Intent with liberating his homeland from the tyrant Pelias (Douglas Wilmer), Jason (Todd Armstrong) gathers an elite team of warriors to travel to the other side of the world to retrieve a magical Golden Fleece that can assist him in his quest to save his home.
After watching The Mysterious Island, I had a hankering to check in with some of the other Harry Harryhausen canon. Netflix has the good sense to have Jason and the Argonauts as part of its library and you cannot go wrong with this one.
I enjoyed The Mysterious Island and Earth vs The Flying Saucers, but this one is hard to beat. I will admit that I was not that high on it the first time I watched it, but Jason is one movie that gets better with every viewing.
This movie feels like the stars aligning for Harryhausen - not only are the effects better than anything he had done before, but the movie around those effects does not feel like window dressing. The story is engaging, the direction is no frills but functional, the photography pops, the locations are gorgeous and there is some acting to write home about.
Todd Armstrong is a bit two-dimensional in the lead, but the character is very straightforward and action-based so he does not pull you out. He is also dubbed, and the voice actor (an uncredited Tim Turner) adopts an almost mid-Atlantic accent that allows Jason to both fit into the mythic diegesis and stand out from the British accents of his co-stars.
The movie is very well-paced, and the quest narrative is the perfect format for Ray Harryhausen’s set pieces. And speaking of which…
Jason and the Argonauts comes midway through Harryhausen's career, and represents a real escalation in scale and ambition. The animation and compositing effects are terrific, and what really stands out in this film is how specific each of the characters are.
The great thing about Harryhausen’s effects is that he cares about characterisation, and gives his characters individual personalities. Every one of the monsters that the argonauts face is specific and singular. One of the big issues I have with modern movie creatures is how similar they all look and feel.
And even though the effects are over sixty years old, these creatures still feel formidable and (occasionally) scary. The moment when Talos comes to life and turns his head to look down at Hercules in particular is terrifying. The effects’ impact is augmented by great sound design - the metallic creak of Talos’s limbs adds to the character's sense of weight and tactility in the environment.
That extends to all of the other monsters - the harpies' cries; the hydra's hissing; the skeletons' initial shriek as they charge. They all are individual and identifiable, and also are used to supplement personality.
The final fight between Jason's team and the animated skeletons is a feat of special effects photography and choreography. A few of the composites are clumsy, but nothing takes away from how immersive and thrilling the sequence. Harryhausen animates each skeleton as if they were individual performers, and their reactions to their human opponents, whether parrying sword thrusts, befuddled by tactics or working together to hack a warrior down. All the creatures may be only obstacles, but they feel alive and more interesting than just being barriers for our heroes to get over.
What also helps their impact is Bernard Hermann’s score, which provides memorable specific cues for each of the creatures.
While all of the creature stuff is fantastic, Jason and the Argonauts is the rare Harryhausen movie where the human characters are as interesting as the monsters he has created.
As the man who conquers Jason's kingdom, Pelias is a great villain. Douglas Wilmer is only onscreen for a few minutes but he feels so human - there is a sweaty sense of self-awareness to the actor’s performance. Pelias knows what he is doing is wrong but he is to obsessed with gratifying his desire for power.
He made such an impression, I was disappointed that the movie does not end with Jason confronting him. The movie feels like it is building toward a confrontation but the movie ends with Jason facing another foe.
This probably the point where I should digress and focus on the structure of the film. As far as the set pieces go, there is a sense of escalation. However, the movie ends with Jason facing off against King Aeetes (Jack Gwillim) for the Golden Fleece. This feels like it should be the midpoint in Jason's story, before he returns to kill Pelias.
It felt so natural as a story ending that before this viewing I thought it was Pelias who unleashed the skeletons on Jason and his crew.
For once I wish there was a sequel. Sadly, Jason was not a hit on its original release, so there was little chance of the argonauts getting to return home.
The gods are also fascinating - Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) and Hera (Honor Blackman) bicker like a married couple - there is a teasing game between them which is fun rather than malicious. Considering Zeus's history with mortal women, this is a rather benign treatment of the mythical characters.
Speaking of mythology, the film treats Medea as the hero's love interest, with no hint of her future. Nancy Kovack's performance is pretty flat, and the character is introduced towards the end of the movie so she does not have the opportunity to be that well-developed. This puts her at about a level pegging with Armstrong's Jason, so they are a perfect pairing.
One of the best and most enjoyable fantasy films I have ever seen, Jason and the Argonauts is a superb showcase for Ray Harryhausen's special effects, and a good lesson for filmmakers and visual effects practitioners in how to utilise effects for dramatic effect, as well as for spectacle.
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