Hercules (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Based on a comic book series, 'Hercules' (directed by Brett Ratner, eek) doesn't focus on the long-established mythology of the character as a demigod so much as the "legend" of him as famous warrior -- I actually feel that this is one of the film's strong suits {more on that later}. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson plays Hercules - not as a buff young man (a la Kellan Lutz in this year's horrible The Legend of Hercules) - but as a a $$-seeking mercenary with a crew of 5 specialized fighters -- his dagger-wielding best pal, Autolycus (good 'ole Rufus Sewell); a soothsayer who likes to predict the moment that he will die, Amphiaraus (Ian McShane); a beautiful Amazonian archer girl, Atalanta (Norway's answer to Nicole Kidman, Ingrid Bolso Berdal); & shell-shocked, feral mute, Tydeus (Aksel Hennie).
There's also Hercules' impressionable young nephew, Iolaus (Reece Ritchie, of The Lovely Bones), who tags along as a warrior-in-training/mythmaking storyteller (weaving stories to enhance Hercules' reputation). When the beautiful Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson) pleads with Hercules to meet & fight for her father, Lord Cotys (John Hurt), against a demonic Greek enemy (including the never-before-seen Centaurs ... a running gag throughout the movie), Hercules reluctantly agrees. The fact that she has an adoring young boy, and that he recently lost his wife & children in a horrific slaughter, kind of propels him into action, as well. Computer-enhanced battle sequences, basic adventure, silly hijinks, & controlled mayhem ensues.
Dwayne Johnson is one of Hollywood's most likeable (if not charismatic) action stars. But I'll say this for him, he always commits 100% to his roles & generally plays likable heroes who are easy to root for. That said, his Hercules is quite a bit broodier/tormented than what Johnson typically plays, & he leaves most of the humor to his genial co-stars, especially Ian McShane & Rufus Sewell. McShane & Sewell are good actors, along with villainous John Hurt. Though the script obviously shortchanges their impact {I mean, come on, this is a Hercules movie}, the actors help make this video game-like, popcorn action flick go down easier than it should. The story & the action sequences? While mildly entertaining, it/they are nothing that you haven't seen a bajillion times before in other similar movies. The action is, at times, a bit campy.
The dialogue is disappointingly formulaic; offering up many moments that should be poignant or serious, but end up being completely ineffective or laughable. i.e., a montage showing Hercules gorgeous wife is filmed in a sexy manner -- that's just cheap & unnecessary. As a juxtaposition, When Maximus recalls his wife in 'Gladiator', it wasn't about how attractive she was, but about how much he loved her & their kids. But then ... this film was never going to be another 'Gladiator'. And so, taken in THAT lower-standard context, the movie is fine and has some charms.
In the end, I liked this revisionist take on the Hercules story (that maybe the whole mythology is exaggerated). I typically like primitive sword-&-sandal flicks like this (brave men, voluptuous women, scheming royals). I liked Dwayne Johnson enough as Hercules. I liked the tongue-in-cheek sarcasm from McShane & Sewell. I liked seeing Joseph Fiennes pop-up in a movie again (as a treacherous king). I liked Dante Spinotti's cinematography. I appreciated the large-scale Greek sets {WOW}. The movie comes in at a merciful 92 minutes, and I had an overall decent time. As you can see, I 'liked' (not loved) quite a bit. I guess it says something that - despite my many misgivings about the simplistic story & the unimaginative action - I enjoyed this popcorn flick quite a bit more than I had expected to.
There's also Hercules' impressionable young nephew, Iolaus (Reece Ritchie, of The Lovely Bones), who tags along as a warrior-in-training/mythmaking storyteller (weaving stories to enhance Hercules' reputation). When the beautiful Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson) pleads with Hercules to meet & fight for her father, Lord Cotys (John Hurt), against a demonic Greek enemy (including the never-before-seen Centaurs ... a running gag throughout the movie), Hercules reluctantly agrees. The fact that she has an adoring young boy, and that he recently lost his wife & children in a horrific slaughter, kind of propels him into action, as well. Computer-enhanced battle sequences, basic adventure, silly hijinks, & controlled mayhem ensues.
Dwayne Johnson is one of Hollywood's most likeable (if not charismatic) action stars. But I'll say this for him, he always commits 100% to his roles & generally plays likable heroes who are easy to root for. That said, his Hercules is quite a bit broodier/tormented than what Johnson typically plays, & he leaves most of the humor to his genial co-stars, especially Ian McShane & Rufus Sewell. McShane & Sewell are good actors, along with villainous John Hurt. Though the script obviously shortchanges their impact {I mean, come on, this is a Hercules movie}, the actors help make this video game-like, popcorn action flick go down easier than it should. The story & the action sequences? While mildly entertaining, it/they are nothing that you haven't seen a bajillion times before in other similar movies. The action is, at times, a bit campy.
The dialogue is disappointingly formulaic; offering up many moments that should be poignant or serious, but end up being completely ineffective or laughable. i.e., a montage showing Hercules gorgeous wife is filmed in a sexy manner -- that's just cheap & unnecessary. As a juxtaposition, When Maximus recalls his wife in 'Gladiator', it wasn't about how attractive she was, but about how much he loved her & their kids. But then ... this film was never going to be another 'Gladiator'. And so, taken in THAT lower-standard context, the movie is fine and has some charms.
In the end, I liked this revisionist take on the Hercules story (that maybe the whole mythology is exaggerated). I typically like primitive sword-&-sandal flicks like this (brave men, voluptuous women, scheming royals). I liked Dwayne Johnson enough as Hercules. I liked the tongue-in-cheek sarcasm from McShane & Sewell. I liked seeing Joseph Fiennes pop-up in a movie again (as a treacherous king). I liked Dante Spinotti's cinematography. I appreciated the large-scale Greek sets {WOW}. The movie comes in at a merciful 92 minutes, and I had an overall decent time. As you can see, I 'liked' (not loved) quite a bit. I guess it says something that - despite my many misgivings about the simplistic story & the unimaginative action - I enjoyed this popcorn flick quite a bit more than I had expected to.