Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

Press release:

[quote]Embark on an adventure with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment when the epic odyssey Jason and the Argonauts is released on Blu-ray Disc on July 6, 2010 for the SLP of $24.95. Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the Titans, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad), who turns 90 this year, solidified his mark as a stop-motion master when this movie hit theaters in 1963. Harryhausen’s use of the medium exhilarated audiences as they followed Jason on his journey, encountering behemoth bronze statues, multi-headed serpents and the iconic animated armed skeletons. Through these effects, Harryhausen gave this mythical tale new legs and a provided an enduring spectacle for audiences. Viewers can now take this journey in high definition and be blown away by the remastering of Harryhausen’s masterpiece on Blu-ray.

Ray Harryhausen’s achievements and contributions to the art of motion picture special effects are unparalleled, and his films, including The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Clash of the Titans, and of course, Jason and the Argonauts, have influenced legions of filmmakers and special effects designers, including Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, James Cameron and Sam Raimi, to name just a few. In an era before computer generated effects were possible, Harryhausen pioneered advances in stop motion photography which brought his mythic monsters to life—and blended them so seamlessly among the actors. A towering Cyclops fighting Sinbad and his men on the beach, skeletons with swords fighting the heroes in a duel to the death, Talos, the enormous bronze statue come to life; these are only a few of the amazing creatures which Harryhausen’s hands animated with incredibly precise and vivid detail. Each individual creature is alive with realistic movement, musculature, personality and even emotion. The unique world and unmistakable style that he created forever changed the approach to fantasy and special effects filmmaking.

Bonus features include an interactive photo gallery with previously unreleased original storyboards of the famous skeleton sequence, all new commentaries with Harryhausen, Oscar®-winning Director Peter Jackson (Best Director, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2004), three time Oscar®-winner for Best Visual Effects Randall William Cook (Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, 2002; Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2003; Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2004), and film historian Tony Dalton, as well as an interview with Harryhausen conducted by accomplished director, John Landis (Michael Jackson’s “Thrillerâ€

Totally want this, haven't watched this in a while. Probably my second favorite Harryhausen film.

I kind of slacked with this but here is the cover art:

DVDbeaver makes with the screen captures:

I was about to ask what did Sony to the aspect ratio and then I read the explanation for the ratio change and it all made sense.

It looks a bit better than what's been available, it's hard to tell what sort of restoration work Sony may have done. I think that most telling, as far as restoration goes, would be a clip of the Skeleton Warrior fight. For some reason the previous print (well the one that TCM has been showing) the compositing seems rough.

For those of you who do not have it yet (like myself), Best Buy has this on sale this week for $8.

Jason and the Argonauts is easily the absolute best Harryhausen film! If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor & watch it. If you enjoyed 7th Voyage of Sinbad even a little, you'll like this one. It is, imo, *the* quintessential sea-faring fantasy-adventure.