Jason and the Argonauts (1963) starring Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack
Synopsis
Jason and the Argonauts is the classic fantasy tale of the fearless sailor who must find the Golden Fleece before he can claim his throne. Fighting an army of skeletons, harpies, the hydra, and a bronze giant along the way.
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) starring William Hopper, Joan Taylor
In 20 Million Miles to Earth, the first human expedition to Venus returns to Earth with a bang – literally. The ship crash lands off the coast of Italy. There are only two survivors, one of whom dies shortly after. But in addition, there’s a living specimen brought back. And it begins growing in Earth’s atmosphere. It’s only dangerous when provoked. But it gets provoked easily. And after it’s being held incapacitated in the Coliseum of Rome … It escapes! That poor elephant …
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) starring Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway
Synopsis of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
In The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms a nuclear test thaws and revives a frozen dinosaur. Freed from its Arctic imprisonment, it takes off on a path of destruction.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is best remembered as a Ray Harryhausen special effects extravaganza. And as a huge fan of Ray Harryhausen’s work, I certainly appreciate the great work that he did here. But a film has to be more than special effects; and thankfully, this film is more than great special effects. The acting is good, with characters that the audience care about. Also, the effects enhance the story and don’t take it over.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), starring Hugh Marlow, Joan Taylor, special effects by Ray Harryhausen
Synopsis of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook, which is tasked with sending rockets into the upper atmosphere to probe for future space flights. Unfortunately, all the rockets are somehow disappearing. While investigating this strange occurrence, Russell and his new assistant/wife Carol Marvin are abducted by a flying saucer, where the aliens demand to meet with certain people in order to negotiate. But it was a trick; the aliens only wanted to kill them. The invasion has begun and if Russell and Carol can’t find a way to get past their defenses and stop these creatures, it may be the end of the human race.
Many people consider the 1961 version of Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island to be no more than an excuse for Ray Harryhausen to do his special effects magic. And the special effects are wonderful, but there’s actually more that makes the movie very enjoyable.