Stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen’s special-effects work in the 1950s and ’60s has had a far greater influence than any of the films it was featured in, including this ponderous and hokey take on the ancient Greek myth. Harryhausen’s visuals arrive like blessings from the gods; they’re heavenly creatures in a drama that is laboriously earthbound. Appreciating Harryhausen’s accomplishments here means enduring a host of sword-and-sandal ludicrousness, yet something wonderful happens when his animated models appear on the screen, starting with the towering statue Talos, which comes to jittery, giant life. With these surreal, distinct creations – never really believable yet always magical – Jason and the Argonauts transcends its costume-movie trappings and rises into the realm of true imagination.
