Review of Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2012) by Bob L — 28 Nov 2012

Exhaustive chronological documentary charting the career of Ray Harryhausen, the pioneering animator, interspersed with adoring talking heads from Hollywoodâ(TM)s greats (Spielberg, Cameron, et al).

Produced on a shoestring budget in partnership with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, itâ(TM)s a bit of an audio and visual patchwork with widely differing sound and picture quality between each segment (John Lassiter for example sounds like he was recorded on a tin can and string), and titles and transitions that belong in an A-level project, giving the film the look and feel of a DVD extra.

BUT⦠As Harryhausenâ(TM)s career unfolds on screen none of that feels relevant â" this man is incredible. He wanted to make stop motion monster movies, so he made them â" building the models, pitching movie ideas to studios, directing actors on set and animating almost every frame of them alone, even clicking the shutter (regardless of James Cameronâ(TM)s misinformation in the film).

Most people are probably aware of the name, and perhaps his skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts but his sheer impact on filmmaking cannot be understated. He truly conjured the magic of cinema, and is deservedly considered the grandfather of sci-fi and fantasy on the screen.

We learn little about the man behind the creatures â" the documentary acts as more of a visual catalogue of his work â" but the chance to see old test reels (restored by Peter Jackson), learn about tricks of the trade and hear fascinating behind the scenes stories of old Hollywood is more then satisfying.