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Jason and the Argonauts (TV) More at IMDbPro »
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| Index | 47 reviews in total |
18 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Another version of a myth, 9 October 2003
Author:
taz2-uk from London, England
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This is yet another version of classical Greek myth... this one is a bit
closer to the 'original' that the 1963 Harryhausen one.
I know the above will be a bit inflammatory to some but it is true. The
baseline for them myth is the Apollonius poem and Harryhausen himself said
they had added to the story to make it more Hollywood.
Apollonius states that Jason was more of a charismatic diplomat/trader
than
a warrior... both qualities I felt the actor was unable to play to the
level
required.
Medea was the daughter of Aertes and a High Priestess. She saved Jason and
the Argonauts by cutting the brother into pieces and scattering them
behind
the Argo so that the pursuing fleet would have to stop and pick them up
for
burial. Jolene Blalock has the exotic looks for the part but the wooden
acting style of Keanu Reeves...
The journey was well portrayed - the stop at Lemmnos especially so. It was
also nice to see Jason facing the fire breathing bull - though it was not
originally mechanical and there were two of them. The fact that he had to
plough the fields and sow the Teeth was also a good point. Medea had given
Jason an ointment to protect him from the fire of the Bulls (included in
the
scene) - she also gave him a magical stone with which to defeat the
warriors
(note, they were never skeletons in the original), a sort of magic grenade
which made short work of them.
Retrieving the Fleece was well done - it replaced the Harryhausen Hydra
(which was not in the original - he 'stole' it from the Lernaen Hydra
Hercules fought) - with a lizard that Orpheus sang to sleep. The
Apollonian
story had a huge, horned snake calmed and put to sleep by the sound of
Medea's voice - so it was a slight bending.
The fall of Hercules was interesting... and I felt Brian Thompson was
underused badly here...
The return to Iolchos to face Dennis Hopper (who played a good part in the
paranoiac Pelias) ended in a bit of a farce with the Fleece being stolen
(as
if Jason/Medea would let it out of their sight!) then paraded through the
streets... Medea's approach to Pelias was difficult to understand - did
she
go to stay with the Fleece or was it to kill Pelias? But after short fight
scene (indoors to keep down the number of extras required) the survivors
all
live happily ever after in true Hollywood style...
Of course, if you go back to the original tragic myth (pre-Apollonius),
Pelias refused to give up his throne, Jason could not kill him (against
Greek law), so Medea killed him by magic and ended up being exiled with
Jason (who she later killed along with their children when Jason wanted to
leave her for another woman)...
All in all, a reasonable version - the effects were iffy at times and the
standard of acting let it down - but still a watchable version that is
totally different from the Harryhausen Hollywood spectacular.
18 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
Based on Homer's interpretation of a Greek legend., 2 March 2002
Author:
chathaf from Utah
In watching the movie, it was very difficult to get past Jason London's poor acting. At no point during of the movie did it ever seem like he had any grasp of his part--he never seemed regal, charismatic (a leader), or powerful. London always seemed out of place with a reasonably strong cast around him. Too bad...the movie could have been pretty good.
13 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
lacking sense of wonder, 5 February 2002
Author:
(jakob@saturn.yzu.edu.tw) from Taiwan
The criterion "sense of wonder" is commonly applied to sci-fi works, but is
even more relevant to the fantasy genre. When the reader or viewer is
touched by feelings of awe and mystery, they feel "moved" and have a
deeper,
more positive reaction to the artwork being witnessed.
The Harryhausen film was much more successful at this: the Bernard Herrmann
score was masterful, and certain scenes portraying the interaction of gods
and human beings (such as in the temple of Hera, the transformation of
Hermes, the awakening of Talos) conveyed the deep reverence and awe that
Bronze Age Greeks must have felt towards their gods. This newer Hallmark
version conveys an attitude towards the Greek gods closer to mockery and
amusement,
perhaps appropriate for the "sophisticated" Athens in the age of Euripides
or Aristophanes, but certainly out of touch with the period over a thousand
years earlier when Jason lived.
11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
JASON 2000, 1 March 2001
Author:
Edgar Soberón Torchia (estorchia@gmail.com) from Panama
Being an unconditional admirer of Ray Harryhausen's and Don Chaffey's
version of `Jason and the Argonauts' could be a disadvantage to fully enjoy
this Hallmark mini-series. But surprisingly it has its own values to make it
an enjoyable experience.
First I'd like to claim that I see no reason to diminish its merits because
of its faithfulness or liberties regarding Greek mythology. This is cinema
not literature, and it must be evaluated as a work of moving images. If
judging a cinematic work according to literary precepts were the rule, then
not even the 1963 film would endure this kind of judgment: as I remember it,
Medea, for instance, was described as a high priestess not related to the
royal family of Colchis. According to the faithful-to-literary-source
approach, that would be enough to condemn the motion picture. On the other
hand, I believe that `Jason 2000' was also inspired by cinematic tradition,
not only by the 1963 production but other sources as well, as Marcel Camus'
`Orfeu negro', and today's horror films. It was also inspired by our times:
the reason to include a female Argonaut validates the role of women
warriors, instead of being a feminist or `politically correct'
concession.
One of the most interesting things about this version is its casting,
resulting in the fact that the story is told from the point of view of very
young people, with all their impetus and fragility. When most contemporary
motion pictures portray aimless young persons, this series shows a
purposeful youth, young people with a mission and who fulfill their destiny
with passion. Such is the case of Jason, Medea, Acastus, Atalanta, Aspyrtes,
Orpheus, Zetes, and most of the Argonauts. These are the real protagonists
of the story. In their search for justice and love, they are helped or
betrayed by their elders, be it gods (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera who appears
three times as an old peasant woman) or humans (Pelias, Aertes,
Phineas).
It is inevitable to compare the film to its predecessor: concerning the
gods, this time they seem more lustful and primitive than the Olympus
portrayed in the 1963 film, with Nial McGinnis and Honor Blackman fighting
over Jason's destiny. This time Hera and Zeus feel unequivocal sexual
attraction towards Jason and Medea, respectively. Hera makes reference to
Zeus' frolicking with humans, and that may please the Greek mythology
purists. But their representations seem out of a detergent TV spot -clouds
included- and the acting by Olivia Williams and, specially, by Angus
MacFadyen do not help much. At least, in the original the naiveté of the
gods seemed more apt to the story being told, than these two creatures who
open the narration in awe, but close it with embarrassingly sexy
foreplay.
Special effects are fine, but in some respects they do not surpass the
Harryhausen creatures. A mechanic bull –sound effects included- substitutes
Talos, but the titan is evoked by the imposing height of a Poseidon out of
`The Neverending Story'. The sequences of the dragon, the skeleton army and
the harpies do not improve on the original ones. Compared to the
seven-headed hydra, this dragon is rather silly (it falls awkwardly into a
precipice that it has previously climbed with ease). The skeletons –this
time looking like mannequins grounded on earth- lack the grace of the mean
originals. In spite of the work of the Jim Henson workshop, the whole
harpies sequence lacks the dark and exciting atmosphere created by
Harryhausen, Chaffey and Herrmann.
In this version, there are more exciting warring scenes and Jason finally
claims his throne, but to make the story work for three hours the film is
full of melodramatic gestures and dialogues, which alternate with the
action. The writers added some `character development' with Freudian
overtones taken from a Psychology 101 course, that give a little depth to
the characters: it may work for Pelias, Polymele or Medea, but in the case
of Jason, being an action hero, his uncertainty and doubts tend to diminish
the empathy with the viewer. In other occasions, they are too tame or just
do not make sense: did Aspyrtes have an incestuous relationship with Medea,
or is he gay and jealous of Medea because of Jason? In this respect,
direction of actors is very suggestive in many different
scenes.
All this said, I think that the film has the same enthusiasm of the
original; the search for the golden fleece is still fascinating no matter
how much Greek mythology has been altered. In the final analysis, `Jason
2000' is an enjoyable mini-series, with a story of tyranny, greed and
righteousness still relevant for our times.
11 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Harryhausen has nothing to worry about, 14 May 2000
Author:
Rovin from Vancouver, Canada
I was looking forward to this tv version of the myth, but was very
disappointed. First of all, Jason (the actor) plods through the story as if
he were still "Dazed and Confused," he lacks the necessary charisma and it
doesnt help that he closely resembles Kevin Sorbo. In the 63 film version,
Todd Armstrong(who got the role because he was a relative of a studio exec)
wasnt a great actor, but he did a much better job(and this despite his lines
being dubbed by another actor!). Second, Dennis Hopper was terrible as
Pelias. And he looked absolutely ridiculous when he dons the golden fleece
near the end.
Third--It was a poor decision to have such young actors playing the "father
and mother of the gods." Zeus and Hera should have been middle aged--not
twenty-something! And the idea of having them materialize in the
clouds...laughable.
I could mention how Derek Jacobi is unrecognizable and wasted in his part,
and the odd choice of making Orpheus an African, but why bother?
The only good points are the location shooting, and some of the
effects/monster sequences(the Minoan bull and the dragon
especially).
But the 1963 film with fx by Ray Harryhausen was much more
enjoyable.
16 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
Ha ha ha, 16 July 2000
Author:
Goreripper from Sydney, Australia
It's a good indication of just how bad television is becoming when one spends four hours watching such reprehensible ineptitude as this. As a guy who has grown up with Greek myth since I could understand language it's difficult to express how insulted I was by this ludicrous film. Taking liberties with a storyline is one thing. Reinventing it to fit a Hollywood formula is something different: the inclusion of blacks and women among the Argonauts is inexcusable no matter what the producer's motives--not because Atalanta wouldn't have made a good Argonaut, but because she wasn't, and Orpheus was Greek, not Ethiopian. The involvement of Hercules for the entire voyage instead of for only part of the first stage like in the real legend is almost forgiveable after that. For all of that however, the biggest beef with "Jason and the Argonauts" is not that it leaves out huge slabs of the journey, makes up new parts and juggles characters to suit itself. In fact, it gets some parts right: sending the dove between the clashing rocks for example, and Jason's relationship to Pilias among little else. Overall, this film is just lame, a poor, typically made-for-television sham of a cracking good story, exploiting all the best bits for all their worth and completing omitting or changing others. For those who only know the legend from this film: Orpheus wasn't black, Atalanta wasn't an Argonaut, Medea was a cold-blooded conniving bitch who cut up her own brother and fed him to the sharks and Hercules quit the voyage early on to go searching for his gay lover who got spirited away by river nymphs. Let's hope that, one day, some film producer has the guts to tell this story the way is was supposed to be told--and maybe use Hercules' real Greek name (Heracles) to boot.
18 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Watch the original instead., 17 April 2001
Author:
GenK1981 from Essex, England
This TV mini series was on over the Easter Holidays and i was caught by the
impressive cast that they had lined up for this movie.... i also had to
watch it also because i really enjoy greek mythology. What i got was over 3
hours of false mythology that doesn't even deserve to share the same title
as the 1960's original.
Jason London was not convincing as the main character Jason, neither was
Dennis Hopper unfortunately who fell victim to a silly scene at the end
where hes wearing the fleece on his head, it cracked me up, he looked an
idiot. Natasha Henstridge and Derek Jakobi were not in it enough to make
any sort of impression and the gods were too merciful i
thought.
The SFX was okay, but i still prefer the ground breaking effects of Ray
Harryhausen who's designs for the titans in the original scared me when i
was younger.
This film was false when it comes to sticking by the facts of greek
mythology i.e. there were no female argonauts - Atlantas is a false. Also
the fact that Orpheus was greek and not African, these are just a few points
from many mistakes that effected this series.
My two biggest groans though must be....
a) Why did they replace Talos the bronze giant with that stupid bull, Talos
was my favourite Titan in the original and i was looking forward to see him
redesigned for this series.......but not into a stupid bull that breathes
fire....OH DEAR! Also the Hydra was replaced by a dragon......why?......i
don't know?
and b) The sound effects were not as ground breaking as the original. The
sound for the original film captured half the scene, an example being the
appearance of Talos - it created tension. It was sorely
missed.
In the end Hollywood have spoilt mythology and replaced it with a child's
bed time story........5/10
13 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
An epic mini-series, 9 May 2000
Author:
Matthew Ignoffo (mermatt@webtv.net) from Eatontown, NJ, USA
The mini-series is not dead as some had proclaimed. This retelling of
Jason's epic journey to gain the Golden Fleece has an excellent cast and
impressive FX.
Jason London is impressive as the young hero, giving this actor a
long-overdue chance to shine as a new star in the heavens over Olympus. His
character is the center and the anchor of the sprawling story, and he gives
a strong yet appealingly vulnerable quality to his character who happens to
have the same name.
Though it was odd that Poseidon looked like a bunch of rocks with legs
instead of the more-common image of him as a crowned merman with trident,
most of the other magical or divine elements in the story were well-acted
and believably realized through the computerized FX.
This TV mini-series is a worthy successor to the 1963 film.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
I'm surprised at all the negative comments, 25 October 2008
Author:
ricky_says_hi from Ireland
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
of course this miniseries is nothing spectacular and wont be remembered
but its still good to watch I'm not a Greek mythology expert but i am
familiar with the story and this is quite faithful to the myth. to the
question about Atalanta, she was not in the original film yes but she
did appear in the myth. some historians say Jason wouldn't allow a
woman on the ship but in other versions she is part of it. the whole
crush on Jason thing isn't right though. Jason London of course is not
stand out as the hero but he does play the role well enough Brian
Thompson is an excellent choice for Hercules, too bad he didn't have
more focus but the "fall of Hercules" was greatly done Jolene Black
looks amazing as Medea and has the right look for the part. she can be
a bit wooden at times but what can you do? Natasha Henstridge could
have been given a bigger role and her segment in the story was a bit
boring but it was in the myth as for Orpheus why are so many people
outraged that he was black? its not like he was talking in urban slang
and acting like a pimp. he was cool and the actor portrayed him well
Dennis Hopper of course was annoying as his voice droned on but i guess
that is good as he was playing a villain and so he made us hate him the
other actors were all good apart from this one guy with a Geordie
accent who had good sight. his lines didn't fit
the action sequences were very well done. Poseidon looked cool and real
enough, the dark rocks scene was exciting and the fight with that
dragon was well choreographed. i didn't like the harpies or the bull
because the CGI looked a bit bad on them but the action was good. the
flee from Colchis was brilliant and quite exciting. the last part of
the movie is kinda pointless especially a scene where Zeus tries to
seduce Medea. of course the ending is complete bull as Pelias was
killed by Medea and sneakily. her and Jason did not become king and
queen and the tale did not have a happy ending. overall it is good
entertainment and a decent stab at adapting a famous myth
5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
I like this film, 27 February 2001
Author:
tsvetelina_m (tsvetelina_m@yahoo.com) from Varna, Bulgaria
I really enjoyed this film.I am mad about classic stories,fairy tales,myths etc.I cant say that Jason and the argonauts(2000) was perfect but everyman has his own idea about how to be told a story.I think that the both main gods (Zeus and his wife)are bad pictured.I believe they must be much older and representative,and the film makers had to make them look like the other actors-long curled hairs and beards.There a lots of sculptures of ancient Greek gods in the museums.I know that Americans like to have both colored and white actors in the movies but it was a pretty big surprise for me to see a black actor playing the Orfeus.I mean that Orfeus is a Trakh.We Bulgarians learn at school that Orfeus and his tribe are our ancestors.I think that all the actors did their best,and the digital effects were great and the story is really excellent.
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