• Rating:
• Genre: Adventure
• Movie Type: Fantasy Adventure, Mythological Fantasy
• Themes: Crowned Heads, Inheritance at Stake, Redemption
• Director: Nick Willing
• Main Cast: Jason London, Jolene Blalock, Dennis Hopper, Frank Langella, Ciarán Hinds
• Release Year: 2000
• Country: US
• Run Time: 179 minutes

Plot

This 2000 production recounts a famous tale from Greek mythology: the quest for the Golden Fleece. The film begins when the evil Pelias (Dennis Hopper) usurps the throne of his half-brother, Aeson, king of the Greek city of Iolcus, after murdering Aeson and marrying his wife, Polymele (Diana Kent). Aeson's child, Jason (Mickey Churchill), escapes but returns years later as a young man (Jason London) to see his mother, Polymele, and claim his royal patrimony. Pelias then threatens to kill Polymele unless Jason brings him the Golden Fleece. Made of the skull, horns, and gilded wool of a winged ram, the fleece affords protection and prosperity to the kingdom that possesses it. It hangs from a tree on sacred ground in the Black Sea port of Colchis, where an unsleeping dragon protects it. After Jason agrees to undertake a perilous ocean voyage to retrieve it, he assembles a crew that includes the mighty Hercules (Brian Thompson) and the musician Orpheus (Adrian Lester). On the long ocean voyage aboard his ship, the Argo, Jason overcomes many perils -- passing through clashing rocks and fighting deadly Harpies -- while the gods Zeus and Hera observe from the heavens and occasionally meddle in Jason's exploits. At Colchis, the King Aertes (Frank Langella) forbids Jason to carry off the fleece, for it has long protected and sustained his realm. But he relents upon learning that the gods favor the youth. However, Jason must first prove himself by yoking a fire-breathing bull. With the help of the king's daughter, Medea (Jolene Blalock), a sorceress smitten with love for him, Jason succeeds, survives further tests, kills the dragon, and returns with the fleece -- and Medea. But in Iolcus, Pelias gains control of the fleece, then sends 200 soldiers to kill Jason and his crew. Thus, Jason faces still another trial. His fate and the fates of Media, Pelias, and all of Iolcus depend on how he responds. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

Review

Swordplay, monsters, and romance enliven this adaptation of the Greek myth about Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. The actors portray characters ranging from the bad and the beautiful to the weird and the wondrous, starting with the gleefully malicious Dennis Hopper as the villain Pelias and the dreamily enchanting Jolene Blalock as the sorceress Medea. Good special effects dazzle the eye throughout the film, bringing statues to life, stirring seas into a rage, poising gods on clouds, and animating a fire-breathing metal bull. All is not well with this film, however. In the role of the title character, boyish Jason London lacks soul, bravado, oomph; a tranquillized mannequin could have performed with more enthusiasm. In addition, the mostly American and British cast creates an awkward linguistic problem: Characters from the same region, or even the same family, end up speaking with different accents. Finally, although the production generally retells most of the myth faithfully, it does revise or embellish important parts of it. Nevertheless, there is enough good acting -- from Derek Jacobi as soothsayer Phineas, Frank Langella as King Aertes of Colchis, Brian Thompson as Hercules, and Natasha Henstridge as the stunning Hypsipele -- to prop up the production. The monsters are good, too, especially the hideous Harpies that bedevil Phineas and the gigantic dragon that pauses to listen to Orpheus' music before eating several of Jason's crew. (Burp!) ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Jason London - Jason
• Jolene Blalock - Medea
• Dennis Hopper - Pelias
• Frank Langella - Aertes
• Ciarán Hinds - King Aeson

Derek Jacobi - Phineas; Natasha Henstridge - Hypsipyle; Mark Lewis Jones; Diana Kent - Polymele; Adrian Lester - Orpheus; Angus MacFadyen - Zeus; Kieran O'Brien - Actor; Hugh Quarshie; Brian Thompson - Hercules; Olivia Williams - Hera; David Calder

Credit

Sean Barton - Editor; Simon Boswell - Composer (Music Score); Roger Hall - Production Designer; Robert Halmi, Sr. - Executive Producer; Dyson Lovell - Producer; Julie Selzer - Casting; Joyce Gallie - Casting; Robert Halmi, Jr. - Executive Producer; Sergei Kozlov - Cinematographer; Nick Willing - Director; Lauris Freeman - Casting; Dave Booth - Visual Effects Supervisor

Similar Movies

The Odyssey; Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger; Clash of the Titans; Ulysses; The 7th Voyage of Sinbad; Troy; Young Hercules