With guidance from the goddess Hera (Honor Blackman) who wants to help the mortal after his sister and father are slain, Jason (Todd Armstrong) goes in search of a fleece of gold hanging from a tree at the end of the world, a gift of the gods, and whose powers to heal and bring peace will restore his homeland of Thessaly to its former glory.

If only the solution to war in the Middle East, or famine in Africa was as simple as finding a golden fleece or sacred jewel guarded by a monster. One of many reasons to love this movie already.

Sponsoring a tournament of games, Jason assembles a crew of the finest men in Greece, including Hercules (Nigel Green). With a ship designed by the boatwright Argos, the crew encounter a giant bronze statue, harpies, crashing rocks, a six-headed hydra and a squad of skeleton swordfighters, all animated by stop motion effects master Ray Harryhausen.

Regarded by Harryhausen and many critics as the best film of his career, Jason and the Argonauts set the bar that all other films inspired by classic myth – whether Troy, or Harryhausen’s fantasy Clash of the Titans – have yet to surpass.

The acting, well, I would mumble if anyone asked me about Todd Armstrong’s acting ability. Nancy Kovack is introduced more than half way through the movie as Medea, the high priestess of Hecate, who falls in love with Dudley Do Right and helps him snatch the golden fleece. Both actors ended up having their dialogue dubbed, but Harryhausen could not animate their terrible performances.

The producers were lucky enough to afford Honor Blackman to play Hera. Blackman – who would star as Pussy Galore opposite Sean Connery in Goldfinger the following year – is easily the most charismatic performer here and the perfect choice to play a Greek deity. Not only is she beautiful, but filled with mischief and passion, and the script gives her quite a bit to do.

Written by Jan Read and Beverly Cross, the script does an outstanding job mining the more imaginative and exciting elements of Greek myth (and making up a few) to deliver a classic fantasy film. The story establishes the majesty of the Argo, and gives many of Jason’s crew a personality as well. My favorite scene doesn’t involve monsters, but Phalerus wagering that he can throw a discus as far as Hercules and hit a rock at sea.

The movie looks and sounds terrific. Vivid matte paintings give several of the locations, including the temple of Hecate and Mount Olympus, a far bigger and more luxurious scale than the sets alone could have. The score was composed by Bernard Herrmann, who wrote the music for many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, including Vertigo and Psycho.

Ray Harryhausen’s effects are the chief reason to see Jason and the Argonauts. The three minute skeleton battle – which Harryhausen spent 4 1/2 months animating by himself – may look simple by today’s standards, but choreographing the miniature skeletons one frame at a time to move fluidly with the actors, without benefit of computers, was truly a creative feat.

This flick is filled to the brim with visual jewels. I even got a kick of how “The End” is reflected in the pool on Mount Olympus to end the film. I recommend this highly to anyone whose kids think Star Wars is the coolest thing ever and who want something just as good to watch with them.