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As the summer of Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey winds down, another Greek myth adaptation deserves its flowers.
That is, if there’s any room left in Jason and the Argonauts’ vase. This tale of a different ancient Greek warrior battling a menagerie of monsters to reclaim his kingdom is a nearly unavoidable influence for anyone making a sword and sandals fantasy movie—Nolan included.
So much so that Jason is probably now more famous as a reference point than as its own movie. The iconic sequence of stop-motion skeleton soldiers stabbing at the Argonauts is a cited inspiration for Hollywood icons from George Lucas to James Cameron to Tim Burton.
What’s more, special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen has become so synonymous with the film’s groundbreaking stop-motion action, it’s easy to mistake him for the film’s director. (That would be Don Chaffey.)
While Nolan’s latest critical and commercial triumph has 30 better actors and vastly more interesting myth interpretation ideas than Jason, the stupefying scale of the 63-year-old movie can still be felt in The Odyssey (2026).
It’s easy to trace the influence Jason had on Nolan’s set pieces while watching the titan Talos awaken from a bronze statue into a 100-foot-tall warrior before the Argonauts’ eyes. It’s creepy; it’s eerie; forced perspective makes the monsters feel incomprehensibly large, freezing soldiers and audiences in their tracks. It’s the literal power of myth. Academy Theater, Aug. 28–Sept. 3.
Also Playing:
5th Avenue: Robinson’s Garden (1987), Aug. 28–30. Academy: Piranha (1978), The Trial (1962) and Mystery Train (1989), Aug. 26–27. The Mummy (1999) and A Bay of Blood (1971), Aug. 28–Sept. 3. Cinema 21: Some Like It Hot (1959), Aug. 29. Cinemagic: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Aug. 30 and 31. The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Aug. 28 and 29. Running Scared (2006), Aug. 28 and 30. A Summer’s Tale (1996), Aug. 29 and Sept. 1. Lady Bird (2017), Aug. 29. Cult Classics: The Gate (1987), Aug. 30. Clinton: A Holy Place (1990), Aug. 26. Tokyo Drifter (1966), Aug. 27. The Eel (1977), Aug. 28. A Snake of June (2002), Aug. 28. Iria: Zeiram the Animation (1994), Aug. 29. P.P. Rider (1983), Aug. 29. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Aug. 29. Frankenstein (1931) with live score, Sept. 1. Hollywood: Macho Dancer (1988), Aug. 26. Last of the Mohicans (1992), Aug. 27. The Craft (1996), Aug. 28. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), Aug. 29. RRR (2002), Aug. 30. Eastern Promises (2007), Aug. 30. Bonnie & Clyde (1966), Aug. 31. Moreland: Little Giants (1994), Aug. 26. School of Rock (2003), Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. Tomorrow: Body Heat (1981), Aug. 27. Do the Right Thing (1989) and Rear Window (1954), Aug. 29. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Call Me By Your Name (2017), Aug. 30.
