When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Okay, you simply can't rate it by 21st century standards - that would make no sense. Okay, it has a cheeky, cheesy quality that would look bad in today's films, but that's part of its magic. I must have seen thousands of movies since that glorious today in 1963 (or was it 1964, I wasn't into dates at that age) and I've probably forgotten at least ninety-five percent of them, but this one is burned into my memory. Obviously, Ray Harryhausen is the one reason for its greatness. I'm so glad the DVD came with an interview with the great man. This is one of those films that launched a thousand imitations, but none of them could touch it.

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.

I hate writing reviews based upon other people's comments and prefer to write my own, but for some reason there is so much negativity around this movie I simply felt obliged to give a positive review. I absolutely love this film, and is once of all time favourites. I love the special effects, I love the story line. I will say the acting quality in the film isn't the greatest, to be honest its a little poor which takes a star away. I would have liked to see more of Hercules character, but still its the story that matters to be and its solid. The modern special effects spoil some of the films, so its nice to watch older films with more believable effects. If you like your Greek mythology don't mind watching a classic Black and White film, you will love this, please just overlook the acting quality!

Jason and the ArgonautsThe problem with sailing in mythological times is the Greek Gods liked to spit on boats from Mount Olympus.Auspiciously, the sailors in this action movie have Hera's help in avoiding those loogies.The last living heir to the throne of Thessaly, Jason (Todd Armstrong) vows to seek out the famed Golden Fleece of legend.With the backing of Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) and Hera (Honor Blackman), Jason holds Olympic trials to choose his crew.On his quest for the fleece, Jason and his Argonauts encounter strange entities like the living statue, vicious harpies and a skeletal army made from the tooth of a Hydra.One of the best sword and sandal movies ever, this 1963 adaptation of the rousing nautical saga is made so much more marvelous by Ray Harryhausen's creature designs.Incidentally, if the fleece were real, Greece could have used its regenerative powers on the Euro long ago. Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca