one of the lesser Disney movies

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2008)

Of course, it was only a matter of time before Disney decided to take one of the Greek or Roman myths, tone down the seriousness, create a happier ending, and turn it into an animated feature for children. "Hercules", a Disney retelling of the myth of Heracles, is a film that has a good heart and probably good intentions. If it was meant to inspire children to learn more about mythology, it worked. I marginally enjoyed "Hercules" as a child. The key word is marginally, and now as an older audience member, I still marginally enjoy it, but I do see it as flawed and a little bit of a bore at times.
If you want something completely faithful to the myth, definitely stray away. I wasn't planning on seeing something entirely faithful, still "Hercules" did not fully interest me. I did like the voice acting talents and I did very much enjoy how Danny DeVito did the voice of the half-human half-goat hero-trainer. But one thing I did not like was how the other characters were put on screen. And that's another problem I have with this film. I was not all for the animation style. I felt it was too vibrant, too shoddy, and I just didn't think it was eye candy. I felt Zeus looked a little preposterous among some others. And I know that many, including the Academy Awards, will disagree with me on the next point. But I did not like the main song "Go the Distance" that Hercules sings like three times in a row within twenty minutes. I'm sorry, but I just did not like it. I knew it was going to be there, but I was hoping for something better than what I got.
Don't get me wrong. I did not HATE the film. There were some moments that were quite fun. Such as Hercules's legendary battle with the multi-headed Hydra. Although I felt the serpent needed better-looking heads, the scene were pretty exciting and cool to watch.
Bottom line, "Hercules" will appeal to most audience viewers who like Disney movies. Again, I did marginally enjoy it, but I have seen much better films come out of Disney. I would recommend "The Jungle Book" or "The Rescuers Down Under" and for children, I would say "Hercules" is worth looking at.