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.
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.