MovieChat Forums > Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Discussion > Not to cause an argument but this is a r...

Not to cause an argument but this is a really bad movie.

posted 14 years ago by perineum1
41 replies | jump to latest

I am 33 years old and grew up with Clash Of The Titans and loved that movie so much as a kid. Despite hearing about Jason and his argonauts all my life I somehow never managed to see it until tonight. I was a little surprised at just how, for lack of a better word, awful this movie is. I recently watched Clash Of The Titans for the first time as an adult who has really come to love movies as an art form and found it to be severely lacking in most of the aspects of movie story telling I find important. I went into Jason and the A's with more or less the same expectations as I found in Clash of the T's. But I would probably have to say that is was quite a bit lower on the scale. I can imagine for it's time it being visually stunning and Mr. Harryhausen once again stuns me with his animations, but the story, while enjoyable, was rather shallow in the manner it was told. I know nothing about the production or what was planned to follow or how much a viewer was supposed to know before hand, but the way the story was moved along was so lacking. It kind of felt like an extended T.V. show from the 60's. And to me, it had a very strong Star Trek feel, which makes me wonder if Gene Roddenberry got some of his inspiration from this movie. At least in production and writing. The acting and dialog were what I would consider horrendous. I am not a huge fan of older movies, I think mainly for this reason. I know it was a different time with a different view, but have movies really evolved that much or does it just mean the the audience's view changes over the years? Will people 50 years from now look back on films of today and groan about how awful they are? Another thing that bothered me a little and makes me kind of curious is how the battles with the harpies and the hydra don't seem to be interactive. I mean that in both fights nobody actually makes contact with the monsters. People are swinging left and right but just don't seem to be able to make contact. I would imagine this has something to do with how the effect was created, but with the skeleton fight they choreographed it so that it appeared the two combatants where actually hitting each other. I wonder why they couldn't do the same thing with the other monsters? After all this I won't say I didn't enjoy the movie. I really wish I would have had the chance to see it as a kid. I think that I would have loved it just as much as I did all the really bad fantasy adventure movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi5PFI3rMTQ

[–] !!!deleted!!! (1688273) 14 years ago

Nothing to argue about- you gave your opinion on the movie. Despite its shortcomings (I'd say pacing more than anything) I love this film, and not simply out of nostalgia (I'm 44, and first saw it a long time ago). I find it charming- it has a certain majesty or atmosphere that is hard to describe. I like the acting, and the choice of actors. I wouldn't be surprised if Gene Roddenberry WAS influenced by Jason, after all Nancy Kovak (Medea) guest starred in a Star Trek episode 5 years later. Kirk got physical with her, natch.

[–] SilverShadow007 14 years ago

I wish you'd had a chance to see this as a kid perenium, maybe it would have changed your view on the movie a bit. I'm 20 years old now and grew up watching films like Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans, I still love both of them to this day.
When I watch J&A today through older eyes, I do pick up on some of the downfalls of this movie. As phogroian said, the pacing can be quite slow in some places. As much as I like the "Clashing Rocks" scene, I think it went on way longer than necessary as can be said for a few other scenes.
I didn't think the dialogue was particularly bad at all, for the most part it was fine. I didn't think that the acting was "horrendous" (although I could mybe make an exception for the actress playing Medea) it was, like you said, just a different time back then. The style of acting has evolved a lot over the years, becoming more natural and technical. Don't forget that this movie was released in the 60's, a time when movies were just starting to be shot in colour. A lot of the actors in J&A will have grown up watching theatre and looking at theatrical actors for their inspiration, I suppose that's where the "melodramatics" (if it can be called that) comes from. Just a different time, a different acting technique.
I don't really know what to say about the fight scenes with the Harpies and the Hydra. All I can think of is it's easier to choreograph fight scenes with skeletons, which are just basically like people, than mythical creatures. Maybe it was just harder to fill in the blanks with those scenes?

What did you just say? Say it again or I’ll break your other wrist! ~ Jack Bauer

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] yezdnil 14 years ago

I suppose it's all a matter of taste. J&A is one of my all-time favourites, and some of that is probably down to nostalgia. It has some superb scenes, and Talos, to me, is a truly great and terrifying creation - the expressionless face, the groaning bronze, the relentless pursuit.... beautifully realised and animated. And when Hermes grows into the sky in a cloud of fire and smoke, it still gets to me. I think it's also, on the whole, well-acted by a good, solid cast of mainly British character actors.

I worry a bit about your statement that you don't particularly like older movies, as that closes you off from some truly astonishing and wonderful films, no matter what genre. Willis O'Brien's 'King Kong', Billy Wilder's 'The Apartment', Akira Kurasawa's 'The Seven Samurai', each one a 'golden oldie', are as fresh and gripping today as they must have been to their original audiences. In 2060, the techniques used in the noughties will no doubt look creaky and dated, but hopefully that won't stop great films from being appreciated and loved. I mean, how could anyone resist Wallace and Gromit, or Shrek?

[–] ricky_says_hi 14 years ago

weird, i found this film better than Clash of the Titans, maybe because Jason and the Argonauts is a more interesting myth than Perseus and Medusa. i think the movie is brought down by the lead who plays Jason. the trivia section said his voice was dubbed so that might be why he's so awful. but a good amount of time is devoted to Jason choosing the best people from around Greece but only Hercules, Hylas, Acastus and Argos get any development whatsoever. Acastus's acting is also piss poor. the movie is ok for what it is since it has a great look and the there are a couple of good action sequences and Honor Blackman steals the show. i guess you need to have a bit of nostalgia watching it to enjoy it more

There's something about flying a kite at night that's so unwholesome

[–] perineum1 13 years ago

What I meant to say about older movies is that I find it hard to get into them as an adult. A young kid, some of my favorite movies were from the 30's - 60's. I love me some Wizard Of Oz. I think that a lot of what people find so dear about this movie and others like is comes from nostalgia. I recently watched The Searchers and I find I have the same problem with that movie. So much of the style of story telling/dialog/characters is hard to swallow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi5PFI3rMTQ

[–] rwsmith29456 13 years ago

To each his own. I loved it as a kid and still love it today. Just watched it for the umpteenth time.

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[–] nickm2 13 years ago

Same here...now MY seven year old is hooked on this movie too!

NM

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[–] deeveed 13 years ago

You know of all the films in my collection (and I have alot!) this is the film that I seem to pop into my player every few months or so. It's like a "fix" for the ancients. I'd think that some (maybe most?) aficionados of this film are ancient history lovers. I think there's something to be said for the fact that if Mr. Harryhausen got you to see any of his fabulous films at 8, 10 or 12 he got you for life. Why? Beacuse his films imprint themselves on your brain and in your subconscious. You can't shake them off. When Jason's asking for ships man I'm with the old boy bargaining with Zeus. The scene is set up so wonderfully. Jason and the Argonauts can probably look like a dopey film to some but to me it always fills me with great wonder. For a couple of minutes I ride back to ancient Greece with the pixels. That's as close as I'm gonna get and I'll take it from Ray!....;-)...

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] deeveed 13 years ago

If you want to go deeper it is also an exact replication of Joseph Campbell's monomyth,

Interesting point...makes me suggest that the power of Jason and the Argonauts coul be its effect on viewers' unconscious where all that myth plays out. Harryhausen's work appears to nudge it all up, that stuff on the gods of ancient Greece.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] deeveed 13 years ago

Maybe, I connected instantly with it when I was four

Well I think that that's it. I think that viewing Harryhausen's films around that age stimulates the imagination to no end. The films are practically bigger than life to a child then. Now I'd think Clash wojld've affected children but today we are in a different world with technology. Harryhausen's was cutting edge then and there wasn't too much of it going on. Today well it's all over the place. It can make the imagination dead if you ask me but that's just my opinion.

[–] Cademon 12 years ago

I believe the poster you are replying to was my old account. Actually I'm pretty certain it is.

Today well it's all over the place. It can make the imagination dead if you ask me but that's just my opinion.

I noticed a slow creep of really sub-par super-hero movies lately and wondered what the hell was happening. Now I haven't been keeping with the latest movie news, but I saw a trailer for 'The Avengers' and I realised instantly the grand plan for the industries war on intelligence and abstract thinking.
I couldn't believe it, they really are out to destroy our minds, the conspiracy nuts were right.

[–] winles 12 years ago

I saw this film when it first came out in 1963 (I was 16!)
I liked it then and I like it still.Come on it's nearly 50 years old,and cannot compete with CGI etc from nowadays,but for it's time it was(thanks to Ray Harryhausen) groundbreaking.
We cannot expect to like ALL films(ancient and modern)we all have different tastes.I think myself lucky if I like 50% of movies that I see at the cinema(and I go every week)
Like all arts(painting,Films,Literature,Music) you have to make allowances for the passage of time,and judge them accordingly.If you judge harshly by today's standards then you lose a lot.
A film is bad regardless of when it was made,I endured "Tree of Life" and believe it was the worst film I have seen in 50 years of moviegoing.There are bad older films too,but if they are THAT bad they just fade away and are not watched again.Jason is not one of these,mainly because it was/is a movie that parents allow their kids to see,and so kids become adults and have fond memories.
I am sure there are movies you saw as a child that may not be that good but you became attached to them.
If you say no then I don't believe you like movies.

"There is no road that has not a star above it"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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[–] ozymandias312 12 years ago

I was six or seven when I first saw it in 1963 or 1964. I loved it then and I love it now. And I met Ray Harryhausen once.

Ozy

And I stood where I did be; for there was no more use to run; And again I lookt with my hope gone.

[–] Wombstar 12 years ago

Other then Rays effects it doesn't have much going for it.
It was slow and boring in many parts and very poorly acted.. it certainly drags. But so does Titans. I prefer the Sinbad movies. :D

[–] kitty5578 12 years ago

I'm 53 years old; when this first came out it was so ahead of it's time- the special effects are amazing!

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] beautifulbrugmansia 11 years ago

What a shame you didn't see it as a child.

We can't discuss tastes, after all it would be a boring World if we all had the same tastes in everything.
It was simpler times back then and to us as young people this was totally amazing.

I love it still as part of my childhood. Moments of discovering things I didn't know about the World of Myths and Gods of other lands.