Line #14 YMMV/JasonAndTheArgonauts


1	!!1963 film
2	* AdaptationDisplacement: Many fans are under the illusion that Creator/RayHarryhausen himself created the story.
3	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The suitably epic score by Music/BernardHerrmann. Every cue is a CMOA!
4	* DesignatedHero: Jason, full stop. His goal to take back his kingdom may be admirable (though we don't know for sure if his father Aristo wasn't, say, a brutal tyrant, nor if Pelias was any worse), but it's hard not to notice his [[NoSympathy blatant indifference]] to the loss of crewmen over the course of his journey (particularly Euphemus, who only died because Jason ordered him to deal with Acastus who'd jumped overboard, and Jason orders his body to be dumped in the sea with a trite expression of 'the sea was his kingdom when he was alive, let it take his body now he's dead') or his plans to filch the Golden Fleece out of Colchis to rob it of its prosperity to win the people’s favor and as a means to kill his father’s killer -- with the current owners being justifiably upset about the attempted theft. However, Jason did want to approach the situation peacefully and was going to try reason with King Aeëtes about the Fleece, but Acastus got to Aeëtes first and told him Jason 100% intends to steal it. While Aeëtes is justified, he doesn’t even at least let Jason pled his case while fully believing Acastus while he also intends to steal the fleece.
5	* DirectorDisplacement: You'll be forgiven for forgetting that Don Chaffey directed the movie given how he's constantly overshadowed by Creator/RayHarryhausen (who only produced and created the special effects).
6	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
7	** Hera, thanks to Creator/HonorBlackman's performance and the fact that overall it's one of the rare myths in which Hera is heroic (rather than the EvilMatriarch she normally is).
8	** Acastus in a sense, given how the film applies AdaptationalVillainy - leaving viewers feeling sorry for him. He's also sympathetic since the Harryhausen film has Jason attempting to usurp the throne from him.
9	** Hercules, thanks to Creator/NigelGreen, who has been called the best Hercules and remains a candidate for the title, with people citing his age, virility and general avoidance of the Italian muscleman cliche.
10	* HoYay: Hylas and Hercules sure do pair up quick. Hylas essentially [[spoiler:dies]] trying to pick up after his thoughtless boyfriend and, afterward, Hercules quits the quest [[spoiler:to retrieve his body]]. Might be AccidentallyCorrectWriting, as some versions of the myth have Hercules and Hylas as lovers.
11	* NightmareFuel:
12	** ''Every moment of Talos'' in the Harryhausen film; from the moment he wakes up and starts chasing the Argonauts, implacably and repeatedly trying to kill them, to his death scene where he grabs his throat and howls in guttural pain.
13	** The appearance of the Harpies. Unlike the more avian crones of myth, these ones [[OurDemonsAreDifferent are more akin to leather-winged demons]] make high-pitch screeches and torment Phineas just because he sinned once.
14	** The appearance of the Hydra [[MoodWhiplash jarringly coming right after gazing at the majestic golden fleece with Acastus' corpse coiled in its tail]] and proceeding to engage Jason in a tense battle combined with its eerie rattling sound.
15	*** After its demise, its corpse is burnt by Hecate and reduced skeleton and once its teeth are plucked out from its remains, the king plants them into the ground- growing seven skeletal soldiers. The scene is played with eerie, slow-paced tension ending with the skeletons making high-pitched battle cries before engaging Jason and his two allies in a tense and chaotic battle that gradually becomes more hopeless the further it drags on. And because the skeletons kill his two allies and forced Jason to jump off a cliff just to escape what devolves into a losing battle that would lead to his demise.
16	*** What Aeëtes says as the lead-up to this reanimation of the dead is chilling.
17	-->'''Aeëtes''': Rise up you dead slain of the hydra. Rise from your graves and avenge us. Those who would steal the Golden Fleece must die.
18	* RetroactiveRecognition: Phineas, the blind oracle the Argonauts visit, was played by Creator/PatrickTroughton, now better known as [[Series/DoctorWho the Second Doctor]].
19	* SignatureScene: The skeleton fight.
20	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Unfortunately the Harryhausen film does not have the time to develop the remaining Argonauts - with Acastus, Argus, Hercules and Hylas being the only ones who get more than the odd line.
21	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Every monster in the movie, but the crowning moment is undoubtedly the fighting skeletons scene. That 3 minute scene took Ray Harryhausen 4 months of solid work! The Talos scene also holds up reasonably well over the years.
22
23	!!2000 TV miniseries
24	* AdaptationDisplacement: This miniseries takes much more from the original mythology, but there are some sequences that are lifted from the Harryhausen film - Acastus's AdaptationalVillainy, the first monster being a giant (Talos in the 1963 film, Poseidon in this), Jason and Medea being portrayed as conventional lovers.
25	* AngstWhatAngst: Upon learning that [[spoiler: the mother he'd hoped to reunite with and went on the quest to save has died]], Jason goes into a drunken depression. Acastus however, the brother [[spoiler: who actually grew up with her]], seems barely affected. In fact, [[spoiler: he uses everyone drowning their sorrows as an opportunity to betray them]].
26	* BrokenBase:
27	** Which film is better. Fans of the Harryhausen film defend it quite passionately, though some mistake the 2000 film for a remake when it's really just a TruerToTheText adaptation of the original myth.
28	** The happy ending in the Hallmark film. Some despise it since this one is explicitly more faithful to the myth, and it contradicts the DownerEnding. Others feel it fits the tone of the story, especially since the Harryhausen film cuts off before the return journey to Pelias.
29	** Including Atalanta in the 2000 film. Some invoke TheyChangedItNowItSucks and complain about political correctness (especially with the AffirmativeActionGirl being involved in some kind of love triangle with Jason). Others are fine with it, since some myths do say that Jason included Atalanta on the voyage.
30	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: In the Hallmark film, the scene where Zeus tempts Medea which is never mentioned again.
31	* CompleteMonster: In the 2000 Hallmark MadeForTVMovie, [[EvilUncle Pelias]], like his mythological counterpart, is the brother of King Aeson of Iolcus and an uncle of the titular protagonist, but is [[AdaptationalVillainy much more evil]] than in the myth or in the 1963 film. He and his soldiers invade Iolcus and terrorize civillians. In his EstablishingCharacterMoment, he gives a hug to his brother only to [[CainAndAbel stab him with the knife]] saying; "My destiny is to rule!" He attempts to [[WouldHurtAChild murder the baby Jason]], only for the latter to be saved by a bodyguard. Couple years later, Pelias sends an adult Jason on a dangerous mission to find the Golden Fleece, hoping that Jason never succeeds, and threatens to kill Jason's mom whom he earlier forced to marry him. Near the end of the film, when his son, Acastus, brings Pelias the Golden Fleece, Pelias fakes gratitude and [[OffingTheOffspring murders his own son]], taking the Golden Fleece. Seconds later he holds Medea hostage. In his final act of malice, Pelias lies to Jason that he has been overcome with madness by the Fleece while giving him a hug, but secretly he was just trying to kill Jason in the same way he killed King Aeson earlier.
32	* CriticalBacklash: While wrongfully trashed as an unworthy remake of a beloved classic when it was first released (it is in no way a remake of the previous adaptation), it has significantly more fans who appreciate that it's somewhat TruerToTheText, has longer run time to give it a more epic scope and more characterization among the Argonauts.
33	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
34	** Hera is one of the most memorable things about the miniseries - which is quite impressive considering Honor Blackman is considered the favorite performance in the original. Olivia Williams does a similarly very good job.
35	** From the 2000 film, Actor gets a lot of love since he's a LovableRogue who ends up with a full-on HeelFaceTurn.
36	** Acastus in a sense, given how the miniseries applies AdaptationalVillainy - leaving viewers feeling sorry for him. He's also sympathetic as a WellDoneSonGuy.
37	* HoYay: Unsurprising, considering the source material, but Hercules and Jason are extremely close, and get a few moments of being touchy-feely. Hercules even tenderly holds Jason's face [[spoiler: before his HeroicSacrifice. And when listing their dead comrades, Jason is especially torn up as he mentions Hercules]].
38	* HollywoodHomely: Atalanta here is intended to be a plain alternative to Medea, to the point that Jason thinks of her as OneOfTheBoys. Olga Sosnovska is actually quite cute, as seen in other roles.
39	* ImprovedSecondAttempt:
40	** Jason and Medea are very much the DesignatedHero in the original myth and film. The 2000 miniseries goes out of its way to make Jason more unambiguously heroic - being ordered to get the Fleece to save his mother's life. Medea likewise gets shown to grieve for the deaths of her father and brother.
41	** With a longer run time, this miniseries allows for more characterization from the Argonauts. This time, the ones that do die have a bit more meaning.
42	* MoralEventHorizon: If Pelias hadn't crossed it when he killed his own brother who had already surrendered (and even in most myths, he just imprisoned Aeson in the dungeons), he leaps over it by [[spoiler: murdering his son just to get the fleece. His son who was ''giving him the fleece'' in the first place, making it completely gratuitous cruelty]].
43	* {{Narm}}:
44	** The last few scenes in the Hallmark one are made comical by the fact that Pelias is actually wearing the Fleece and looks quite ridiculous.
45	** Jason's DrowningMySorrows is rendered slightly comical by Jason London's out there performance.
46	** Pelias's modus operandi of assassinating his family members by [[DeadlyHug hugging them and stabbing them with a dagger]] sounds diabolical on paper, but it becomes absurd and silly due to the amount of times he does it. [[spoiler: [[HoistByHisOwnPetard This ends up leading to his defeat at the hands of Jason]], who already expected him to kill him.]]
47	* NarmCharm: The statue of Hera [[spoiler: turning into Jason's mother so she can speak to him]] should seem ridiculous, but in the context of the scene it's rather sweet.
48	* OneSceneWonder:
49	** Natasha Henstridge as Hypsipyle - only appearing in the Lemnos portions.
50	** Derek Jacobi as Phineus, stealing the show as only he can.
51	** Eros only shows up in two brief scenes, but his memorable design sticks out.
52	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: Atalanta and Orpheus get a couple of scenes where they bond - the latter talking about his lost love Eurydice, and Atalanta noticing when his music has changed. One could be forgiven for assuming they're setting up a PairTheSpares situation.
53	* QuestionableCasting:
54	** For some, Jason London was just far too wooden in the lead role. His American accent also sticks out rather egregiously when most of the other cast members have either British or European accents.
55	** Dennis Hopper's accent likewise sticks out as Pelias, though he at least manages to be somewhat menacing.
56	* RetroactiveRecognition:
57	** Jolene Blalock would of course have her breakout role in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' the very next year.
58	** Orpheus's actor Adrian Lester would later be a regular on the series ''{{Series/Hustle}}''.
59	** Atalanta's actress Olga Sosnovska later appeared on ''Series/AllMyChildren'' and ''{{Series/Spooks}}''.
60	** James Callis plays Aspyrtes one year before his memorable turn as Tom in ''Literature/BridgetJones'' and his most famous role as Dr. Gaius Balter in ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''.
61	* SpecialEffectFailure: It was the early 2000s, so no one was expecting stellar CGI. The harpies especially look very much like FMV from a Platform/PlayStation game.
62	* UnintentionallySympathetic: It's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Acastus, due to him being the WellDoneSonGuy and an otherwise loyal follower of Jason's [[spoiler: until he steals the fleece and tries to overthrow his father]]. Even then, it's a bit sad to see him [[spoiler: get killed by his own father and forgotten about by the others]].
63	* WTHCostumingDepartment: Many jokes have been made about Jason's mullet in this version. He does look a little better when he ties it up to fight the bull on Colchis though.

Context YMMV / JasonAndTheArgonauts