Jason and the Argonauts - Essay Example

In Colchis, the final destination where the Golden Fleece is kept, Jason meets his future wife Medea. She helps Jason to get the Golden Fleece and sails to Iolcus together with his team. However, adventures do not end when they arrive home. Acastus decides to run away from Jason and steals the Golden Fleece. He is noticed by Pelias, who kills Acastus and attempts to kill Jason.

After all, Pelius is killed, Jason gets the Golden Fleece and marries Medea. They become happy rules of Iolcus together. Jason is a typical epic hero because of his power, nobility and cunning. He accepts the quest of the Golden Fleece and manages to gather, train, and lead a good team. He can win seduction on the Isle of Lemnos. He is an ordinary man, not a half-god; however, he has enough positive characteristics to be described as strong, ambitious, smart, and just. Jason belongs to an aristocratic class of his society.

He is not depicted as a worker. He is a young warrior and a monarch who deserves the respect of his community. Jason and The Argonauts film is based on the Greek myth about Jason, his team, and the quest to get the Golden Fleece. Obviously, the film does not offer a clear representation of the myth. It is altered by scenarists and producers to keep it engaging for the modern audiences. The story takes place in Greece and involves famous Greek mythic characters such as Medea. However, Greek gods are represented as ordinary people who have developed skills related to their professions.

Epic qualities in the film are placed on the surface. This heroic quest reveals the power of Jason as a leader. At the same time, it contains many obstacles for Jason and his team to cope with (Cain et al., 2012). Jason displays only good characteristics. He is fair, attentive, charismatic, and courageous. Every challenge on their way proves that they are heroes and their quest will be a success. The adaptation of the myth for the contemporary audience makes it more universal and less Greek. For instance, Jason has a typical European appearance.

Orpheus is performed by the African American actor which adds diversity to the team of the Argonauts. The rhetoric of movie characters is more typical for Western culture, but the costumes and setting make the story appealing and interesting. The application of visual effects creates a more engaging plot and adapts it for people who are used to watching blockbusters. This movie is addressed to a global audience because it traces an interesting story that is edited to be more interesting and less historically correct.

All world cultures have their heroic epics which are based on the quest of a hero who is rewarded in the end for the completion of the journey. Moviemakers deprived the film of the context of Greek culture. Being dressed in Greek consumes, actors, display Western models of behavior. The movie brings aesthetic pleasure to people who decide to watch it. First of all, actors play smoothly. The settings are well decorated to make the film realistic. Medea’s character represents female beauty which would appeal to all people.

Camera work stresses the beauty of some places showing landscapes as well as close-ups of some objects. Without all these things which make the film pleasant to watch it would not be the same engaging. This film does not correspond to the myth in many places and these changes are obvious even for people who do not know much about Greek culture. Gods are substituted with ordinary people and events tend to be more realistic than mythic. The movie has not met my expectations considering its plot because I expected it to be more exciting with the supernatural power of Greek Gods and all their adventures.

Despite these minuses, the film is still interesting to watch. In this way, it can score 6 points out of 10.