Couldn't Be, or Look, That Fresh !

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2011)

I don't think that 1997 was a very good year in terms of movies. Terrible comedies (Bean, Fathers' Day, Mousehunt..), terrible action (Batman & Robin, The Fifth Element, The Postman). At the time, Disney was drowned in remakes of old movies or TV shows (Flubber, Mr. Magoo, George of the Jungle..). And according to most of them; they weren't less terrible. So, why not resorting to the Greek legends to remake something?! Which generates, forever and ever, the critical question: It isn't What to remake; it's How?!
Transforming the storytellers into female black blues singers was the smartest idea here. They became more lively and modern. The gods' mentor (Philoctetes) is presented like a Kong-Fu master. Few details were mixed with contemporary matters; like the publicity stuff and the fame craze. However, you won't find more interesting ideas that could have recreated (Hercules) into something that fresh and catchy.
Some points just drew my attention. Points related to the origin of all the legends and fairy tales. I think whether they all come from one basis, or that the human imagination is limited in certain molds that are consequently limited by the human experience; so whatever the differences are, it's one human after all. For instance, the ones who kidnapped the lead as a baby didn't kill him as they were ordered, instead, they left him in the woods; it's the European tale, collected by the brothers Grimm, (Snow white). The lead is lost from his parents, found by a family which doesn't have kids; it's the story of the profit (Moses) all over again. Then the lead discovers later that he isn't the guy who was raised as; it's similar to an event in the Arabic folk epic (El Seera El Hillalyia) in which the lead (Abo Zead) discovers that he isn't (Barakat); the guy who was raised as. (Hercules)'s power has been stripped from him by a seduction of one girl; (Samson) and (Delilah)'s story. It's known that every hero has his point of weakness; from (Achilles)' tendon to (Superman)'s feebleness towards Kryptonite. The name of the evil god (Hades) means - by its exact pronunciation - "accident" in Arabic. And the 3 augurs reminded me of the 3 witches in Shakespeare's (Macbeth), or it's the other way around!
Sure many serious theories had been written about the resemblance's points, or the unified sources. Yet what I wanted to say - in a way - is that this movie couldn't give me the feel of original. I was, during most of the time, in the "I saw all of that before" zone. Add to that, many flaws in that script like lousy evil minions that look pale; being repeated from endless other movies, and so close to Rasputin's minion in (Anastasia); another cartoon movie from the same year, the totally unconvincing event of fettering all the Olympus's gods as if it's a bank robbery, or a breaking into some unguarded rich people's party, forgetting that they all have superpowers, rather the superpowers!, and finally a climax that manipulates foolishly the main character's fact; since we know pretty well that (Hercules) will win no matter what, based on his immortal power.
The movie has not many good songs, comic enough - or at all - dialogue, or thrilling action sequences. I didn't like how (Philoctetes) was played with a touch of vulgarity. Consequently, it couldn't score high as a comedy, musical or action. And overall I don't remember one visually dazzling scene; not much of a direction too I must say.
The end's song by (Ricky Martin) - who was having his moment back then - was inspiring. The design of (Hades)'s form fascinated me, with always fiery head, and ultra-nervous movement. But indubitably (James Woods) was the one who owned the scenery, by his so vividly loose, sometimes explosive, vocal performance as (Hades). As I read, his inventive dealing with the written material, based on his speedy way of speaking, made the writers re-modify the character to something else what they had in mind. Here's the spirit of creativity that this movie somewhat missed.
It's a Disney's fun. Not shabby, and not great either. You can easily sense that it wasn't intended to be a big production. It seems to be coming from Disney Classic Cartoon: the B-movies branch. And it did manage to be a B-movie among Disney's A-list classics. I believe with more creative points, the story, any story, can be fresh, or at the largely familiar least, look fresh. The thing is this one lost being fresh as a script, direction, and hence as a movie.