There were many things that would have prevented me from seeing this movie. First off: Dwayne Johnson is playing a historical figure. Yeah, I get that Hercules is supposed to a bad-ass, and being a bad-ass is The Rock's area of expertise. However, I didn't see it as that much of a fit. Second: Wasn't a Hercules movie just released not too long ago? I get that it was supposed to be inferior to this version, but still.
So how exactly did I see this film? Well, it was Tuesday night, it was cheap, and I had nothing else to do.
And was it decent? It was...entertaining.
I'm not exactly going to tear this movie to shreds because of all the problems it has (and yeah, there are quite a few), but I do believe giving some credit where credit is due. The real reason this film is enjoyable is because it recognizes that it shouldn't take itself too seriously, so the tone is more relaxed and humorous. In fact, humor was the main thing holding this film together. If it had tried to keep a strictly mature and historically accurate tone, it would have collapsed under its own weight. I feel like the producers said, "Hey, let's just have some fun." And they did.
The story follows Hercules and his band of mercenaries (played by people such as Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, and Reese Ritchie), who travel through Greece doing certain missions for pay. Hercules has decided to live as a mortal because he is haunted by the guilt he has over supposedly murdering his wife and children after being cursed by Hera, jealous wife of Zues. However, when the group is approached by the princess Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson), who hopes they will help defeat a warlord making his way across Greece, they oblige. What follows is a series of events that result in Hercules learning who his friends and enemies truly are.
This film is exactly what you would expect from watching the trailer: it is campy as all get-out. There's plenty of fight sequences, combat, monsters, arrows flying, swords being thrown around, and lots of cartoony heroes and bad guys. Not to say that I am surprised, given that this film was based on a comic book. And while the film carries itself fairly well with all the comedic and intentionally ludicrous moments, there are also a few issues that come with it. I felt that the pacing could have been done better, as it all feels pretty rushed in the important areas and too slow at the points that could have been moved through a bit quicker. I also thought that the backstory for many of the characters was put together in a kind of clunky way, but whether or not that helps or hurts the story is really left up to interpretation. (By the way, I could make a list of all the historical mistakes in this film, but I won't. Another time, then.)
So if you just want to be entertained for a good two hours, check out this movie. It's not exactly a full-course meal, but it will still moderately satisfy.
Overall rating: 5/10
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