Hercules (B or 3/4 stars)
Back in 1997, Disney animators brought us ancient Greek mythology with 'Hercules' (directed by Ron Clements, John Musker), a fast-paced, inventive musical comedy that provides kids with the question: "What is the measure of a true hero?" Charlton Heston narrates & introduces us to Hercules (voiced by many at differing ages), the son of Greece's Zeus (voiced by Rip Torn) & Hera (Samantha Eggar), finds himself drugged with a forbidden potion & stolen by henchmen of the evil Hades (mischievously-voiced by James Woods) into a humble human family (Herc's earthbound father is voiced by the great Hal Holbrook) where he's raised in a strong atmosphere of love; those henchmen being Pain & Panic (voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer).
See, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, dreams of taking over Zeus' vast empire and, this wicked schemer, whose anger flares out into flames {verrry cool}, uses the voluptuous Megara (Susan Egan, also the lovely voice of Belle from Beauty & the Beast), a spirited woman in his service, to find out Hercules's weak points. However, the boy's ungainly strength earns him the unfortunate nickname, "Jerkules." In order to fulfill his destiny, Hercules places himself under the tutelage of 'Phil' (voiced by Danny DeVito), a humorous satyr who grooms him -- "to go the distance" {more on that later}. While the terrible Hades plots & prepares to take-over as ruler of the after-life, Hercules must prove to his real father than he can fulfill his destiny to be a true hero. A plentitude of hit-&-miss adventures ensue.
I enjoyed 'Hercules' a great deal. It's vibrant, light-hearted & adventurous. But it lacks that heart of, say, The Lion King. It lacks the humor of Aladdin. It lacks the witty script of, well, The Little Mermaid. And it lacks the unabashed romance of Beauty & the Beast. 'Hercules' has its own strengths. The hero storyline is cool. Hercules is dreamy, the heroine is lovely, & the comic sidekick brings chuckles. The animation is looks different than the last few Disney outings; not at all bad, just different. And some of the songs are fantastic. But this film doesn't feel one of Disney's latest "classics". It plays fast & loose with Greek mythology, which may irk plenty of folks. There are too many puns, pop cultural ref's, & one-liners. But it gets the job done in 90 minutes and that's basically it; nothing wrong with that.
James Woods makes for a stellar villain, I must say. The other voice actors are fine (DeVito amuses as half-man/half-goat Phil), but don't pop like Woods does. I mentioned the songs before. Some don't work. I still don't know what to make of the re-occurring Motown quintet that pops-up in ancient Greece. Like, huh!? But I must make mention of the glorious "Go the Distance" song (sung by Hercules in the film; & by Michael Bolton for pop radio). Had Titanic's “My Heart Will Go On” not existed back in '97, this song here would have likely won the Academy Award for best song; gosh, I love it - just picks me up. So yeah, all the strengths of 'Hercules' make it enjoyable & watchable. But this film is not quite top-tier Disney. It doesn't quite have the same lasting power of those recent classics. Still, fun.
See, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, dreams of taking over Zeus' vast empire and, this wicked schemer, whose anger flares out into flames {verrry cool}, uses the voluptuous Megara (Susan Egan, also the lovely voice of Belle from Beauty & the Beast), a spirited woman in his service, to find out Hercules's weak points. However, the boy's ungainly strength earns him the unfortunate nickname, "Jerkules." In order to fulfill his destiny, Hercules places himself under the tutelage of 'Phil' (voiced by Danny DeVito), a humorous satyr who grooms him -- "to go the distance" {more on that later}. While the terrible Hades plots & prepares to take-over as ruler of the after-life, Hercules must prove to his real father than he can fulfill his destiny to be a true hero. A plentitude of hit-&-miss adventures ensue.
I enjoyed 'Hercules' a great deal. It's vibrant, light-hearted & adventurous. But it lacks that heart of, say, The Lion King. It lacks the humor of Aladdin. It lacks the witty script of, well, The Little Mermaid. And it lacks the unabashed romance of Beauty & the Beast. 'Hercules' has its own strengths. The hero storyline is cool. Hercules is dreamy, the heroine is lovely, & the comic sidekick brings chuckles. The animation is looks different than the last few Disney outings; not at all bad, just different. And some of the songs are fantastic. But this film doesn't feel one of Disney's latest "classics". It plays fast & loose with Greek mythology, which may irk plenty of folks. There are too many puns, pop cultural ref's, & one-liners. But it gets the job done in 90 minutes and that's basically it; nothing wrong with that.
James Woods makes for a stellar villain, I must say. The other voice actors are fine (DeVito amuses as half-man/half-goat Phil), but don't pop like Woods does. I mentioned the songs before. Some don't work. I still don't know what to make of the re-occurring Motown quintet that pops-up in ancient Greece. Like, huh!? But I must make mention of the glorious "Go the Distance" song (sung by Hercules in the film; & by Michael Bolton for pop radio). Had Titanic's “My Heart Will Go On” not existed back in '97, this song here would have likely won the Academy Award for best song; gosh, I love it - just picks me up. So yeah, all the strengths of 'Hercules' make it enjoyable & watchable. But this film is not quite top-tier Disney. It doesn't quite have the same lasting power of those recent classics. Still, fun.