Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Not everyone is a fan of the work of Ray Harryhausen. While this documentary features lots of great directors and other movie insiders talking about what a genius he is, I am sure others would laugh at or quickly dismiss Harryhausen's stop-motion work. After all, compared to the incredible CGI being done today, stop-motion, with only a few exceptions (such as Nick Park), is obsolete--or at least it's perceived to be obsolete. Kids raised on CGI have come to expect life-like effects which, to be brutally honest, you won't find in Harryhausen't work. As for me, I like his films, I find the effects quaint and fun even if they are far from realistic. Depending on your perception, this film is either exactly for you or a waste of time.

While I enjoyed the film (mostly because I'd seen almost all the films they talked about and remember them fondly), one part annoyed me. One of the commentators said that stop-motion was BETTER than modern CGI! How?! This remark just seemed incredibly silly and fawning and not objective in the least.

I've been a fan of Ray Harryhausen (and his good friend, Ray Bradbury) for over 5 decades. This is a brilliant and touching documentary on a man who cannot be pigeonholed as simply an effects artist, but a titan among filmmakers. I doubt there's a science fiction or fantasy filmmaker alive today, who hasn't been influenced by Ray. A really excellent documentary

In this documentary, the great Ray Harryhausen looks back upon his career and talks about his stellar work in the stop-motion animation genre. While Harryhausen affectionately names the various artists whose work inspired him, other, younger artists call him their inspiration, with an equal amount of affection. Thus does creative inspiration wind its way through the generations...

Richly illustrated with clips, excerpts, diagrams and the like, the documentary provides a fine overview of Harryhausen's work. The viewer gets a chance to hear him talk about the thought processes and techniques behind some of his most iconic creations, such as the cruel-faced, slithering Medusa from "Clash of the Titans". On the other hand we learn relatively little about him as a person ; every now and then the documentary touches lightly upon aspects such as his army career or his supportive parents, but that's it. But then there is nothing wrong with guarding one's privacy...

Much recommended to animation, science fiction or fantasy fans ; also much recommended to lovers of special effects disciplines both traditional and modern.

What can be said other than what the plot says: This is the definitive documentary about Ray Harryhausen. Aside from interviews with the great man himself, shot over five years, there are also interviews and tributes from Vanessa Harryhausen, Tony Dalton, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Peter Lord, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, Rick Baker, John Landis, Ken Ralston, Guillermo Del Toro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more.

What more can you say than that? If you know and love Harryhausen or dislike him (if this is possible) or have never heard of him, there is no end to the line of folks making movies that can tell you his influence and how many of the films today could not have existed without him in one way or another.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN: SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN is an affectionate tribute to the great man and all of his work. This documentary is loaded with interviews with big name directors who found themselves influenced by Harryhausen's work - the likes of Spielberg, Jackson, Del Toro and plenty more besides - along with lots of clips of cool monster action and filmed segments from the special effects genius himself.

For anyone with even the slightest love or fondness for the great old effects pics of old, this is a must see. The format of the documentary explores the master's work in chronological order, starting out with his earliest efforts in the 1940s and concluding with his 1981 epic, CLASH OF THE TITANS. There's no negative stuff here, just a celebration of the techniques that made his films so famous. The running time flies past and you're left wanting more; what else is there to say than that?