Hercules Movie Blurb by Shale July 26, 2014 It’s the last Saturday of July, it got up to 100 degrees outside in the heartland and I opted to duck into an air conditioned Cinema and watch a Summertime, Sword & Sandal popcorn cruncher. It is what it is and it was enjoyed by 63% of the aggregate reviewers on Rottentomatoes and 68% or audiences, which included me. Their take on it was “Hercules has Brett Ratner behind the cameras and Dwayne Johnson rocking the loincloth -- and delivers exactly what any reasonable person reading that description might expect.“ BTW, this is the second Hercules movie this year. I saw The Legend of Hercules back in January that starred Kellan Lutz and got badly panned by the critics. http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=481929&f=287 This movie presents Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) as the demigod of legend, son of Zeus and tells how Hera puts him to the Twelve Labors to get her off his back. They show Hercules killing the Nemean Lion, fighting the Erymanthian Boar and Hydra all thru the exaggerated storytelling of his nephew Iolaus (Reece Ritchie). Hercules Fights the Erymanthian Boar However, we soon start seeing that this is just legend and that Hercules is merely a mercenary who gets a little help from his band of friends. The seer Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), a money-driven mercenary Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), a disturbed, non-verbal warrior Tydeus (Aksel Hennie), and an Amazon archer Atalanta (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal). We also get glimpses of Hercules' history of how he had to leave Athens for killing his wife and children, which disturbs him greatly (No spoiler – part of Heracles backstory). Hercules and his mercenary band come across a king, Lord Cotys (John Hurt) being besieged by a warlord and all his realm is in ruin and ppl holed up in his castle. They hire on to get the remaining farmers and merchants battle ready – thus starts the sword & sandal parts of the movie. Hercules Going into Battle There is a little love interest with Lord Cotys’ daughter Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson) who has a son and whom Hercules becomes quite protective. I enjoyed the movie, but that is why I go to movies – to be entertained. I liked the way the story took all the things of mythology and incorporated them into the more believable reality. (probably how it really happened thousands of years ago). However, we never really know if Hercules is a mortal or a demigod. BTW, The Rock is in good form in this movie.
