Hercules (Film Review)

Last time, on Film Reviewer Jr:

“The worst part about The Legend of Hercules was that I was TRICKED; tricked into believing what my fiancée and I were renting was a completely different film called Hercules…The Hercules trailer features him challenging the 12 legendary labours…take my advice: wait and see the upcoming version that’s clearly been given more time and effort towards.”

…….

AUGGGGH!!! I’VE BEEN TRICKED AGAIN!!!  

I impulsively assumed the film Hercules was about said demi-god taking on the 12 “super awesome, completely popcorn worthy, OMG why has no one made a film about them yet” labours.  To be fair, I thought this because the majority of its trailer shows Hercules doing just that!  The terrible realization came crashing down upon me when all the awesome trailer scenes (Hercules fighting the Hydra, Erymanthian Boar and Nemean Lion) showed up in the first three minutes of the 90 minute film.  Those b@$%@#ds made me believe I was finally getting the grand labours on the big screen; instead it was all literally a fable!  Yeah, turns out the film takes the whole “realistic adaptation” root; no magic, monsters or mythology at all, just fables and lot of misconceptions here.  At the very least The Legend of Hercules had actual mythology incorporated into its story (even though it was incorporated in the most horrible way possible); yet you want to know what’s the worst part of all this!?  No matter how much I want to hate it for tricking me, Hercules…isn’t a bad film…in fact its borderline passable as entertaining popcorn films go.

The cruel story starts off with tales of Hercules (Dwayne Johnson), the moral offspring of Zeus, showing the half-god crushing snakes as an infant and killing demons with his bare hands.  Then it’s revealed to all be a fable told by Hercules’ nephew Iolaus (Reece Ritchie); the storytelling member of Hercules’ group of mercenaries.  Among them is the Amazonian Atalanta (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), berserker Tydeus (Aksel Hennie), prophet Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), and Hercules’ childhood friend Autolycus (Rufus Sewell); all ordinary (yet highly skilled) humans working to obtain enough gold for a life of luxury.  Hercules’ extraordinary strength (which he still possesses here, though not to the degree of his original legend) and god-like status (all thanks to Iolaus’ story-telling skills) has given him quite the fearsome reputation; so much so that they’re hired by Lord Cotys of Thrace (John Hurt) to train his army in hopes of defeating an evil army led by so called Centaurs.  

I’ll put emphasis on the phrase borderline passable popcorn film; as along with being a sneaky fraud, Hercules suffers from several major issues, such as an incredibly predictable plot.  If you've seen at least 5 action films before, you’ll pretty much correctly guess what’s coming 30 minutes before it happens.  Moreover, while I initially thought its CGI looked good in the trailers (another one of its tricks), watching the film showed me the errors of my way as they’re sub-par at best.  Yet Hercules is ultimately a popcorn film, and while it definitely wasn't what I wanted (12 labours…sniff) it still provides the 3 necessities for an enjoyable summer film: action, energy and humor!

Borderline CGI may be an issue, but it hardly takes away from the grandness of Hercules’ fight sequences.  In essence there is two major battle scenes and one somewhat-major finale; all three highly entertaining, creative, and action-packed with nearly the right amount of screen time.  There’s also a healthy balance of comedy throughout these battles, a complete contrast to what made The Legend of Hercules so horrendously bad.  The Legend of Hercules took itself with the utmost seriousness without a hint of recognizing its own hamminess; along with having no wittiness, jokes, dead-pan humor, or wise-cracks.  How can I enjoy The Legend of Hercules when the film clearly isn't enjoying itself!?  Hercules’ humor is its saving grace; a slew of witty comments, gags and acknowledgements at how ridiculous it can be.  Going hand in hand with the effective comedy is the cast, who all act their roles rather effectively.  Whether they’re hamming it up or acting enjoyably well, each character brings something amusing to watch (proper recognition to the film for making each of Hercules’ mercenaries stand out in their own unique way).

Oh, but the true highlight of Hercules is Ian McShane playing Amphiaraus, who is simply a delight to watch throughout!  By far he is my favorite aspect of the film, along with being the most memorable character.  The actor steals the show even when he’s trying to give it to others; for example, while Hercules should be the viewers’ focus when trying to break out of metal chains (setting up for his trailer trademark shout of “I, AM, HERCULES”), its Amphiaraus who ends up being the highlight with nothing but his magnificent vocal work.  The film’s best comedy comes from him in the form of his future telling abilities.  Early in the film, Amphiaraus predicts his death by a flaming arrow (he’s incredibly chill about it); yet every time he expects the moment has arrived, comedic timing finds a way of disappointing him to hilarious results.  Even in the “heroic pose ending” where Hercules heroically stands in the center (lightning striking behind in an epic manner) it’s Amphiaraus who gets the last word in, along with one final witticism.

Comparing it to The Legend of Hercules, Hercules is light-years better; compare it to popcorn films in general and Hercules lands somewhere in the middle.  Its plot’s extremely predictable, yet its cast is enjoyable; the CGI’s sub-par, yet its action and comedy works.  For me, whether the film was satisfying ultimately comes down to if I can overlook its CRUEL trickery; and while it may sound stubborn of me, I can’t.  Not simply because of the trailers, but because the film gives a glimpse (both during its first few minutes AND its closing credits) of what could have been.  The film could have easily been about Hercules and his crew setting out to complete the 12 labours.  It would still contain the same enjoyable cast, only the tasks at hand would be 20 times more amazing than what was shown instead (even with sub-par CGI).  Hercules is still a decent film, but it’s also disappointing; as if I ordered a banana split sundae and instead got a vanilla cone…with sprinkles (got to get Ian McShane proper credit).  Now I must once again wait for another Hercules film that will actually have him completing the 12 labours; may the gods be merciful and soon allow it.