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CREEPY CLASSICS presents... |
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Saturday May 18, 2013 - MOVIE - Thriller "JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS" (1963). The colorful adventure of Jason searching for the Golden Fleece. Along the way he encounters the horrors of a bronze giant and an army of sword-wielding skeletons! Effects by master Ray Harryhausen. Suggested by Bruce Tinkel, Edison, NJ.
I watched this on Memorial Day weekend at the Cinevent Convention...a perfect spectacle movie for a holiday weekend. Colorful, exciting and those wonderful (in all senses), magical scenes by special effect genius Ray Harryhausen. I think the first time I saw this was at my grandparents house on some holiday weekend. It still has the power and, hey, Rat outdid himself with a whole troupe of murderous living skeletons! It doesn't get better. -Ron Adams, Ligonier, PA
For my money, the Best Harryhausen film of them all- great script which would appeal to adults as well as children, good performances by a better than average cast (all those familiar names), very impressive Bernard Herrmann score and unlike some of Ray's films, there are no slow spots in it, making the running time seem shorter than it actually is.
Only beef I have is that the movie ends just moments after that scene-I wanted to see what else might happen to Jason, Medea and the crew as they sail home with the Golden Fleece. Too bad a sequel never happened. Good movie and an excellent suggestion for us to appreciate the Harryhausen magic just a few weeks after he departed this earth. Ray, again...thanks for all you did. ***** Steven Schimming, NH
Hey guys. Great pick, not only one of my favorite Ray Harryhausen movies but also one of my favorite movies of all time. Just as great now as when I saw it as a kid for the first time on Thanksgiving night back in the sixties. Some of Mr. Harryhausen's best work is in this movie such as Talos the bronze giant, the Hydra, and the great battle scene with the skeleton army. Not to mention the fine score by Bernard Herrmann. I think today's so-call adventure films (Clash and Wrath of the Titans especially) should take a page from Jason and the Argonauts on how to really make one of these films. Talk to you guys later.
Hi Ron: The only weak spot is the lead. Todd Armstrong is a little too bland for my taste. Kerwin Matthews from "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" would have been a better choice. Nigel Green makes a great, scruffy Hercules. It's a welcome change from the well groomed hero. Bernard Herrmann's music is one of his best scores. What I also love about this film is the fact that there is no juvenile subplot like "Seventh Voyage". There is no genie wanting to be a real boy. There is just action and thrills. "Jason and the Argonauts" is Ray Harryhausen's crowning achievement. It just gets better with each viewing.
Hi Ron Kingman, AZ Every weekend we're watching movies together...whether you're in Pennsylvania USA, or Sydney, Australia. Back to the days when you had the anticipation for waiting till the weekend to see the classic horror or science fiction film that was listed in the TV Guide. The plan is to watch a movie at 7:30PM on Saturday night in your own time zone. Or, if you can't Saturday night...anytime during the weekend. Then, we'll all get together and e-mail our thoughts on the film...a few paragraphs...or simply a sentence if you'd like. After-viewing reviews appear first here on the "News Page" then, permanently on our Creepy Classics Movie Night Page. See the latest thoughts posted by viewers there now. Suggest movies by e-mailing: creepyclassics@creepyclassics.com. Please just one movie at a time. Check the past viewings at the Creepy Classics Movie Night Page to see if it was already used. E-mail your review of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS to creepyclassics@creepyclassics.com.
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Of course, the most important aspect to the film are the still amazing special effects! 50 years old and still jaw dropping-how awesome it must have been seeing this on a big theater screen! The Talos part is pretty neat, I got a headache watching all the Hydra heads move and thinking how much work Ray had to do as well as the Seven Sword Swinging Skeletons (try saying that fast!) that is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. It's astounding how flawlessly the whole thing works from the ground eruption to the leaping and cavorting boney fellows interacting with the flesh and blood thespians.
