Hercules
Tags: comedy, murder, violence, flashback, good versus evil, action, revenge, storytelling

Plot synopsis:
On a stormy night, the son of the god Zeus and human Alcmene (Karolina Szymczak) was born. His mother named him Hercules, which meant "glory of Hera", to appease the goddess herself. Hera saw the boy's birth as an insult and planned to have him killed. Two serpents emerge from the eyes of a Hera statue and slither their way to the child, but the young Hercules snaps their necks with his god-like strength.As an adult, Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) went through his famed Twelve Labors. He treads through a swamp to take on the Lernaean Hydra, slicing off their heads one by one. He faced the Erymanthian Boar, taking it down with his club. His most well-known labor was the slaying of the Nemean Lion, a beast whose hide was so powerful that no mere weapon could penetrate it.The person telling this story, Iolaus (Reece Ritchie), who is also Hercules' nephew, is tied up and hanging over a wooden pike right below his groin. He is taken prisoner by pirates that have invaded Macedonia. The pirate leader starts to burn the rope that holds Iolaus, not believing a word of his story. The leader fails to see Hercules standing behind him, wearing the skin of the Nemean Lion on his head and boasting that he killed the beast with his bare hands...or so they say. Hercules charges forward with his comrades - the seer Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), Atalanta (Ingrid Bolso Berdal), and Tydeus (Aksel Hennie) - and takes out all the pirates and pushes Iolaus to safety before he falls onto the pike. Hercules finishes off the leader with one powerful swing of his club.Hercules and his allies go to a tavern to eat and drink. They are approached by a woman named Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson), asking Hercules to help her father protect the kingdom of Thrace from a warlord. If he succeeds, he and his friends will be rewarded their weight in gold. Autolycus pushes a plate of food to Hercules and tells him to eat up.The crew travels to Thrace. Ergenia's son Arius (Isaac Andrews) runs up to Hercules, eager to meet this legendary warrior after hearing about his Twelve Labors. General Sitacles (Peter Mullan) escorts Hercules and his crew to meet Ergenia's father. Hercules is asked if he's ever been this close to royalty. He recalls three years earlier when he traveled to the kingdom of King Eurystheus (Joseph Fiennes), bringing him the heads of the Hydra. He is also reunited with his wife Megara (Irina Shayk) and his three children. Hercules then experiences a vision of his family screaming, and the walls covered in blood.Hercules is brought before Lord Cotys (John Hurt), Ergenia's father. He requests Hercules' help in fighting off an army led by the dreaded warlord Rhesus. He takes a look at Atalanta and says this mission holds no place for a woman, though she proves him wrong immediately by shooting two arrows at the helmets of two soldiers, throwing it out of their hands. It is said that his soldiers are centaurs that laid waste to Cotys's forces. Hercules agrees to train Cotys's soldiers in combat. It starts with the men holding their shields up for protection, but they are easily knocked down when Tydeus charges at them.At night, Arius wanders around when he hears a snarling noise. He looks in the darkness to see Tydeus, who lunges at him, but the boy runs away. He is found by Hercules, who tells Arius that he and his friends found Tydeus as a child in Thebes after a war overtook his home, and to this day, Tydeus does not speak a word. Hercules brings Arius back to his mother, who is in the hospice tending to the wounded and sickly. As a gift, Hercules gives Arius the tooth of the Nemean Lion, which excites the boy.Hercules leads the soldiers to the Bessi Heartland. Iolaus tries to join the soldiers, but Hercules refuses to let him fight. The area has already been ravaged, with countless bodies sprawled everywhere, including young children, and the heads of men mounted on spikes for display. The soldiers come across several "fresh" bodies, which turn out to be savages that set up a trap for them. The soldiers line up with their shields up, and Hercules breaks off the head of one of Atalanta's arrows. One of the savages charges toward Hercules, and he punches the savage so hard that he flies backwards, with the arrowhead lodged in his skull. The Thracians take on the savages, while Hercules and his crew fight back, leaving Iolaus and Cotys to be guarded. Atalanta wields her bladed bow while firing arrows without even having to look behind her. Tydeus charges like mad at the savages while Autolycus uses his weapons against them also. When it looks like the savages are overpowering them, Hercules and Amphiaraus ride a horse-drawn chariot with blades, killing every last savage in sight. The soldiers mourn their fallen, and Iolaus covers Hercules' wounds so that the others won't see him bleed like a mortal. Cotys calls out Rhesus, knowing he is behind this, unaware that the warlord is watching from afar.Ergenia tends to Hercules' wounds back in Thrace. When she asks him if he has had a family before, he dodges the subject and sends her away. That night, he hears screaming. He wanders out and sees dead bodies everywhere, including those of his wife and children. Hercules is then faced with the three-headed dog of Hades, Cerberus. It is only a vision, however, as Tydeus comes by to snap Hercules out of it. This, as Amphiaraus states, has happened before.The next morning, Ergenia finds Hercules' friends and asks Iolaus to tell her the truth about what happened to Hercules' family. Iolaus begins to say that it happened with Hera driving him mad, but Ergenia dismisses that as myth. Regardless, Autolycus tells Ergenia that they all have reason to trust Hercules.Hercules leads the soldiers to Mount Asticus, where they see what appear to be centaurs in the distance. They run toward the Thracians, but they turn out to be simply men riding horses. Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann) makes his presence known to the soldiers, though Hercules is not the least bit intimidated by him. The Thracians take on Rhesus's men, proving more powerful than before. The opposing army fires flaming arrows at the Thracians. Amphiaraus, thinking his time is coming, stands in there, welcoming death, but not a single arrow hits him. Rhesus charges toward Hercules on his horse, but Hercules grabs the horse and flips him and Rhesus over before sneering, "Fucking centaurs."Rhesus and his men are taken back to Thrace where they are mocked and have garbage thrown at them. A feast is held, with Rhesus being chained up as a prisoner. Ergenia feels pity for him, and she tries to bring him water, but Cotys won't let her. Hercules gets Ergenia alone after seeing her look at Rhesus, and it is learned that it was Cotys that orchestrated the whole war to gain power and control over the kingdom, with Rhesus merely having gotten himself involved. Ergenia only wants Arius to be safe, since he will ascend to the throne after Cotys dies. She asks Hercules to take the boy with him, but he says no. He goes to confront Cotys, who shows no remorse over his actions and offers Hercules a place in his army. Hercules, of course, refuses.The crew is given their gold, but Hercules wants to stay and help Thrace. Autolycus chooses to leave, taking his share of the gold with him, despite the others pleading with him to stay. Atalanta, Amphiaraus, and Tydeus agree to help Hercules fight Cotys. However, when they all go to face him, they are captured, along with Ergenia and Arius.Hercules is chained up in the dungeon while his friends are locked in cells. He sees what appears to be Cerberus, but they are merely three vicious wolves. In enters King Eurystheus, who turns out to be in league with Cotys. It is also revealed that he drugged Hercules the night his family was murdered, sending the wolves to attack and kill them, because Eurystheus saw Hercules as a threat to his kingdom when his people cheered his name louder than Eurystheus. To make things worse, Cotys orders Ergenia to be executed right there in the dungeon. Amphiaraus tells Hercules to remember all that he has accomplished, and to remember who he is. He cries, "Who are you?!" And the man bellows, "I AMMMMM HERCULEEEES!" He breaks off the chains and swings at the executioner, stopping him from taking off Ergenia's head. She runs to free the others while the wolves attack Hercules. Hercules slams one against the wall, then breaks the jaw of another, and then finally kills the last one with the Nemean Lion's tooth (Arius passed it back to him while being captured).With everyone, including Rhesus, freed, the Thracian soldiers try to attack. One hurls a spear that passes through fire at Amphiaraus, which he foresaw as his death. He stands there, ready to accept his fate, when Hercules grabs the spear and throws it back at the soldier. Hercules then goes after Eurystheus, who tries to weasel his way out of it by saying Cotys corrupted him. He begs for forgiveness, but Hercules grabs Eurystheus's dagger and impales him with it. Sitacles then appears and grabs Hercules with his whip, but Iolaus impales him from behind, now ready to join the fight.The final battle comes outside the palace, where Cotys stands before his soldiers. They bring out Arius, threatening to kill him if Hercules doesn't surrender. A soldier holds a knife at the boy's neck, but the man is killed by a knife, thrown by Autolycus, who has decided to return for his friends. The Thracians fight Hercules and his crew, while Arius runs back to his mother. Tydeus is struck by an arrow, but he doesn't let that stop him as he slays every soldier in his path. Hercules retrieves him, where Tydeus merely utters Hercules' name before dying. The crew spills oil and fire to block the Thracians, and Hercules begins to push the statue of Hera from its base. Cotys begins shouting at Hercules, calling him a coward and saying his family deserved to die. Hercules finally manages to break the statue from its base, causing it to come crashing down, crushing some soldiers while the head rolls and smashes into Cotys, throwing him over the edge of a cliff.The surviving soldiers lay down their weapons and bow before Hercules, chanting his name. The rest of his crew stands behind him. Amphiaraus delivers the closing lines by saying that he prefers this tale of Hercules to the myth. He says that you don't need to be a demigod to be a hero, but you just have to believe you can be a hero. He adds, "But what do I know? I'm supposed to be dead."

Review: The acting was - in general - excellent, with only one or two instances where I thought it was a bit too cheesy or overdone.Dwayne Johnson was fantastic; having seen him in several films I was expecting a less solemn, more caricatured, performance.
But he was excellent, and I have gained a little more respect for him as a serious actor (though I wouldn't cast him outside head-bashing quite yet).Overall an underrated movie in my opinion, and definitely worth a watch if you like a good story..
Hercules and chums are mercenaries, pressed into service for Lord Cotys to put down a rebel uprising which looks likely to overthrow the throne.The trailer teases this movie as being a myths and monsters movie: it isn't.
What is left is a rather dark film with a lot of battle action, pitched uneasily at a level which is too graphic for family viewing and not graphic enough for those who like blood and dismemberment.There is a single F word - unnecessary and out of place.Dwayne Johnson does this stuff well - he looks good, has great physical presence and, even when the part is somewhat darker than usual, he remains very likable.
The supporting cast are all quite good - it was interesting to see Rufus Sewell playing a goodie for once (kind of like a young Ian McShane even though McShane was also in the film, with all the best moments of humour), and John Hurt gets to play both ends of the spectrum, meek and scenery-chewing.I quite liked this - it is certainly a lot better than this year's previous Hercules offering - but felt that it was a missed opportunity: they promised me monsters and then didn't deliver them!.
The film has a bevy of great actors including John Hurt, Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell and I think Dwayne Johnson is perfect for the main role..
Somehow watching the Rock talk doesn't interest you, but when the fighting starts with the epic 200 people battle sequences, you suddenly see where the budget went, the fights are fantastic!What is really great is how Hercules and his band of merry men (and woman) use smarts to outwit the enemy rather than simply use strength each time.
The 3D has its moments, but like most films I would rather have watched it in 2D as I don't think it made a major difference and its more comfortable not having to wear those glasses with my head upright the entire time..
Look, I know going into a Brett Ratner film starring The Rock as Hercules shouldn't have expectations high, but I expected more from this.
It has cool action, bigger than life Dwayne Johnson as Hercules and good supporting stuff.
This flick is miles better than bad movie that came out also this year "The Legend of Hercules", skip this one and watch "Hercules" instead - it's not the best summer movie of this year, but it's worth spending 90 min.
on evening with some friends and beer.Overall, "Hercules" isn't great art, it's not even very memorable popcorn flick, but it does it job well for while it last, it entertains you - not in the most sophisticated way to the least, but it's a fun movie..
I honestly found myself laughing out loud much more than I found myself getting drilled with constant WWE style fighting like there was in "The legend of hercules", mind you this is a very good thing.
(58%) A movie that could have quite easily dipped into crap territory is saved by well directed and plentiful action, good production values, Mr Johnson being a perfect leading man, John hurt calling Hercules a "filthy bastard" and "Atalanta" (bow-girl) looking uncannily like Nicole Kidman from the early 90's.
Looks like they spent half of the budget of the film on a few seconds of CGI and then the movie continues with some low budget skirmishes and people talking.You could sum this movie up as Trailer + an episode of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" TV series with the Rock instead of Kevin Sorbo.People were walking out of the mostly empty theater and so did we..
No useless splash of blood every two sec to pretend to be adult.The story is about what make a man into a legend, but even with that in mind, the movie keep having fun at giving us hint that he is a demigod, then taking that back right after, making him a simple human being with a self confidence issue.
That's what most people were let down by,its more close the mythology but this flick is based on a comic book (I never read the comics but I know this because it was on Wikipedia,its called Hercules : The Thracian wars by Radical) The story was well paced and good, maybe goofy at sometimes but it was well put and solid.My only problems with this movie were the short run time (1hr,38 minutes) and the 3D.
The runtime could have been extended so we could have more things explained in a better time frame but it had to be 98 minutes long which I thought was disappointing because I wanted to see more of the movie but I never did.
Or at least I thought so until I watched 'Hercules.' It's absolutely everything you've seen a thousand times before, therefore it's a mystery as to why I enjoyed it as much as I did.From what I hear it's hardly based on fact (and when I say 'fact' I mean the Greek legend of Zeus and Mount Olympus etc).
However, I can tell you that – if you're in the right frame of mind – it is quite good fun.Dwayne 'The sometimes Rock' Johnson plays our titular character and he plays him with as much charm as you'd expect from our muscle-bound leading man.
Don't waste your money if you want watch mythical, Semi-god stuff...but it is good movie with mind set on human who is portrayed as a legend....what it means to be hero and stuff...
Though a trained viewer can still pick out the CGI, these scenes are nevertheless exciting and thrilling, combining good old-fashioned formation tactics with Ben Hur-like chariot chases and some Lord-of-the-Rings type one-versus-many pounding.Those looking for some 'Game of Thrones' intrigue need not apply; indeed, the narrative here is as straightforward as it gets, no matter the minor twist two-thirds into the film that has Hercules struggling to make a moral choice when he realises that he and his crew may have been manipulated by Lord Cotys himself.
And you can also feel a bit of the atmosphere from the movie "Gladiator" in this mythical spectacle.But unlike "The legend of Hercules" you can see some old timers at work here.
I liked Hercules because The Rock knows how to give the audience what they want in these types of films.
The demi-god who received the Hollywood treatment and a bad one at that.Hercules is one of the better known mythic figures and it is only fair and right that when you can get a decent cast and budget approved we are to be expecting a great film.
Let's face it, the fact (well, according to mythology) alone that he completed the 12 labours as well as participated in the retrieval of the golden fleece with the Argonauts would suffice to provide material for a mighty adventure movie, or couple of them.Instead, the makers of this movie brushed off the 12 labours and made Hercules a mercenary in the paid service of a corrupt king, not to mention made him appear uncertain to the point of insecurity the same person who in the ancient world embodied extraordinary strength and masculinity.I would not go so far as to call it a bad film, just hardly mediocre.
And you can rest assured that these supporting killers will have no further character development than: Geeky sidekick; cool but crude best friend; female Legolas; the crazy one and the old dude who is a bit more profound than the rest.After the opening boss fight, the Rock and his answer to the expendables are interrupted during a drinking session by the daughter of Cotys of Thrace, played by John Hurt, who want to hire him and his merry men to save his city from a ruthless warlord.The most interesting thing this film tries to do is to play down the myth of Hercules, in which the central characters acknowledge that he is just that - a myth.
Words can't even describe how bad this movie was as well as Mr. Johnson's "acting." His idea of getting into character consisted of flexing his muscles and smirking like...
Without giving away too much (because you definitely should see this movie!) Day be Johnson plays the daring, super strong hero of Greek mythology told in fables across time depicting ultimate masculinity.
Dwayne Johnson delivers an impressive performance as Hercules, half-god/half human, who has to prove to the world that he is for real, and not just a hyped up legend.
Dwayne Johnson is charismatic, and brings a very human element to the legend, and this is something I really liked about the film.
Don't get me wrong this film has it's fun moments, almost all of which come from Dwayne The Rock Johnson's one liners.
I just don't think it was enough to overcome the films major weaknesses.+The Rock's charisma +Biggest and baddest Herucles yet +Looks great-Takes away the best part of Hercules -By the numbers -Predictable, nothing stands out 5.9/10.
A matinée must at least have charm like Flynn's Movies mentioned above or the Pirates of the Caribbean installments.Another thing that is missing, which I Think is vital to this type of film, is the fantasy/legend elements.
I like Clash of the Titans, and yes, it does not have a lot of blood, but it has charm, better actors and generally higher production values instead.It lacks plot - the story is very thin and has no Eye brow-rising surprises.However, the scenery is good as well as the armor and weapons.If you favor matinées and do not crave blood, and like the following Movies: the Legend of Hercules; Pompeii; Clash of the Titans (1 & 2); as well as the Hercules TV series and Xena Warrior Princess, this Movie is for you.
Before I watched the movie I expected the usual mythological face of Hercules.
Being Greek, I've grown up with these myths and watching movies about them can be both fun and frustrating.This movie took a different road by not giving Hercules god-like powers and making his legend a more reality based one.
BC how accurate can a movie really be?) but it was a very good melding of myth and reality.What surprised me the most was how much Dwayne Johnson fit the role of Hercules.
He had the slightly ironic, slightly tragic and very barbaric face I always gave Hercules in my mind.All in all, this may not have been a masterpiece but it was a fun way to spend the night and I will probably watch the movie again in the future when I want something entertaining and comparatively light..
It attempts to humanize Hercules, presenting the man behind the legend, which is quite admirable compared to other grandiose renditions that share the same title or action movies in general that depict superhuman characters.
First i want to say that this movie has nothing to do with the history or myths ( you just have to ignore the words "Hercules", "Thrace" and other familiar like this ).
I did not like the acting of Ingrid Bolsø, but other than this and completely imaginary history, everything was good.With beautiful scenery, good sound and cinematographic, this movie is great fast-sword action movie with full of 3d effects to enjoy 2 hours in the cinema..
But here, when the imagery is used it depicts not actual events, but how the legend has been passed down by mere mortal men.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is as much Hercules as any actor who has portrayed the DemiGod, Kevin Sorbo notwithstanding.
But I generally like the ones that have something interesting about them to recommend: great action, snappy one-liners, colorful characters, good special effects, some sense of style.
Dwayne Johnson may be The Rock and have personality to spare, but movies like this do him no favors.
This movie is another depiction of the life of Hercules the Greek legend!Although you may think, after the first minutes, that you are seeing another fantasy feature film with ...gods, monsters and other supernatural elements, this movie tries to be as close to the real world as it can possibly be!
This film is based on the graphic novel "Hercules: The Thracian Wars".as Hercules Dwayne Johnson is best till now than other Hercules.movie run time is 98 mins and it is not at all boring.
movie has only three fight sequences and they both are very impressive especially 1st and the last.Ian McShane,Rufus Sewell,Aksel Hennie,Ingrid Bolsø Berdal;they are the kind of family with Dwayne Johnson.they all have done very good job.movie starts with the Dwayne Johnson(Hercules)'s adventures and the things he do to get free from Rebecca Ferguson(Ergenia)'s Cursed.John Hurt (Lord Cotys) sent his daughter to Hercules to call him to rescue his kingdom and his people from Tobias Santelmann(Rhesus).but after great war Hercules found that the original culprit was Lord Cotys.now he oppose him to save Lord Cotys's daughter and her son.later Hercules also found that Joseph Fiennes(King Eurystheus) for whom he worked,was the original guy to kill Hercules's children and wife.now how will he take revenge is all in the climax.the fight sequences were pictured so nicely especially pre climax scenes.the power pack scene was that when Dwayne Johnson shouted that "I'M HERCULES" and attacks on wolfs.overall,go for this Hercules;it won't bore you or disappoint you.recommended!.
A fairly entertaining movie but Hercules as most people know the story it is not.
Renny Harlin's "The Legend of Hercules" - though not entirely accurate itself - released earlier this year was a much better and way more entertaining film compared to this Brett Ratner version.Pity Dwayne, The Rock, Johnson starred in the wrong version of Hercules' tale.
The Rock does a great job flexing *and* acting as Hercules, and the supporting cast, including John Hurt help bring the action.
Movie Review: "Hercules" (2014)The legend of the most-promoted Greek mythology character adapted with help of a graphic novel from Radical comics; An ensemble cast unmotivated to start with title-role inhabiting actor Dwayne Johnson, who had been the choice of a life-time to character-fine-artists actor Ian McShane, completely lost in costume and splendor of mediocre, uninviting production design; A hundred million U.S. Dollar budget follows Producer/Director Brett Ratner into horrible conceived visuals, which are so static and wooden-act outs that even first looks hurts the eye as the brains, if even the distributing Studios Paramount Pictures & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had have the guts to bring the picture to an R-rated state of blood and gore spilling, matching the club-swinging Hercules, then the spectre might have said it goes all along entertaining for genre fans of historical action.
I really like Dwayne Johnson and a few of his movies--Walking Tall, Snitch, The Rundown--but the excellent supporting cast (e.g, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes) did not make up for his acting in Hercules.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays Hercules in this movie and unlike a lot of other films, this version is more of a man than demi-god with the legend of his exploits far exceeding his reality.
The tales about him are told in every town, how he defeated the Hydra, the Very Big Lion, hell-hounds and whatever, and this is probably a realistic view on how such a myth was created in ancient times when stories were not filmed, only passed on by word of mouth, growing bigger and bigger as they were told and told again.However, the movie makes one crucial mistake that causes a lot of bad reviews: it shows spectacular fights against CGI creatures to introduce the hero, and all the rest of the running time is a military campaign, the battles for the throne of Thracia.
Dwayne Johnson is perfect for the role of Hercules, and there is a great cast to support him including John Hurt, Rufus Sewell and Joseph Fiennes.
I give it a 2 out of respect for some of the main actors who were still performing their duties, despite the utter crap they were shooting during the making of the film.Indeed, there are no true hero scenes in the movie, like Hercules dealing with monsters and performing legendary deeds of any kind, in fact there was only a clumsy story of Dwayne Johnson being a mercenary in classical Greece.
And this makes me feel bad about Dwayne Johnson, even though he is animatedly supporting the movie, because I really love him as a screen presence and see in him some good acting chops combined with a waterfall of charisma, but this is not the work I would like to see him do.
What we are left with is a movie about mercenaries set in ancient times, and it's hard to fault the audiences for expecting something more epic because myth of Hercules has so many great scenes that Hollywood is so good at depicting.
last thing I would to say is Dwayne Johnson "the rock" who is the best wrestler comes in the world of movies ^_^ ..
It's big and dumb, sure, and often in a hugely amusing way - but, at other times, it's actually impossible to ignore the film's frankly terrible plotting.The first inkling that this is not the Hercules you know comes in the form of Dwayne Johnson.
Now Dwayne The Rock Johnson plays Hercules in this film and I thought he was great in this film.
The action scenes were styled really well and looked good, however, the cgi is bad at times and does take you out of the film.