Hercules- Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jim Milton

Synopsis

In a time when gods intermingled with men, Hercules was born of Zeus and his human mother. Unfortunately, Zeus was married to the goddess Hera at the time. In spite of a rough childhood, the tough, young Hercules bands together with his five mercenary friends to fight for fortune and fame. Eventually though, our titular hero discovers that justice and freedom from oppression are a cause worth fighting…and dying for. Is Hercules a demi-god or a mere mortal with the heart of a lion? This is the story of how legends are made.

Commentary

Based loosely on the mythological Hercules, this tale present Hercules as a brave man, banded with a group of mercenary friends who create a mythical narrative around his exploits. Johnson (aka The Rock) plays his part well. In my opinion, this is probably his best acting role of his career and he really relishes the character. That’s not to say the movie is great, but it is entertaining. It was about half way through the film when it dawned on me that I had seen all of this before; A group of mercenaries for hire (including a knife thrower, Amazonian, soothseer and wild-eyed axe weilder) that eventually realize they are fighting on the wrong side of justice and decide to switch over to help the poor peasants that are burdened by an evil tyrant. The Magnificent Seven, Expendables and Kurosawa’s Samurai films all jumped to my mind. It’s a formula that works, even if the outcome is all too predictable. Still, the fight scenes are well done and the action keeps the movie from bogging down. With plenty of light hearted moments, this film is safe to watch with older kids and the parents won’t be bored. This is the human side of Hercules that we have never seen before.

Technical

With a richly detailed picture, Hercules comes cudgel swinging with luscious colors and great depth of field. Colors are vibrant and contrast beautifully with the CGI, which is used to great effect. The battles scenes sport wonderful detail in the armor and costumes and the CGI is actually very good looking and realistic. The monsters that Herc has to battle look believable and solid and not cartoonish. The cityscapes and backdrops are also very well done. Be sure to check out some of the extras as to how the scenes were constructed. Sound in 7.1 is all enveloping and quite active in all channels. The sub jumps to life on a regular basis. Yes, you will want to turn it up and show off your A/V system to your neighbor, it is that good.

Extras

Included are a DVD, Commentary with introduction, Hercules and his Mercenaries, Weapons!, The Bessi Battle, The Effects of Hercules and 15 deleted/extended scenes. With so many deleted scenes, you’d think they would just make a sequel!