Jason and the Argonauts (2000 version) (4 Stars)

When watching this film the obvious question is, "How does it compare with the original version?" My answer is that it compares favourably. The strength of the new version is in the story. Since the 2000 version runs for almost three hours the characters can be developed better than in the 1963 version. This applies especially to the supporting characters, the other sailors on the Argo. When it comes to the special effects, the new version might be technically better, but I have a fetish for Ray Harryhausen's stop motion animation. The skeletons that fought Jason in the original version were just perfect, and however good computer animation is it will never have the same effect on screen.

I was fascinated by Jolene Blalock's haunting beauty as the Princess Medea. Apart from this film I only remember seeing her in the TV series "Enterprise". There's something about her face that fascinates me. It's a mixture of her (artificial) long eyebrows and her (genuine) large lips.