Running
Time: 1 Hour & 38 Minutes
Cast-
Dwayne
Johnson-Hercules
Ian
McShane-Amphiaraus
Rufus
Sewell-Autolycus
Ingrid
Bolsø Berdal-Atalanta
Aksel
Hennie-Tydeus
Reece
Ritchie-Iolaus
John
Hurt-Lord Cotys
Rebecca
Ferguson-Ergenia
Joseph
Fiennes-King Eurystheus
Tobias
Santelmann-Rhesus
Peter
Mullan-General Sitacles
Isaac
Andrews-Arius
Irina
Shayk-Megara
Karolina
Szymczak-Alcmene
Directed
by Brett Ratner
 |
| Makes Kevin Sorbo look like a princess. |
Note: Screened on Thursday, July 24, 2014 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.
Back
in January, Summit Entertainment graced moviegoers with "The Legend of
Hercules," a film that was billed as 'the epic origin story' of the towering
Greek mythological hero (played by "Twilight" lunkhead Kellan Lutz) but
lo and behold, it was a cinematic abomination and served as further proof that
Finnish director Renny Harlin is a washed-up hack. Six and a half months later,
we have Brett Ratner's simply-titled "Hercules," loosely based on the
2008 Radical Comics mini-series Hercules:
The Thracian Wars written by the late Steve Moore and illustrated by Admira
Wijaya. Starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as the title character, Ratner's film
wasn't screened for critics until hours before its theatrical release, which is
almost never a good sign and I feared that it was going to be as bad as or perhaps
even worse than the Harlin version.
Fortunately, my fears turned out to be unfounded. In fact, I'm puzzled as to
why Paramount and MGM even hid the film from pre-release reviews because while
"Hercules" isn't high art, it's a perfectly passable late-summer blockbuster
that has no other pretensions besides leaving the audience entertained. Given Ratner's…questionable
pedigree, that's high praise indeed.
Having
completed his Twelve Labors (among them, fighting the Lernaean Hydra, the giant
Erymanthian Boar, and the nigh-invulnerable Nemean Lion), the demigod Hercules
(Dwayne Johnson) now travels throughout Greece as the leader of a band of mercenaries-for-hire
comprising the spear-wielding prophet Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), the knife-throwing
thief Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), the fierce Amazonian archer Atalanta (Ingrid
Bolsø Berdal), the mute feral warrior Tydeus (Aksel Hennie), and his nephew
storyteller Iolaus (Reece Ritchie). After defeating a marauding group of pirates
looking to invade Macedonia, Hercules and his companions settle down in a local
tavern to celebrate but their rest proves to be short-lived when a woman named Ergenia
(Rebecca Ferguson) approaches them. She has come on behalf of her father Lord
Cotys (John Hurt), who wants Hercules to help train the armies of Thrace so that
they can defend it against the bloodthirsty warlord Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann).
The Son of Zeus agrees to the assignment when Ergenia offers him and his friends
their weight in gold. However, it doesn't take long for Hercules to discover that
something more sinister is afoot. Making matters worse, the demigod is haunted by
reoccurring nightmares of him murdering his wife Megara (Irina Shayk) and his
children during a visit to King Eurystheus (Joseph Fiennes). Hercules must
first conquer his personal demons if he is to face what is ahead of him.
 |
| Even Dwayne Johnson's muscles have muscles! |
Let's
get one thing straight: "Hercules" is definitely miles better than Renny Harlin's abysmal "The Legend of Hercules"
but Ratner's film never quite feels as grandiose as it should be despite being backed
up by a $100 million production budget. In fact, the running time is only a scant
ninety-eight minutes (Harlin's version ran just a minute longer), hardly a proper
length to tell an epic tale befitting the famous Greek mythological hero. The
script from Ryan J. Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos does play around with some
clever ideas as it attempts to deconstruct the many myths and legends surrounding
Hercules. Although he's supposedly the 'Son of Zeus,' the film's story casts doubt
on his true parentage, thereby keeping his status as a demigod ambiguous. In order
to sell his uncle's heroic deeds and reputation to the local populace, Iolaus
frequently exaggerates the details. Take for example the fearsome Lernaean Hydra,
which Hercules is shown fighting in an opening montage showcasing his Twelve Labors.
It turns out that the creature was simply a bunch of bandits wearing elaborate
monster masks. This is an interesting approach to the titular character as it
represents how stories often change the more they are retold, to the point
where fact and fiction become inseparable. The myth says that the supreme goddess
Hera drove Hercules insane—which led him to kill his family—or was he already
insane to begin with? Such a question would make for some potent drama but Ratner
unfortunately doesn't seem all that interested in going that route. It doesn't
help that Condal and Spiliotopoulos' efforts feel half-hearted at best. Although
all the ideas are there, it seems like much of the thematic content was stripped
away in the editing room to keep the running time short and the film more
action-oriented.
At
least "Hercules" is a success in the action department, although many
of the sweeping 'money shots' that Ratner uses (like a hail of flaming arrows) come
off as rather generic given that they've been done countless times already, specifically
in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Zack Snyder's "300."
Still, all the sword-clashing, arrow-flying, and shield-bashing battle scenes
remain intense and even exhilarating to watch thanks to Ratner and cinematographer
Dante Spinotti's fluid composition, which cleanly hones in on specific bits of action.
You won't find any shaky-cam or slo-mo embellishments here. The 3D conversion
is above-average for the most part. Although I saw the film on an IMAX screen,
the premium format isn't really necessary unless you're a stickler for Dolby
Atmos.
 |
| While Johnson's passion for the character shines through, "Hercules" is never quite as epic as it should be. |
In
the production notes, Dwayne Johnson recalls that he 'grew up admiring Hercules
and [that] it was the first project [he] talked about doing when [he] first broke
into Hollywood.' Johnson's passion for
the character is evident in every scene, with his larger-than-life presence
elevating the sub-par material. Despite not being a particularly strong actor,
the man does have endless charisma to spare and he sells the gravitas of Hercules
while inserting a humorous wink here and there. There's a climactic scene where
Johnson is chained to the floor (with real steel chains!) and shouts with all
his might, 'I AM HERCULES!' Apparently, he blacked out eight times while
shooting this scene. Say what you will about the man but he is dedicated when
it comes to making sure his films entertain. The rest of the supporting cast is
pretty much dwarfed by Johnson's presence, if not his bulging muscles. Rufus
Sewell and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal carry themselves well during the action scenes but
beyond that, their characters are rather two-dimensional and don't make much of
an impression. As the spear-wielding prophet Amphiaraus, Ian McShane ably handles
his exposition and comic relief duties, with a running gag involving his character
predicting his own death that never seems to come. Reece Ritchie's Iolaus is
the only character to have something of an arc as he yearns to fight alongside
his uncle Hercules instead of being relegated to the role of storyteller. John
Hurt is fine, although he never comes across as particularly terrifying. Rebecca
Ferguson is reduced to being a throwaway damsel-in-distress. Finally, there's Aksel
Hennie, who plays a mute feral warrior, and Russian model Irina Shayk, who's barely
in the film at all as the demigod's wife Megara.
Released
on July 25, 2014, "Hercules" has received mildly positive reviews
with 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that it 'delivers exactly what any
reasonable person…might expect' from a Brett Ratner/Dwayne Johnson collaboration.
The film is definitely a crowd-pleaser judging from the audience's enthusiastic
reception at the advance screening but that didn't translate to a particularly strong
opening weekend debut. Still, $29.8 million isn't a bad start. A $100 million domestic
gross is out of the question; however, the film should manage to turn a profit once
international receipts are factored in. There's nothing exceptionally remarkable
about "Hercules" but it remains a fairly entertaining action/adventure
film despite the script not being quite up to snuff. Dwayne Johnson continues
to be a reliable screen presence with his huge frame and megawatt smile. All in
all, you can certainly do a lot worse!
Final
Rating: 3 out of 5
"No
matter how fast you run, no matter how far you go, the beast will follow. Man cannot escape his fate...Hercules."
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