Earlier this year I had the displeasure of sitting through Renny Harlin's god awful, The Legend of Hercules. My constant thought while watching that garbage was that the Dwayne Johnson Hercules had to be ten times better than this crap. I was wrong...the Dwayne Johnson Hercules is a hundred times better. These two films, apart from being about Hercules, can't even be compared. Based on Hercules: The Thracian Wars, a graphic novel by Steve Moore, Hercules pokes fun at the mythology and firmly grounds the mythic hero into a more human story. Director Brett Ratner and star Dwayne Johnson succeed in portraying Hercules as a multi-faceted character torn between his legend and tragic past.
The story opens with Iolaus (Reece Ritchie), the talkative nephew of Hercules (Dwayne Johnson), in a precarious position. Inches away from castration, Iolaus spins a grandiose yarn to his captors about the twelve mythical deeds of Hercules, his ferocious strength, and unmatched skills as a warrior. Giving time for Hercules and his band of ass-kicking mercenaries to rescue him. The audience soon finds out that while Hercules is indeed formidable, his exploits are pure fiction; fantastic tales meant to scare the naïve and bolster the strongman's reputation. After the battle, Hercules is approached by Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson). Her kingdom - Thrace, and its leader - Lord Cotys (John Hurt), are being threatened by Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann) and his army of ruthless centaurs. She promises Hercules his weight in gold if he can defeat the marauders. Hercules and his mercenaries take the job. But to his consternation, he discovers a different story that challenges the legend of Hercules and tests him more than any of his fabled deeds.
Hercules as a man, using public relations and superstition to fuel his popularity is a relevant story in ancient and modern times. This incarnation of Hercules wholly debunks the supernatural, but uses the myth as the driving force to define the true heroism of the titular character. Amphiaraus, a clairvoyant mercenary played wonderfully by Ian McShane, challenges Hercules in a key moment to be the man that the people believe him to be. Sounds cheesy, but absolutely works in this context. Dwayne Johnson is the perfect mix of brawn and heart to pull the man out of Hercules.
I have not been a fan of Brett Ratner's films in the past, but have to give him credit for delivering an enjoyable, entertaining popcorn film. Hercules is loaded with eye candy, big action scenes, spectacular visual effects, the works. But where the film succeeds is in the performances. Hercules and his mercenaries share a great group dynamic. They work well as a team, hamming it up in some scenes, but putting feet to asses gloriously in others. Johnson is good as Hercules, but Ratner's casting of the supporting characters makes this ride go smoothly.
Hercules is a better than average entry this summer. I saw the film in IMAX 3D and was pleasantly surprised. The audience reaction was also very positive. The intensity and graphic violence is probably too much for small children, but should entertain everyone else. It may be that we were all happy it wasn't as terrible as the previous Hercules released this year. I wouldn't put too much stock in Alan Moore's call for fans to boycott this film. This negative publicity has come to light right before release and is par for the course for Alan Moore, who has summarily cursed all the film adaptations of his graphic novels. Steve Moore, no relation, is deceased, so he can't speak to any controversies about his lost film rights. Hercules is a solid popcorn film, it has to be judged on its own merit.
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