what's the point?) Please also take notes and refer back to them instead of making stuff up off the top of your head as so many on here do.

2. PLEASE do your research prior to any review. For example, do not refer to effects as CGI when they are manually and painstakingly (with love) done by stop motion PHYSICAL camera work.

It would also be wonderful if such reviews were deleted because of their overall invalid nature, or at least in a cue for voting for possible deletion.

This movie, of course, uses MANUAL stop motion animation, and is one of my favorite movies of all time. Today's children who have had their heads crammed with cheap looking plastic CGI will often have a different view, I'm sure.

10/10 without question.

"Jason and the Argonauts" is a very-colorful idea-level-fantasy of the 1960s. This was a stop-motion animation project, and an unusually strong production, whose subject was a mythical Argive hero of ancient Greece. Historians have theorized his voyage actually took him to South America, the Black Sea or other destinations; an epic poem was written about him. Here Colchis is not located, except "at the end of the world". The storyline takes this disenfranchised rightful young king on a voyage aboard the ship Argo; he recruits the greatest athletes of Greece to be his rowers and companions, and sails off to the Land of Colchis to bring back The Golden Fleece and win a kingdom. What he does not know is the man who sent him after the great prize is destined to be replaced on his throne by Jason and so is looking for ways to get rid of him and kill him, even sending his son along for the purpose. The casting is curious. Todd Armstrong looks manly, but was dubbed because of an intrusive US accent. Nigel Green excels as Hercules, Nancy Kovack and Douglas Wilmer are very good as Medea and the evil king; as the gods of Olympus, the co-director Ray Harryhausen cast Niall Nacginis as Zeus, athletic Honor Blackman as Hera, and effective Michael Gwynn as Hermes. The film is stolen by Laurence Naismith as Argus, the ship's designer who goes along to participate in many adventures. And there are Harryhausen's monsters"--a talking figurehead of Hera, the bronze god Talos, Poseidon who parting the clashing rocks, the harpies, a seven-headed hydra that guards the Fleece, and especially the army of skeletons sown from the dragon's teeth of Cadmus by King Aeetes of Colchis, with whom Jason and his men wage a fascinating battle of swords. The story is slender but it holds up well as a fun-level adventure for all ages. The musical main theme by Bernard Herrmann is magnificent and memorable; the costumes and sets are surprisingly authentic. But the finest delight is the ideas in the script by Beverly Cross and Jan Read; the most-quoted line is spoken by Zeus when he tells an eager Jason that the gods love those best who call on them for help the least. Don Chaffey directed with Harryhausen very energetically. This important line stands as the opposite in meaning to the philosophy that did not help an expensive sequel made by Harryhause years later, "Clash of the Titans". Some scenes in this narrative are very memorable such as the clashing rocks, the court of Colchis, the attack on a city by the evil king, the contests (all too brief) to choose the champions as crew for the ship and the Olympus segment where Jason, standing onto a god's hand, is introduced to the gods and is granted only three pieces of help from Hera during his quest, the escape of the Argo in the fog from Aeetes' fleet, and the aforementioned battle with the skeletons. It is curious as Derek Elly also pointed out that the US filmmakers have never made a single fictional film about the ancient Greek or republican Roman past that is their ethical heritage; could it be the individualism of men in the classic Age that Hollywood tsars could not grasp--in that classic age as in their own? This is not quite a great film; but it is vivid, well-made and everywhere entertaining.

Jason and the Argonauts is one of those films that were a staple of Christmas TV, a larger to life extravaganza that didn't fail to not just entertain but mesmerise and enchant, and it's not the monsters that is only impressive, but the cinematography, the set-pieces, the locations, the actors ( some were Shakespearean stage actors that added a bit of austerity and gravitas to the Greek mythological spectacle), and the execution of the story.

The story -Twenty years after his father's death, Jason embarks on a fantastic voyage, fraught with dangers, to find the Golden Fleece that will enable him to reclaim the throne that is rightfully his.

Of course, the creatures as invented by special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen attribute greatly to its splendour. The spectacle of seeing Talos wrecking havoc on island is iconic, and his demise just as dramatic - the appearance of Hydra, the seven-headed serpent, is magnificent and so sudden, but last, but not least, that famous and iconic skeleton army - the creatures of night - is a showstopper, and is an example of the sheer hard work and vision that went into it.

The plot is brisk, there's a wit and humanity to the story ( especially from Honor Blackman and Naill MacGinnis), a sincere Jason in Todd Armstrong, the menacing music score by Bernard Hermmann, and the monsters still as wondrous and enchanting as ever. A gloriously entertaining film for all ages.

Jason (Todd Armstrong) sets sail with his crew to find the Golden Fleece. Along the way they do battle with a giant metal man, "crashing rocks", two harpies, a many-headed animal and fight SEVEN skeletons.

Ray Harryhausen's special effects are the only reason to see the movie. The script is somewhat literate but boring, the acting is pretty bad (although some people were dubbed over) and it goes all over the place. But when Harryhausen's creations are on-screen, the movie is fantastic. They're all stop motion which I prefer over the too perfect CGI that's used all the time today. The fight against the skeletons especially is impressive. I also enjoyed the bickering between gods Hera (Honor Blackman) and Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) who act as a Greek chorus. Personally I found the film too child-like to truly enjoy but it's worth catching at least once.

Back in 1963 I was only 7 at the time, but I can still remember going to the Tower Theater in Downtown Los Angeles and being totally awed with the effects created by Ray Harryhausen. In today's world it may seem below standard compared to computer effects, but for those of us growing up in that time period, the Harryhausen style of special effects will continue to bring back warm memories of those years. With computer graphics, you see it and like it the first time you see it, but then many movies of today have the same and it becomes moot. Jason and the Argonaunts was one of those few movies at the time along with the Sinbad saga that lives on in your heart. The pace of the film is perfectly put together along with the many creatures, 7-headed hydra, huge fish-man, huge metal man and skeletons fighting is what makes it a classic which lives on in the hearts of those growing up in the sixties.

This is a film I remember well from my childhood; it seemed whenever there was a wet Sunday afternoon this was on… And as I child I absolutely loved it! Since it was airing again on TV recently I thought I would give it another look now that I'm all growed up. Well, I have to say that, as a film, it hasn't faired all that well, but the excellent stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen are still the best thing about it. I will give you more of my thoughts after this very brief summary.

The Gods of Greece are always meddling in the affairs of man and having wagers with each other about the outcome. Zeus and his wife Hera have one such arrangement concerning a young man called Jason. He has been tasked with travelling to the ends of the Earth in order to retrieve a golden fleece, a prize of the Gods. He commissions a ship, the Argo, and holds games to select the bravest and strongest men in all Greece to join him on this epic adventure. As they set sail Jason knows that Hera will protect them, but he can only call on her a certain number of times… Many adventures bring them to their goal, but a protective king will not give up the fleece without a fight! I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Greek Gods Division) will have me fighting Titans (again).

I have to admit I do have a bit of a soft spot for this film; as a child I loved all the action sequences and me and my brother would re-enact them afterwards. Today though, it doesn't quite hold together as well as it did when I was young. I guess I've seen too many films that are better made (effects aside). As far as performances go, well nobody really stood out and so honourable mentions go to; Todd Armstrong as Jason, Nancy Kovack as Medea, Gary Raymond as Acastus, Laurence Naismith as Argos, Niall MacGinnis as Zeus, Michael Gwynn as Hermes, Honor Blackman as Hera and Patrick Troughton as Phineas.

I'll cut to the chase here, the effects were brilliant in their day, brilliant when I was a kid and they have stood the test of time well… I still think they're great! The problem I have is with the narrative, far too much is taken as read and I think the writers found it far too easy to us the 'gods' to get them out of a situation. For me, there are islands if brilliance in a sea of mediocrity I'm afraid. It seems to drag on and that is never a good sign. I have given it a half decent score, but that's mainly for the groundbreaking effects, for which I'll deem it recommended.

My score: 6.8/10.

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 9,262 votes at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 96/100 (based on 26 reviews counted at the time of going to press). Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 71/100 (based on 20,999 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).

Possibly. His first "Sinbad" film in 1958 had one moving skeleton for the hero to fight; this one has a whole platoon of them, each part painstakingly moved one tiny distance at a time personally by Harryhausen through stop-motion techniques. The seven-headed Hydra is another technical marvel. There are some other nifty creatures for Jason and his crew to battle, but for me, the most impressive of them all turns up first: the gigantic Talos, the Man of Bronze.

I was a kid when this came out, and I don't think I'll ever forget that moment when the huge, crouched statue came to life, turned his head towards the two men below him (his bronze head screeching with the tear of metal), climbed off of his pedestal, and proceeded to chase Jason and his men. Talos was giant like Godzilla, but as single-minded as the Terminator: all he wants to do is track Jason's crew down until he kills them all. This gave me nightmares. Bernard Herrmann's score is one of his best, making music to match Harryhausen's images. (Herrmann was coming off of other Harryhausen's, plus Hitchcock's "Vertigo," "North by Northwest" and "Psycho," and knew how to thrill you.)

Tom Hanks, who was also a kid when this came out, has said: "Everybody thinks that 'Citizen Kane' was the greatest movie ever made. But if you were young in 1963, you know the real answer is: 'Jason and the Argonauts.'"

Pelias murders King Aristo and steals the kingdom of Thessaly. After 20 years, Jason returns to reclaim his kingdom. Without realizing his identity, Jason saves Pelias' life. Then Pelias diverts Jason on a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Jason uses the greatest and best Greeks to crew his ship including the great Hercules.

It is one of the best special effects movie of its time relying on stop-motion photography, miniature models, and old fashion photographic tricks. It is basically B-movie acting shot in Italy with a lot of dubbed voices elevated by Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion special effects magic. The most elaborate must be the intricate fighting between the skeletons and Jason & his men in the climatic ending. It has since become special effects legendary history.

To regain his rightful place as the King of Thessaly, Jason must traverse deadly seas to the land of Colchis where a Golden Fleece of magical powers is housed. Assembling a crew of the toughest men around, and aided by the Goddess Hera, Jason and his Argonauts set sail unbeknown that perils await at every port.

Directed by Don Chaffrey and featuring some of stop motion genius Ray Harryhausen's best work, Jason And The Argonauts is still entertaining families over 50 years since its original release. For sure it's got a "B" movie heart, and no film in this genre is without a high cheese quota, but it's technically one of the genres best and for daring do shenanigans it has no peers. The gorgeous Meditteranean photography courtesy of Wilkie Cooper (Dynamation 90) goes hand in hand with the boisterously mythical score from Bernard Hermann, while Chaffrey's direction of the human aspects is solid and safe in preparation for Harryhausen's magic to move in and take over.

The cast may not cover themselves in glory, and yes at times some of them are a touch wooden, with only Honor Blackman (Hera) and Nigel Green (Hercules) seemingly able to grasp the sense of fun that is meant to be had. But really it's a minor itch, for when you have a big quest adventure containing harpies, a hydra, a giant bronze statue intent on destroying all, clashing rocks, angry gods and a brilliant Harryhausen skeleton army - well it's all good really isn't it! 9/10

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.

Jason and the Argonauts (1963, Dir. Don Chaffey)

After a 20 year voyage, Jason returns to the Kingdom of Thessaly to claim his throne. But it's not quite easy for this. In order to gain the throne, he must find the magical Golden Fleece, which has amazing healing powers. He selects a crew, which included Polydeuces and Hercules. Jason also gains the help of the Queen of the Gods, Hera. Jason and his crew must now reach the fleece and survive the likes of a 100 foot bronze giant, a huge venomous creature with head full of seven snakes, and a terrifying army of skeletons.

Being over 40 years old, 'Jason and the Argonauts' is clearly an old film, but this does not take away the wonderful viewing experience you gain from watching this. The stars aren't the most recognisable (Goldfinger's Honor Blackman and Doctor Who's Patrick Troughtan being the only stars i had heard of), but they do their job of creating a successful story. The special effects looked amazing, even in todays standards. The backdrops looked a bit off, especially during the scenes on the boat, but the stop motion material featured in the film are still fascinating to watch. I have seen some great special effects in modern films, but the skeleton fight was just wonderful to watch. Definitely make the time to watch this movie, and do not underestimate it, because of it's age.

"Hera my dear, You really must learn to win without cheating...or to at least lose gracefully." - Zeus (Niall MacGinnis)

I think, out of all the Ray Harryhausen effects extravaganzas I watched as a kid, this one is my ultimate favourite. It's just a glorious escapade, a kid's adventure destined to appeal to children and adults alike, one that rides the sword and sandal boom and adds its own distinctive mythological spin on it. Essentially a collection of larger-than-life set pieces, that this film is so timeless is all down to Harryhausen himself.

His creations here are the best of his career. It's that skeletal set-piece at the climax which everyone remembers, and for good reason, but it's Jason's earlier encounter with the bronze giant Talos that's my favourite scene. It's truly a brilliant sequence, one which saw me scuttling behind the sofa when I first saw it as a kid, and one which remains breathtakingly awesome to this day. No CGI effects can ever hope to come close to the absolutely wonderful stop-motion effects on offer here.

The rest of the film follows a familiar template, and handles it adroitly. Todd Armstrong's square-jawed hero is perfectly adequate for the production, and Nigel Green makes for a boisterous spin on the Hercules legend, fitting the role well even if his physique isn't quite as chiselled as we'd expect post-Steve Reeves. A lot of fun comes from playing 'spot the cast member', half of them well known for their roles in similar pulp fare; I'm talking Douglas Wilmer, Hammer stalwarts Patrick Troughton and Michael Gwynn, and of course the Greek gods, played to the hilt by Niall Macginnis and Honor Blackman.

Filming on the Mediterranean adds an air of authenticity that other films in the genre lack, and the plentiful action, effects and quick pace mean that kids will never have a chance to question the vagaries of the plotting (let's face it, that lack of resolution at the climax is a bit of a problem). I can only imagine how great it would have been to see this at the cinema on release; the Blu-ray is the closest we'll get today, sadly.

This movie begins with a power-hungry warrior named"Pelias" (Douglas Wilmer) who decides to usurp the throne of the king of Iolos. However, once that is accomplished he is told of a prophecy that one of the king's children will eventually take it from him. So he decides to kill all of the king's children as well. Unfortunately, in the process of trying to do that he deliberately profanes the temple of "Hera" (played by "Honor Blackman") who then angrily allows the king's infant son "Jason" (Todd Armstrong) to be carried away into safety. Now all Pelios can do is wait and hope that something happens to Jason before he returns to Iolos and takes the throne away from him. Sure enough many years later Jason does indeed return but he is told he must first prove that he is worthy to become the new king. To acquire the necessary proof he assembles a crew and sets sail on the Argo in search of a mythical golden fleece on the other side of the world which has the power to heal. Now rather than reveal any more of the story and risk ruining the movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a very entertaining "sword and sandal" film which is made even better by some awesome special effect which were way ahead of its time. Likewise having attractive actresses like Nancy Kovack (as "Medea") and the aforementioned Honor Blackman certainly didn't hurt either. In any case, this is a fine movie which can be enjoyed by the entire family and I rate it as above average.

I took three years of Latin in high school and got into astronomy in the early 1960s. I was well-acquainted with the Greek myths. This is the story of Jason and how he sailed on the ship Argo to bring back the Golden Fleece. The Argonauts include Hercules, Castor and Pollux and Argus, who built the ship. The goddess Hera protects Jason and his crew as they encounter their adventures. There are bronze Talos, Harpies, Clashing Rocks and fighting skeletons. In the the end, Jason gets the Fleece. He also gets the girl, Medea. Medea is played by Nancy Kovak, and she does a seductive dance. The animation is by Ray Harryhausen who would later do Clash of the Titans. The two films are similar. I was 17 in 1963, and could have easily seen Jason and the Argonauts at the time of its release. Believe it or not, it was 2009 before I watched it. For escapism and pure fun, it is unbeatable.

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is a fantasy adventure which, in a clumsy way, brings a mythological story about heroes, beautiful women, gods, monsters and prophecies.

On Olympus Zeus and Hera witness Pelias' murder of his half-brother, King Aeson of Thessaly. The god Hermes, disguised as Pelias' soothsayer, holds back his army long enough for the infant Jason to be spirited away by one of Aristo's soldiers. Later, Jason returns and demands his right to the throne. Pelias sends Jason on a treacherous journey, the quest for the Golden Fleece...

The story is solid and mythological aspects are very well covered. The dialogues are gloomy,the plot is, due to the conflict between the main character and the gods, predictable and theatrical. The visual effects are very effective and they save this movie at the end. That iconic fight, which contains a number of skeletal warriors, is certainly one of jewels of special effects in the history of cinematography.

The scenery is reduced to a cheap luxury. However, this is an imaginative reflection, if we fit mythological aspects of the story. An absolute acting is perhaps the weakest segment in this film.

Here, we have an unconvincing romance between Jason (Todd Armstrong) and Medea (Nancy Kovack). Well, the rivalry between Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) and Here (Honor Blackman) is something interesting.

This is a magical journey into the void, however, all praise for Mr. Harryhausen.

Jason and The Argonauts is a great film to watch and escape reality. This is one of those movies that you know is not real but you just enjoy it and have fun watching it. I think this film is underrated because it was not given one Oscar nomination. I think this film should have been nominated for Best Art Direction and Set Decoration, Cinematography, Bernard Herrmann's Original Score and Film Editing. When I first saw this movie on Turner Classic Movies one night, I was only excited to see the Skeleton Fight at the end which took Ray Harryhausen and special effects crew three months to create that entire sequence. This is a Great movie and I encourage all of "The Lord of The Rings" fans to watch this and see a great masterpiece of classic fantasy and old fashioned special effects. **** out of ****!