Hermes takes Jason to Mount Olympus to speak with Zeus and Hera. Zeus decrees that Hera can help him only five times, the same number of times that Jason's murdered sister called on her for protection. She directs him to search for the Fleece in the land of Colchis. Zeus offers aid, but Jason declines. well-paced film that finds a place for all it has to offer; never does the picture suffer when there's a For years, 16mm copies of Jason placed Medea's temple dance way out of sequence, before the Argonauts reach Colchis. The Blu-ray of course fixes this while improving on all earlier home video releases. Grover Crisp of Sony wisely chose a slightly taller 1:66 aspect ratio, which adds image to the top and bottom of the frame while placing narrow pillars at the sides of the HD image. Harryhausen purists will be pleased to see less cropping of the effects. The added color detail of Blu-ray brings out hidden character in the main title artwork, and gives the green highlights on Talos' bronze skin more definition. Likewise, the Golden Fleece is returned to its impressive sparkly-but-organic look -- the golden glow effect has been toned down quite a bit. Jason and the Argonauts is presented in 1.66:1 widescreen using the AVC MPEG-4 codec on a dual-layered BD50 disc. The frame has been opened up slightly from Harryhausen's preferred full-frame version to account for the 16x9 anamorphic encode. Ultimately, the compromise benefits the viewer as we get to see slightly more of the original frame. It is this classic look and animation that makes JATA an iconic movie. But there is more of value in it.

On the other hand, what is wonderful is the way they handle the interaction between Jason and the Gods on Olympus. He doesn't grovel and snivel in awe and fear. He stands bold and true (which in the Greek religion was expected). And for their part, Zeus and the Gods treat him with respect, even though he is a plaything to them. Jason and the Argonauts Blu-ray delivers stunning video and solid audio in this excellent Blu-ray releaseEin Beispiel: Der Sohn von Phelias (der eigentliche Antagonist) begleitet Jason auf der Suche nach dem goldenen Fließ. Auch wenn er an allen möglichen Stellen sich versucht gegen Jason aufzulehnen, was Situationsbedingt dann jeweils auch Sinn macht, ist die Enttarnung durch Jason doch sehr unglaubwürdig und einfach sehr schlechtes Storytelling- bzw. schlecht geschriebener Dialog. One of the two Argonauts killed by the skeletons is Castor, who in Greek mythology would perish much later as the result of a feud with Idas and Lynceus. The other is Phalerus, who in mythology would also survive the adventures of the Argonauts.

The picture looks pretty good on this DVD, and is available in both widescreen (1.85:1) and full screen pan and scan formats. The audio, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, is relatively clear throughout. Special features include subtitles (English, French, and Spanish), the original theatrical trailer, short production notes inside the case, and a lengthy interview with Ray Harryhausen conducted by John Landis, featuring clips, still photos, and even a prop or two from the films.Zeus, all powerful yet surprisingly gentle (this is a guy who could fry you in an instant with a thunderbolt) spends quality time with Hera, Queen of the Gods (and his wife). The legends tend to focus on their many arguments and Zeus' infidelities, but here, we see a couple whom we suspect actually do like each other. Refreshing interpretation. Audio choices are English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Mono with English subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired. The plot of the film follows the myth pretty closely (considering it is a movie) and it stays true to the moral ambiguity of the legend. That's a positive, because we are seeing Greek myth, not "Greek-Myth-with-American-Values". We see things as the myth tells us. It leaves open questions because that is what the myths do.