Hercules (2014)

Rewatching Hercules by Brett Ratner didn’t do it any favors. If anything, it felt worse than I remembered back in 2014. The production quality was a major letdown. The costumes and sets looked fake and uninspired, taking away from any sense of immersion. It’s disappointing because the story had the potential to be something great, but it completely failed to deliver a proper message or even a satisfying narrative. There were, however, some bright spots in the acting. Ian McShane, Rebecca Ferguson, Aksel Hennie, and Rufus Sewell stood out with strong performances that brought some much-needed life to the film. As for Dwayne Johnson, he was exactly what you’d expect—charismatic but predictable. His performance was similar to most of his other roles, and while he fits the action-hero mold well, he didn’t bring anything exceptional to this character. The movie had a good plot idea but failed to make it meaningful or memorable. It’s a shame because it could have been so much more if there had been better direction and production. Instead, it ends up feeling like a wasted opportunity. While there are some enjoyable moments, it’s hard to ignore the flaws that hold it back.

Dwayne Johnson has always been able to give off that cheeky look, as if to say "Hey - I can't believe I'm doing this for a living!" - here he manages to add "and, I'll bet neither can you!"... Based loosely on Greek legend, he is the eponymous hero who has to rescue his perilously poised nephew "Iolaus" (Reece Ritchie) from a fate worse than death, then take his sword to work for the rather feeble King "Eurystheus" of Thrace (Joseph Fiennes) and his feisty daughter "Atalanta" (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) against the ruthless Lord "Cotys" (John Hurt - a man who also looks like drink has been taken). Anyway, what now ensues is a collection of reasonably produced set-piece action scenarios as our demi-god must parry and thrust he way through all sorts of peril. Aside from the two at the top of the bill, it really does plumb the deaths of British cinema mediocrity - Ian MacShane and Rufus Sewell being chief amongst the acting "talent" that ought to have fallen on their swords shortly before the titles ran. The visual effects are fine, and there is plenty of adventure to be had - but the dialogue is banal and even the usually reliable Rebecca Ferguson can find nothing to spice this up. Pity - these are great and unlimited tales for the big screen; this one might just keep you entertained on a long train journey on your iPhone. Ham, anyone?

A fairly entertaining movie but Hercules as most people know the story it is not. The movie blurb above from Paramount is at least fairly honest in calling it a “revisionist take”. Most other commercial texts talk about the legendary twelve labors and in general makes you think that Hercules is … well Hercules. Do not be fooled. Most of this movie goes to some length to portray Hercules as a normal man, unusually strong for sure but certainly no demigod, that have created the myth surrounding him himself with the help of his friends. If you are into Greek mythology and do not like it messed with this movie is not for you. It is a classical Hollywood rewrite focusing on action with little respect for anything else. Having said that, it is not the total disaster as is normally the result when Hollywood makes “their take” on something classical. Hercules and his team are a fairly charming bunch of hard hitting rascals. The revised story is not really all that bad. Simple and predictable of course, it is a Hollywood action movie after all, but it works fairly well. The movie is an action movie so naturally the main reward of this movie are the action scenes which are fairly good. Over the top, unbelievable and devoid of any form of actual military strategy of course but still quite entertaining. Whoever wrote the scenes having Hercules and his friends running around in the middle of huge battles without much in terms of protection while the rest of the army huddled down in this famous shield wall formation is no genius, military or otherwise, that has to be said. Well, at least it got Hercules some head bashing moments. If you are a fan of action movies and are prepared to put your brain in park and just enjoy the show this is a rather entertaining movie. At least this is my take on it. Some of the scenery is quite beautiful, even slightly breathtaking. It never really feels slow and the acting is on a level suitable for the movie. A slightly above average Hollywood “rewrite” I would say.

Of course, not the best movie but the cast is well chosen and delivers a good performance. The intention is no more than doing an entertaining action movie, maybe a bit too violent for all audiences. In any case, the fresh approach is to show a down to earth Hercules, not a demigod, but the actual product of the marketing for creating a hero and become a legend when centuries have past. Just for this it deserves some recognition.