It happened right at the turn of the millennium. Hallmarks of 90s television—those sweeping, high-budget miniseries—were reaching a fever pitch just before the prestige TV era of HBO and Netflix changed the rules forever. Then came Jason and the Argonauts 2000. If you grew up with a cable subscription, you probably remember the flickering images of a golden fleece, a terrifying CGI bull, and a very young Jason London trying to fill the sandals of a mythological titan. It was a massive two-part event on NBC, and honestly, it remains one of the most polarizing adaptations of Greek mythology ever put to film.
People either love it for its campy, earnest energy or hate it for how much it deviates from the Argonautica. But here’s the thing: it wasn't trying to be a history textbook. It was trying to be a blockbuster in your living room.
The Massive Shadow of 1963
You can't talk about Jason and the Argonauts 2000 without talking about Ray Harryhausen. That’s the law. The 1963 film is a masterpiece of stop-motion animation. When the 2000 version was announced, fans of the original were skeptical. How do you top the skeleton fight? You don’t. You pivot. Director Nick Willing—who also gave us that trippy Alice in Wonderland miniseries—decided to lean heavily into the digital revolution.
While the 1963 version felt like a handcrafted diorama come to life, the 2000 version felt like a video game intro. It was sleek. It was loud. It was very, very green-screened.
Jason London took on the lead role of Jason. His brother Jeremy was originally considered, but Jason landed the gig, bringing a certain "boy-next-door" vibe to a character who, in the myths, is actually kind of a jerk. In the 2000 miniseries, he's much more of a traditional hero. He’s the rightful king of Iolcus, his father was murdered by the treacherous Pelias (played with delicious villainy by Dennis Hopper), and he just wants to make things right.
Hopper is easily the best part of the whole production. He doesn't just chew the scenery; he swallows it whole. Watching a Hollywood legend like him share screen time with a CGI dragon is the kind of chaotic energy that only existed in turn-of-the-century TV.
Casting That Makes No Sense (But Sorta Works)
The cast list for Jason and the Argonauts 2000 reads like a fever dream. You have Dennis Hopper as the primary antagonist. Then you have Frank Langella as King Aeetes. Langella brings a gravity to the role that almost feels too good for the material. He’s intense. He’s scary. He makes you believe that a Golden Fleece actually has the power to save a kingdom.
Then there's the Argonauts themselves.
Instead of a faceless crowd of soldiers, the show tries to give them personalities. We get Orpheus, the musician who literally sings his way through problems. We get Hercules, played by Brian Thompson. Thompson is a character actor staple—you’ve seen him as a vampire in Buffy or an alien in The X-Files. He doesn't play the demi-god as a shimmering hero. He plays him as a massive, slightly weary powerhouse who’s just there to get the job done. It’s a gritty take on a character usually draped in gold.
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And we have to talk about Hera.
Olivia Williams plays the Queen of the Gods. In this version, the gods aren't just sitting on clouds drinking nectar. They are active participants in the drama, often appearing as giant faces in the water or reflections in a shield. It’s a stylistic choice that feels very "of its time." The CGI was cutting edge for a television budget in 2000, even if it looks a bit like a PlayStation 2 cinematic today.
Where the 2000 Version Actually Sticks to the Myth
Kinda.
The plot follows the broad strokes we all know. Jason needs the Fleece. He builds the Argo. He assembles a team of heroes. They sail to Colchis. They face trials. They come home.
But the nuances are where it gets interesting. The 2000 miniseries keeps the Harpies, those winged monsters that torment the blind seer Phineus. It keeps the Clashing Rocks (the Symplegades), which provided one of the most tense sequences in the first half. It also keeps the relationship between Jason and Medea (played by Jolene Blalock, right before she became a household name on Star Trek: Enterprise).
Medea is a tricky character. In the original myths by Apollonius of Rhodes, she’s a powerful sorceress who basically carries Jason on her back through all his challenges. Without her, Jason dies in about five minutes. The 2000 version honors this. She isn't just a love interest; she's the strategic mind. She’s the one with the magic ointments and the insider knowledge of her father’s kingdom.
However, the ending is where the 2000 version takes its biggest liberties.
In the real myth—the dark, depressing one—Jason and Medea have a horrific falling out involving some very dead children and a lot of fire. Television audiences in 2000 weren't ready for that. The producers decided to give them a much more "happily ever after" vibe, which honestly, changes the entire point of the Greek tragedy. It turns a cautionary tale about hubris and betrayal into a standard hero's journey.
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The Production Value: A Time Capsule
Hallmark Entertainment was the powerhouse behind this. They were the ones churning out The 10th Kingdom, Merlin, and Arabian Nights. Their formula was simple: take a classic story, throw $20 million to $30 million at it, hire three "name" actors and a bunch of talented newcomers, and film it in an exotic location like Turkey or London.
Jason and the Argonauts 2000 was filmed largely in Turkey. The landscapes are stunning. The practical sets for the city of Iolcus feel lived-in and dusty. There's a tangible texture to the costumes and the ships that CGI can't replicate. It’s that weird middle ground in film history where digital effects were being used to bridge the gaps between massive physical sets.
The music by Simon Boswell is also surprisingly epic. It uses choral arrangements and sweeping orchestral swells that make the voyage of the Argo feel genuinely grand. It’s the kind of score that convinces you that you're watching a $100 million movie instead of a Sunday night broadcast.
Why Do People Still Search for This Version?
Most people stumble back onto Jason and the Argonauts 2000 through nostalgia. It’s a comfort watch. It represents a time when television was trying to be "Big" without the cynicism of modern deconstruction. It wasn't trying to subvert tropes; it was leaning into them with everything it had.
There’s also the "Hopper Factor." Dennis Hopper’s performance is so bizarrely misplaced in a sword-and-sandal epic that it becomes magnetic. He plays Pelias with a modern, neurotic edge that shouldn't work, but somehow it’s the most entertaining thing on screen.
Critics at the time were lukewarm. The New York Times and Variety mostly saw it as a flashy distraction. But for a generation of kids who weren't allowed to stay up late to watch Gladiator, this was our introduction to the world of Greek heroes. It made the myths accessible. It made them feel like an adventure rather than a homework assignment.
The Technical Reality: Does It Hold Up?
If you go back and watch it now, the CGI is the first thing you'll notice. The "Bronze Man" Talos looks like a shiny toy. The dragon guarding the Fleece is a bit stiff. But the practical effects—the makeup on the Harpies, the construction of the ship—still look great.
The pacing is also a bit weird. It’s three hours long. That’s a lot of Jason. The first half is a tight, focused adventure. The second half, once they reach Colchis, slows down significantly to deal with the romance and the palace intrigue. It’s a bit of a slog until the final confrontation.
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How to Experience This Version Today
You can’t just find this on every streaming service. It’s often tucked away on ad-supported platforms like Tubi or Pluto TV, or available for a few bucks on Prime Video. It hasn't received a massive 4K remaster because, frankly, the digital effects were rendered at such low resolution that a 4K upgrade would just make them look worse.
But if you want to dive into the world of Jason and the Argonauts 2000, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch it as a double feature: Pair it with the 1963 version. It’s a fascinating study in how special effects evolved over 40 years.
- Pay attention to the Argonauts: Look for the small character moments. The show tries hard to make the crew feel like a family, even if they don't get much screen time.
- Focus on the villains: Langella and Hopper are acting in a completely different movie than everyone else. It’s glorious.
- Ignore the "History": If you go in expecting a faithful adaptation of the poems, you'll be frustrated. Treat it as a high-fantasy reimagining.
The legacy of Jason and the Argonauts 2000 isn't that it's the definitive version of the myth. It isn't. Its legacy is that it was one of the last "event" miniseries before the world moved on to things like Game of Thrones. It was earnest. It was ambitious. It was a little bit cheesy.
It reminds us that stories like Jason’s are immortal. We will keep retelling them every thirty or forty years, using whatever technology we have at the time—whether it’s clay puppets or pixels.
Actionable Ways to Explore This Era of Fantasy
If this trip down memory lane has you craving more turn-of-the-millennium fantasy, your next steps are simple. First, track down the Hallmark Entertainment library; specifically, look for Merlin (1998) starring Sam Neill, which shares a lot of the same DNA and creative energy as Jason.
Second, if you're a fan of the actual Greek myths, compare the 2000 ending with the play Medea by Euripides. Seeing the massive gap between the "TV-friendly" version and the original tragedy provides a wild perspective on how much we sanitize stories for modern audiences.
Lastly, check out the behind-the-scenes features if you can find an old DVD copy. The work put into the practical ship builds for the Argo is genuinely impressive and often overlooked in favor of criticizing the CGI. It’s a masterclass in "making it work" on a television budget.