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I think I just watched an early sneak of the "300" sequel that isn't due until March. But for some reason, it's called "The Legend of Hercules".

I kid. But, clearly, director Renny Harlin (of "Die Hard 2" fame and " Cutthroat Island " infamy) and his CG-manufacturing minions wouldn't mind if you made that mistake, considering they have borrowed most of the visual tricks that have become the signature of that franchise. De-saturated color scheme? Check. Annoying stuttering slo-mo action sequences? Check. Legions of faceless warriors who don't require a SAG card? Right on.

Perhaps to camouflage that blatant co-opting, there are also snatches of " Gladiator ", "Ben-Hur", " Spartacus ", video-game-inspired arena matches and an aged scholar named Chiron who sounds as if he wandered in from a touring company of " Fiddler on the Roof ".

In fact, one of the few original ideas, presumably to somehow justify the use of 3-D technology that is quickly growing out of favor with paying customers, is the repeated image of white objects that inexplicably flutter down from the sky and project into the audience. They could be ashes, rose petals or dandelion fluff—or all three.

My theory? These particles are Zeus's dandruff. After all, the god of thunder and Hercules's daddy has good reason to get his dander up. His half-human son is not only in a mess of a movie, he is in a mess of trouble onscreen thanks to the schemes of a tyrannical king of a stepfather who is so evil he practically twirls his beard.

Not helping matters is that Hercules is played by Kellan Lutz , best known as Emmett Cullen, the brawny joker of the vampire clan in the Twilight series. True, stepping into the sandals of the giants who have portrayed the legendary Greek strongman before—Steve Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger , Lou Ferrigno and even Ryan Gosling (go ahead and Google it) among them—can't be the easiest task.

However, if you are going to brave a genre as kitschy as this, you have to know how to slice the cheese with tongue-in-cheek finesse. And while Lutz might possess the beefcake to fill out his chest armor, he lacks the acting chops to make us much care about the fate of his gleaming hero who looks as if he just stepped out of a Beverly Hills salon. Not helping is that, like Superman, his character is pretty much invincible in every challenge he encounters.

Unfortunately, the rest of the cast offers little compensation. The primary roles are filled with mainly British and Australian unknowns, save for American actor Johnathan Schaech, who was hot stuff back when he starred in 1996's "That Thing You Do!"

Once Hercules's mortal mother Queen Alcmene ( Roxanne McKee ) becomes impregnated by the seed-planting spirit of Zeus (an event that transpires in a bizarre bedroom scene that recalls " The Exorcist " but sexier) for the sake of delivering a savior who could bring peace to the land, all hell breaks loose. Her hot-headed husband, King Amphitryon ( Scott Adkins ), immediately suspects the super-sized child is not his and takes measures to ensure the interloper's life is miserable when he comes of age.

His accomplice in this mission is elder son Iphicles ( Liam Garrigan ), who looks as if he could be the illegitimate spawn of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean. Not only does the snotty brat resent that his mother and nearly everyone else favors Hercules (who goes by another non-god-like name initially but it really doesn't matter), but also that Mr. Muscles is in a hot-and-heavy relationship with the very model-pretty princess who is expected to be his intended.

This royal soap opera eventually causes Hercules to be sent off to certain doom while leading a group of warriors through Egypt. Instead, he handily survives every life-threatening situation he encounters and eventually avenges his wrong-doers. Blah, blah, blah.

It's a mystery why Harlin and his writers decided to eschew all the juicy bits of Herculean lore for this dull idealized interpretation. They could have had him undergoing the traditional 12 labors, facing off with such potentially cool opponents as the nine-headed Hydra and the Cretan bull instead of only slaying the most unrealistic movie lion since Bert Lahr in " The Wizard of Oz ".

Who wouldn't want to see him snatch away the girdle of Amazon queen Hippolyta (which probably sounds more hubba-hubba than it actually is)? Perhaps, they did not want to be too similar to "Clash of the Titans". But why not steal from that, too?

Instead, there is much screen time devoted to Lutz and his luminous lady love bathing in scenic springs and rolling in zee hay. Although their romantic frolicking does lead to one of the film's lone laughs. When Iphicles inquires whether Hercules has taken the princess's "maidenhood," the bulky dude counters: "I assure you, brother (pregnant pause) it's none of your business."

It may or may not be a good thing that summer will bring a second attempt at reviving Hercules on the big screen with Dwayne Johnson in the lead and directed by Brett Ratner . But with the bar set this low, surely the performer formerly known as The Rock doesn't have to strain himself too hard to pump up the entertainment value.

Susan Wloszczyna

Susan Wloszczyna spent much of her nearly thirty years at USA TODAY as a senior entertainment reporter. Now unchained from the grind of daily journalism, she is ready to view the world of movies with fresh eyes.

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The Legend of Hercules (2014)

Rated PG-13

Kellan Lutz as Hercules

Gaia Weiss as Hebe

Scott Adkins as King Amphitryon

Roxanne McKee as Queen Alcmene

Liam McIntyre as Sotiris

Liam Garrigan as Iphicles

Jukka Hilden as Creon

Rade Serbedzija as Chiron

Johnathon Schaech as Tarak

Luke Newberry as Agamemnon

Kenneth Cranham as Lucius

Sarai Givaty as Saphirra

• Renny Harlin
• Daniel Giat
• Giulio Steve

Cinematography

• Sam McCurdy

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Film Review: ‘The Legend of Hercules’

The first of 2014's dueling 'Hercules' pics to cross the finish line is a camp throwback with an inverse ratio of brains to brawn.

By Scott Foundas

Scott Foundas

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A towering figure of Greek mythology, the half-human, half-god strong man Hercules has always been something of a schlock icon where movies are concerned, from the wave of Italian-made, sword-and-sandal cheapies that broke upon these shores in the 1950s and ‘ 60s to their 1980s Cannon Films derivants starring Lou Ferrigno. The song remains very much the same for “The Legend of Hercules,” the first of two dueling 2014 tentpoles to reach theaters, and every inch the one that might have been commissioned by the late impresario Alexander Salkind in his “Santa Claus: The Movie” period. Costly in price ($75 million) but totally kitsch in execution, from its wooden dialogue to its low-rent international cast and its very CG-looking CGI, “Legend” is ideal fodder for undiscriminating 12-year-old boys on a lazy weekend afternoon, though even they may opt to wait for the Rock in MGM/Paramount’s Brett Ratner-directed “Hercules,” due in July.

As with last summer’s Beltway demolition derby of “Olympus Has Fallen” and “White House Down,” the canny B-movie magnate Avi Lerner (who produced through his Millennium Films banner) is once again betting that the early bird will catch the box office worm. But lacking “Olympus’” star wattage and facing stiff competition from Christmas season holdovers, “Legend” will be hard-pressed to match its predecessor’s commercial heft. Still, the movie is not without its incidental pleasures — chiefly, a 90-minute running time (sans credits) that alone makes it preferable to the bloated spectacle of “47 Ronin.”

Back at the helm of a large-scale action picture for the first time since his Sylvester Stallone auto-racing turkey “Driven” in 2001, Renny Harlin kicks things off with a thunderous battle scene in which hordes of CG warriors under the command of the Tirynthean King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins) storm the gates of neighboring Argos circa 1200 B.C., 3D arrows raining down on the audience in old-fashioned, comin’-at-ya style. But while Amphitryon is an undisputed victor on the battlefield, we soon see that things haven’t been kosher for a while between him and his beleaguered wife, Queen Alcmene (Roxanne McKee), who longs for peace in their war-torn land.

Having exhausted all other options, she prays to the goddess Hera for help and receives a surprising response: It seems that Hera’s s.o., Zeus, has always coveted Alcmene from afar, and if Alcmene agrees to let him sire her child, that boy, Hercules, will lead his people to salvation. (Lurking around the edges of these early scenes is Rade Serbedzija as the queen’s Gandalf-like mentor, Chiron.)

This leads to a conception scene that resembles a cross between an expensive perfume ad and an exorcism — all thunder, lightning and billowing curtains — which probably explains why Amphitryon suspects something foul from the start and vows to always treat this bastard son, whom he christens Alcides, as inferior to his firstborn, Iphicles. The pic then flashes forward 20 years, where we find the bronzed and bulgingly muscular Alcides ( Kellan Lutz ) in love with the Cretan princess Hebe (the blankly beautiful Gaia Weiss) and openly loathed by both Amphitryon and Iphicles (Liam Garrigan), who fancies Hebe for himself. So the king and his heir apparent plot to rid Alcides from the picture by sending him off to war — and certain death — in Egypt.

If “The Legend of Hercules” takes most of its visual cues from “300” and the “Lord of the Rings” series (albeit without anywhere near the same level of seamless craftsmanship), it borrows most of its narrative beats from “Gladiator,” following Alcides/Hercules on his journey into the bowels of slavery, his discovery of his true parentage and god-like abilities, and his return home to confront his betrayers. Along the way, the movie happens upon its two most engaging episodes — one, a close-quarters ambush in an Egyptian cave that leaves Hercules and fellow soldier Sotiris (Liam McIntyre) the only survivors, the other a Sicily-set gladiatorial bout in which Hercules squares off against a giant mutant known fittingly as Half Face. Both serve as reminders that Harlin can still execute a solid action sequence, with an attention to perspective and spatial continuity that many of his contemporaries lack, even if he’s a bit too fond of freeze-frames and slow-motion that threaten to trun every fight scene into its own instant replay.

But “Hercules” sinks into torpor whenever something other than hand-to-hand combat takes centerstage. As he demonstrated in the “Twilight” series, Lutz’s acting muscles aren’t nearly as well developed as his pectorals and deltoids, and while the role may not call for a master thespian, it at least begs someone who can emote without looking like he’s straining to execute a deadlift. Relative newcomer McIntyre, who assumed the lead role in “Spartacus” on TV from the late Andy Whitfield, gives by far the most affecting and nuanced turn here as a man driven to extraordinary lengths by the hope of someday reuniting with his family.

Shot in Bulgaria (where Millennium now has its own studio), “Legend” isn’t as distractingly cheap looking as other Lerner productions, with decent set and costume work, though the CGI is always more high-end videogame than anything approaching photorealism. Sam McCurdy’s 3D camerawork is mostly effective, but was marred at the screening reviewed by the conspicuous dimness that afflicts so much 3D projection.

Reviewed at the Grove, Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2014. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 98 MIN.

• Production: A Lionsgate release of a Summit Entertainment/Millennium Films presentation of a Nu Boyana production. Produced by Danny Lerner, Les Weldon, Boaz Davidson, Renny Harlin. Co-producers, Gisella Marengo, Nikki Stanghetti, Jonathan Yunger. Executive producers, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, John Thompson. Co-executive producer, Lonnie Ramati.
• Crew: Directed by Renny Harlin. Screenplay, Sean Hood, Daniel Giat. Camera (color, widescreen, 3D), Sam McCurdy; editor, Vincent Tabaillon; music, Tuomas Kantelinen; production designer, Luca Tranchino; art directors, Sonya Savova, Ivan Ranghelov, Alexey Karagiaur; set decorator, Valya Mladenova; set designers, Alessandro Troso, Adriano Giombini, Yosif Mladenov; costume designer, Sonu Mishra; sound (Datasat/Dolby Digital), Vladimir Kaloyanov; sound designer, Trevor Gates; supervising sound editor, Jonathan Miller; supervising re-recording mixer, Jonathan Wales; re-recording mixers, Richard Kitting, Jason Gaya; visual effects supervisors, Nikolay Gachev, Stanislav Dragiev; visual effects producer, Scott Coulter; visual effects, Worldwide FX, Digiscope, Factory VFX, Ghost VFX, Hydraulx, Identity FX, Prime Focus VFX, Reliance Mediaworks, the Resistance VFX, Rhythm & Hues Studios, Basilic Fly Studio; special effects supervisor, Pini Klavir; stunt coordinators, Rowley Irlam, Diyan Hristov; assistant director, Mary Ellen Woods; Bulgaria assistant director, Petya Evtimova; second unit director, Isaac Florentine; second unit camera, Ross Clarkson; casting, Kate Dowd.
• With: Kellan Lutz, Scott Adkins, Liam McIntyre, Liam Garrigan, Johnathon Schaech, Roxanne McKee, Gaia Weiss, Rade Serbedzija.

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The legend of hercules, common sense media reviewers.

Mythical tale is violent and poorly executed.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Greek myths don't always have positive message

Hercules loves Hebe so much he will stop at nothin

Mostly stylized violence like in the movie 300 wit

One love scene between Hercules and Hebe that star

Some insults about Hercules' parentage ("

Parents need to know that The Legend of Hercules is a fantasy adventure based on the Greek myth of Hercules, the demigod son of Zeus. The movie contains a mix of stylized and realistic violence that leads to a high body count: sword fights, battle scenes, hangings, and up-close deaths. Hercules and his…

Positive Messages

Greek myths don't always have positive messages, but this one encourages people to never give up, to have hope that there's a way out of unthinkably awful situations, and to make your time with those you love count.

Positive Role Models

Hercules loves Hebe so much he will stop at nothing to return to her. Queen Alcmene doesn't agree with her husband's power-hungry, bloodthirsty tendencies, so she dedicates her son to be an agent of good, for the gods and their kingdom.

Violence & Scariness

Mostly stylized violence like in the movie 300 with slow-motion war shots that then speed up. Lots of sword-on-sword violence but also Gladiator like arena fighting. High body count: men mostly die in battle usually from being stabbed. A man kills his wife with a dagger but makes it look like a suicide. Hercules wields the power of lightning in his sword. Men are shown hanging and speared.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

One love scene between Hercules and Hebe that starts with kissing and then cuts to them discreetly under a sheet, but still caressing and kissing. In one scene, a woman moans as she is impregnated by an invisible Zeus. The king is shown touching two different women whom he ushers into his bedchambers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Some insults about Hercules' parentage ("bastard" for example) and his standing as a "second son."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Legend of Hercules is a fantasy adventure based on the Greek myth of Hercules, the demigod son of Zeus. The movie contains a mix of stylized and realistic violence that leads to a high body count: sword fights, battle scenes, hangings, and up-close deaths. Hercules and his beloved Hebe kiss passionately several times and make love once, but all that is visible is shoulders and backs. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (1)
• Kids say (9)

Based on 1 parent review

Classical Mythical Stories, Poorly Done

What's the story.

THE LEGEND OF HERCULES follows the origin story of the Greek demigod Hercules (which is actually the Roman name for Heracles), son of the god Zeus and the mortal Queen Alcmene (Roxanne McKee). Upset by her husband, the bloodthirsty King Amphitryon's ( Scott Adkins ) power-hungry wars, Alcmene begs the gods to stop him. As an answer to Alcmene's prayers, the goddess Hera allows Zeus to impregnate her with a son to be referred to as Hercules. The strapping baby boy grows up to be the barrel-chested Alcides ( Kellan Lutz ), who's in love with the neighboring kingdom of Crete's Princess Hebe (Gaia Weiss). Unfortunately for Hercules, his father the king betrothes his older brother (Iphicles) to Hebe. Unwilling to accept the wedding, Hercules is ordered away to Egypt, where he's sold as a slave and eventually returns to Greece as a fighter intent on winning his freedom and reclaiming the love of his life -- while also accepting his identity as Zeus' son.

Is It Any Good?

Unless you are going solely for the excuse to stare at shirtless actors for 99 minutes, there's no reason to bother with Hercules . The action sequences are poor imitations of Gladiator , 300 , and nearly every other ancient-legend drama, and the dialogue is laughable but not laughable enough to make the action-adventure campy or "so bad it's good."

Lutz looks and acts like a bleached and tanned college kid who spends all his time in the gym, and his beloved Princess Hebe is apparently only capable of one facial expression -- whether she's staring at a half-naked Hercules emerging from water, contemplating jumping to her death to escape an arranged marriage, or grieving her love's supposed death. The one bright spot in the cast is Liam McIntyre, who starred as Andy Whitfield's replacement on the Starz show Spartacus . He's a talented actor who deserves more than this forgettable swords-and-sandals fare.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why movies about Greek myths and legends are still so popular. What other myths do you think should be adapted into a movie?

Does the movie seem positioned for a sequel? Originally the movie was called Hercules: The Legend Begins but then it changed; do you think there should be a sequel?

Discuss the violence. Does the impact of violence change whether it's realistic or stylized?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 10, 2014
• On DVD or streaming : April 29, 2014
• Cast : Gaia Weiss , Kellan Lutz , Scott Adkins
• Director : Renny Harlin
• Studio : Summit Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures
• Run time : 99 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : sequences of intense combat action and violence, and for some sensuality
• Last updated : March 2, 2023

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The Legend of Hercules Reviews

With such minimal adherence to both the origins and famed labors recounted in Greek mythology, there's very little that relates it to the eponymous hero.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 4, 2020

Lunkhead Kellan Lutz is the demigod's density in Renny Harlin's 300-lite, MST3K-ready retelling of the classical legend. Think Jesus with muscles, by the power of Greyskull.

Full Review | Oct 3, 2020

The Legend of Hercules - a Herculean effort and experience.

Full Review | Jan 8, 2020

Less 300, more 2.99: cheap in every sense of the word but the cost - and all the more glorious because of it.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 17, 2019

Greek mythology's famous strongman ironically fails to bust out of director Renny Harlin's weak-kneed and corroded costume drama...If anything, this particular Hercules stronghold barely musters up the interest to flash a bite-size bicep.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Nov 11, 2018

Visually dull and flat out ugly, Hercules apes the stylization of Zack Snyder's 300 to a troubling degree. It looks and feels cheap from start to finish, with nary a color to be seen.

Full Review | Nov 3, 2018

Most major films are at least technically competent if nothing else, but The Legend of Hercules looks worse than most movies you'd find on the SyFy channel.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/10 | Nov 1, 2018

The film is terrible, and should be avoided.

Full Review | Nov 21, 2017

While some of the effects are alright, the Nemean lion that Hercules battles in one scene looks comical. Hercules, looking like a beefcake at a toga party, starts using his superpowers only towards the end of the film. Too little, too late.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2017

This film should be removed from theaters as soon as possible to avoid damaging the brains of people who have the misfortune of seeing it.

Full Review | Original Score: F | Apr 23, 2015

Full Review | Apr 29, 2014

There's nothing here to engage the viewer or make them care one iota about what's occurring on the screen, making it no wonder that this got dumped into theaters in the middle of January.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 28, 2014

The film opens on a huge battle in the Greek city of Argos, but it often ends up feeling like the director bought it cheap at the high street namesake.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 1, 2014

Even dental extraction is more enjoyable to endure than this artistically bankrupt misfire.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Mar 29, 2014

No one seems to have high hopes for it - though it might well help to pass a wet afternoon when it shows up on Netflix 15 minutes from now.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 28, 2014

This lousy attempt at a revival isn't even good for camp laughs.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Mar 24, 2014

The lore of Hercules has spanned centuries, yet it's unlikely to ever see a more generic treatment on film than that of Renny Harlin's overblown origin story.

Full Review | Mar 24, 2014

Somehow more cartoonish than Disney's version, which actually was a cartoon.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Feb 24, 2014

A low point is when Hercules kills the Nemean lion, who seemed to be minding his own business in his forest; not cool, Herc, even if he was all digital and as fakey as those stuffed cats they used to throw at Steve Reeves.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 24, 2014

A misfire from top to bottom so complete that even when you think you have a handle on all the ways it can be bad, it pulls out another one that's even worse.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/10 | Jan 21, 2014

The Legend of Hercules Review

Hero to zero..

Summit's The Legend of Hercules had the potential to be a solid entry in the long line of Greek epics, but a stilted lead in Kellan Lutz along with a formulaic story and inconsistent action scenes make this myth one you'll want to forget. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following  @Max_Nicholson  on Twitter, or  MaxNicholson  on IGN.

In This Article

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clock This article was published more than  10 years ago

‘The Legend of Hercules’ movie review

When two similarly-themed movies come out in quick succession, it's usually better to be the first one out of the gate. In 2013, " White House Down " had better marketing, a bigger budget and the Channing Tatum factor, but it couldn't escape the shadow of the other terrorists-kidnap-the-president movie, " Olympus Has Fallen ," which came out a few months earlier and brought in more money domestically.

But there's good news for Brett Ratner, the director behind "Hercules," which comes out in July . It's hard to imagine that the summer blockbuster could be worse than " The Legend of Hercules ," which should fade quickly into obscurity as so many January releases do.

Dwayne Johnson, who takes the title role in Ratner’s rendition, has more charisma in one raised eyebrow than Kellan Lutz can muster during an entire pre-battle speech in “The Legend of Hercules.” Lutz has the muscles to play the powerful demigod offspring of Zeus and the mortal queen Alcmene, but he could have skipped a few grueling weight-lifting routines to take some acting lessons. In his defense, the script does him no favors.

The movie tells the creation story of Hercules, as his mother falls out of love with her husband, King Amphitryon (a spectacularly overacting Scott Adkins), and his warring ways and prays to Hera for peace. The goddess comes up with a plan which involves letting her husband, the almighty Zeus, sleep with Alcmene (Roxanne McKee) and father a child, who shall bring peace to the land. This scheme leads to one of the most unintentionally funny sex scenes in memory, as Alcmene is visited in her bed one night by the invisible god, who expresses pleasure by mooing like a cow.

But the meat of the story is this: Hercules falls in love with a princess, who is betrothed to his evil brother Iphicles (Liam Garrigan), and the equally vile King Amphitryon sends his supposed offspring to co-opt distant lands where certain death awaits him. Of course, he doesn’t die, and he and another Greek, Sotiris (Liam McIntyre), become best bros as they journey back to Argos to foil the nuptials that are to take place three moons hence.

Recurring visions of the fake moon were just some of the moments that caused outbursts of incredulous laughter during a recent screening. Another such instance came when Hercules kills the Nemean lion, a computer-generated monster that looks like an animatronic stuffed animal.

Aside from bad dialogue and worse special effects, one of the most frustrating features of “Legend” is its shortage of lingering shots. Quick cutting is an epidemic in modern movies, but in this case, when scenes end — usually with some one-liner — there’s no time to process the words before we’re thrust into some new action. The movie is the cinematic equivalent of a run-on sentence that never pauses for a breather. It doesn’t appear that a lot of time or effort was put into the script, but with this kind of cutting, director Renny Harlin (who also is one of the writers) makes clear what little value he places on words.

Some of the fight scenes are genuinely exciting and McIntyre, who clearly has acting ability well beyond this type of work, manages to keep a straight face. But the only thing epic about “The Legend of Hercules” is what a failure it is.

PG-13. At area theaters. Contains intense combat action, violence and some sensuality. 99 minutes.

Den of Geek

The Legend of Hercules Review

In 2014, it appears that even Hercules will claim he's Spartacus, too.

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1.5 out of 5

David Crow | @DCrowsNest

David Crow is the movies editor at Den of Geek. He has long been proud of his geek credentials. Raised on cinema classics that ranged from…

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• DVD & Streaming

The Legend of Hercules

• Action/Adventure , Drama , Sci-Fi/Fantasy , War

Content Caution

In Theaters

• January 10, 2014
• Kellan Lutz as Hercules; Gaia Weiss as Hebe; Scott Adkins as King Amphitryon; Roxanne McKee as Queen Alcmene; Liam Garrigan as Iphicles; Liam McIntyre as Sotiris; Rade Serbedzija as Chiron

Home Release Date

• April 29, 2014
• Renny Harlin

Distributor

Movie review.

Alcaeus and Amphitryon do not have an ideal father-son relationship.

Does Amphitryon ever take Alcaeus out and throw the ol’ pig around? Go down to the city to watch the chariot races? No. The glowering guy with the intimidating beard—who just so happens to be the king of Tiryns—always favored eldest son Iphicles, giving him everything he could want and forbidding anyone to make fun of his goofy name.

Not that Alcaeus is bitter. He has his muscles to keep him company. And should he tire of them, he can always hang out with Hebe, the beautiful daughter of another powerful Greek king. They’re in love—the sort of true, unquenchable love that hair bands from the 1980s used to sing about. Nothing but nothing will tear them apart.

Alas, every rose has its thorn. One night after Alcaeus and Hebe have spent some time languishing in a pool, and he and Iphicles have killed the fearsome Numean lion (ancient Greece was a hoppin’ place), Amphitryon makes an important announcement: Iphicles and Hebe are to be married four moons hence and (surely stifling evil laughter) Alcaeus is to be sent to Egypt to quell some sort of revolt that he may or may not have just made up. In one fell swoop, the king has cemented an important alliance and ticked off his second son. Or maybe it’d be easier to just say he gives love a bad name.

On his way out the door, Alcaeus runs into his mother, Queen Alcmene, who has some startling news for her favorite son: His name isn’t really Alcaeus at all, but Hercules—or sometimes Heracles, depending on who’s saying it. And his father isn’t Amphitryon, but Zeus, king of all Grecian gods.

It’s the sort of announcement that’s bound to throw anyone’s life into uncertainty, and I’m guessing sparked many, many questions in young Herc—most of which we can only guess at, you know, this many centuries after something that didn’t actually happen. I’m the son of a god? Is this why I have all these muscles? Why I’ve never been able to grow a huge beard? So it was me that mother was talking to at the dinner table when she’d say, “Hercules, please pass the beets”? Iphicles falls in a forest and there’s no one to hear it, will he still marry Hebe?

Positive Elements

Firstly, The Legend of Hercules gave me a new appreciation for the Disney cartoon Hercules —which, by comparison, seems like a deep and sober study of Greek mythology. But I guess I can come up with something nice to say about this flick: Hercules, for instance, seems like a nice enough guy. When he and Iphicles face the Numean lion, he tries to get his sibling to flee to safety. And when Herc kills the beast, he at first allows his insecure elder bro to take most of the credit. (Iphicles, naturally, makes himself more of a jerk in the process, which just shows you what an Iphy guy he is.) Hercules saves or tries to save the lives of some other folks too.

Hercules’ good pal Sotiris loves his wife and kid. Hebe shows some self-sacrificial tendencies that she uses to save her muscular man. Some guy keeps Hebe from walking off a high wall. (Nice of him, that.)

Spiritual Elements

The Legend of Hercules is predicated on a supernatural union and never shies away from religious issues—usually talking about them in strange surfacy ways, but sometimes in ways that might actually trigger some deeper thoughts. Indeed, if the main purpose of the movie is to showcase Hercules smiting folks, the secondary message is about how critical it is to have faith.

Remember always, of course, that the faith in play here is that of the ancient Greeks and their pantheon of petty gods. Queen Alcmene serves the goddess Hera (Zeus’ wife), for instance, and when Amphitryon (a rare Grecian atheist) mocks her for her beliefs, she’s not dissuaded. Her faith is then “rewarded” when Hera strikes a bargain with her: She (Hera) will allow Zeus to sleep with Alcmene and create a future savior for her country—someone who will give the land peace. Alcmene says that sounds dandy.

(This, by the way, runs completely counter to the generally accepted Grecian myth, wherein Hera can’t stand Hercules and does everything she can to kill the guy.)

But when Alcmene tells Hercules about his lineage, her son thinks she’s outright crazy. He’s a skeptic, not only about his own demigod status, but about gods in general. When a soldier sees an eagle flying overhead and says that such birds are thought to be a sign from Zeus, Hercules says, “Yes, and some believe it’s just a bird.” And when someone talks about how Zeus has a plan for him, Hercules thunders, “Where was this father when 80 good men were murdered beside me?!” It’s not until a moment of crisis that Hercules experiences a come-to-Zeus moment—turning the whole sometimes silly thing into something of a twisted Christian allegory.

There are hints of this throughout, actually. Hercules, Alcmene believes, is a true savior for the land. She and others often talk about his god-given purpose . His lineage seems intended to echo Jesus’ own status as being both God and man . When Hercules is captured ( betrayed by one of his friends), he’s strung up in a temple and scourged mercilessly. Amphitryon, the unbeliever, chastises the horrified masses watching the beating for believing in him: He’s flesh and blood, he rages—not a god at all. “Is this a message of hope?” he thunders. “Self-proclaimed son of Zeus,” he says, turning his attention to Hercules. “How do you offer these people salvation when you cannot save yourself?”

And then Hercules slides the picture away from Jesus and toward Sampson. “I believe in you,” he tells his unseen father. “Grant me strength,” as he pulls down the pillars he’s been chained to.

His next move? Well, he thinks, What would Hercules do? And so he starts twirling the pillars’ stones—still chained to his wrists—mowing down his accusers left and right. The filmmakers may have wanted to make him a Christ-like metaphor, but this “savior” isn’t about to turn the other cheek.

Sexual Content

Hercules and Hebe are quite affectionate with each other. We see them swim half-clothed and smooch under waterfalls. Amphitryon asks, for Iphicles’ sake, whether Hercules claimed Hebe’s “maidenhead.” “It’s none of your business,” Hercules answers. Indeed, later the two share an intimate encounter in a makeshift hideaway, both wrapped in sheets to cover strategic regions of their bare bodies. Hercules lies on top of Hebe, and the side of Hebe’s breast is briefly visible.

Alcmene’s encounter with Zeus, meanwhile, involves her lying in bed while Zeus takes the form of a strong breeze, blowing under her covers and giving (it would seem) the nightgown-wearing queen sexual pleasure. She climaxes just as Amphitryon storms in, seeing that his wife’s been involved in some hanky-panky with someone .

Hercules, Amphitryon and others go shirtless, and the movie obviously wants to draw as much attention as possible to their physiques. (Where’s Taylor Lautner when a director needs him?) Women wear gauzy gowns that sometimes show off cleavage.

Violent Content

The Legend of Hercules aspires to be a PG-13 version of 300 , it would seem—little more than an excuse to string never-ending, highly stylized fight sequences together. In wartime skirmishes and gladiatorial contests, men are dispatched with swords, cudgels and arrows. Women are hit, thrown around and occasionally stabbed. Folks fall into pits full of spears. We see dead bodies hanging from ropes and lots of bloody corpses strewn around on the ground, sometimes with arrows sticking out of them. Arms and necks are broken. (We hear the crunches.) Someone affixes someone else’s foot to an arena floor with a shield (somehow). People are drowned. They’re bashed by flying pillar stones. Soldiers are electrocuted with a magical sword/whip infused with lightning. We sometimes hear screaming and see splashes of blood. We watch what looks like a decapitation (but isn’t).

Hercules and Sotiris are painfully branded. Hercules gets shot by several arrows during a battle (but the arrows just sort of vanish as the melee drags on and he refuses to die). During a contest, Sotiris is punctured in both the arm and leg, leaving wounds that look pretty painful.

A woman nearly kills herself by trying to fall to her death. Later, that same woman runs herself through with a knife to save someone else: The blade comes through her chest and back and skewers the man behind her, killing him. (She, oddly, survives). Another woman gets murdered but is said to have committed suicide.

People are sold into slavery. There’s talk of gladiators becoming piles of “blood and guts and bones” eaten by dogs. A lion, impervious to spear attack, dies via strangulation and a broken neck.

Crude or Profane Language

None. (Cursing was apparently not one of the many problems those ancient Greeks had.)

Drug and Alcohol Content

None. (Drinking was certainly one of those problems, but the movie’s too consumed with fighting to take the time to show it.)

Despite everything I was pondering in “Spiritual Content” above, attempting to bring some sort of Christian meaning to a tale of Greek gods only goes so far, even in Hollywood. And when both myth and metaphor are stuffed into a low-budget action flick meant for bored 13-year-old boys, things get even funkier. It’s hard, after all, to mull over the nature and divinity of Jesus when the movie’s “Christ figure” is thwacking his jackal-helmeted enemies with two-ton stones while screaming at the top of his lungs.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Movie Review: The Legend of Hercules (2014)

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• --> July 31, 2014

A Herculean gladiator.

The Greek myth of Hercules’ twelve labors is one many are familiar with, and failing that, we are all at least familiar with the 1997 Disney classic, “Hercules,” that will always have a place in our hearts. Disney by no means remains true to the original myth, but successfully captures all the elements that draw our attention — adventure, self-discovery, monsters and romance. The Legend of Hercules , on the other hand, thoroughly ignores all of these, content to use the myth as a mere backdrop for an attempt to create a hybrid of “ 300 ” and “Gladiator.” Tossing the fantasy aside to create an action flick, yet restricted from focusing on the action by the historically mythical title, the film gets the worst of both worlds.

Kellan Lutz takes the titular role in this shambolic big-budget production, playing Hercules more with his muscles than any form of actual performance. He is born to Queen Alcmene (played by an overly hysterical Roxanne McKee) after a night in which Zeus himself impregnates her, although the visualization of this looks far more as though she is being possessed. Alcmene’s husband King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins), however, believes her to have been with another man, thus resenting the child instantly. Growing up with an elder brother who is clearly favored by their father and is the heir to the throne leads Hercules to find comfort and love in Hebe (Gaia Weiss), but when she is betrothed to his brother Iphicles (Liam Garrigan), Hercules’ outburst finds him sent away to war, being defeated, captured, sold as a slave and forced to fight as a gladiator. It is quickly established that he is undefeatable, and soon he finds his way back to his hometown to fight first for his own freedom, and then for the freedom of his people from his tyrannical stepfather.

What was truly astounding throughout the various deviations of the film, however, was its ability to make me genuinely apathetic towards Hercules’ survival. Despite attempting to throw him into “dangerous” situations and inspire us to root for his victory, the erratic plot and distractingly bad CGI of The Legend of Hercules will undoubtedly leave you indifferent to the idea of his death. There were moments in which such a conspicuous sheen floats over the action that I found myself wondering whether I was watching real actors or if perhaps robotics technology had leaped forward a few decades. While the CGI can to some extent be forgiven, the script that feels as though it was pieced together by a small army of its own cannot.

Written by four people, including director Renny Harlin, the script doesn’t attempt to achieve anything special, happily settling as a bad combination of similarly themed films, and yet unable to replicate any of the characters to equal effect. With performances that are almost equally directionless, affected accents that fade in and out, and Lutz’s uncomfortable rigidity when delivering any line that doesn’t involve shouting, it’s hard to take anything seriously. The only person that seems to have any sense of bearing is Liam McIntyre as Hercules’ loyal friend Sotiris, whose previous work in the TV series “Spartacus” has given him an awareness of the context that evidently evades his fellow stars.

Prior to the film’s release, there may have been some doubt over which of the two Hercules films emerging this year would be the better, but Brett Ratner’s “ Hercules ” has as much competition from this uninspired mess as Hercules would have from a blind baby cyclops. A disastrous concoction whose only redeeming feature is a relatively short running time of 99 minutes, The Legend of Hercules is an endeavor that can only be described as a fruitless attempt to mimic the recent success of Roman/Greek war films. Frankly, if Harlin was happy to produce something so ridiculous, he could have at least followed in Luigi Cozzi’s footsteps and made Hercules throw a bear into space .

Tagged: gladiator , Greece , hero , king

P loves dancing and hates people that don't give a film their full attention. She also uses words like love and hate far too liberally.

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'Movie Review: The Legend of Hercules (2014)' have 2 comments

July 31, 2014 @ 4:11 pm AEROMIX

It never stood a chance….

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June 13, 2015 @ 12:51 pm error

someone must take the sag card away from Kellan Lutz before he makes another movie.

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• Lionsgate Films

Summary In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised ... Read More

Directed By : Renny Harlin

Written By : Sean Hood, Daniel Giat, Giulio Steve, Renny Harlin

Where to Watch

Kellan Lutz

Scott Adkins

King amphitryon.

Roxanne McKee

Queen alcmene.

Liam Garrigan

Liam McIntyre

Rade Serbedzija

Johnathon Schaech

Luke Newberry

Kenneth Cranham

Mariah Gale

Sarai Givaty

Dimiter doichinov, king galenus, champion #1, nikolai sotirov, king tallas, radoslav parvanov, half face, champion #3.

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Battalion commander #1, vladimir mihaylov, battalion commander #2, kitodar todorov, fight announcer, stefan shterev, critic reviews.

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The Legend of Hercules (2014)

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The Legend of Hercules Review

HARDLY THE STUFF OF LEGENDS

Hercules: the man, the myth, the legend. Deriving from the bountiful tales of Greek Mythology, the character of Hercules, a son of Zeus (King of the Olympian Gods) and his tales of exploits and adventure have become literally the stuff of legends. This mighty Greek hero has even weaved his way into the many facets of the media including starring in books, children cartoons, television series, and even motion pictures, made for the big and small screen. As the year of 2014 begins, the first of the two Hollywood Hercules movies makes its debut with Summit Entertainment and director Renny Harlin’s Legend of Hercules (formally known as Hercules: The Legend Begins) . Does this film shed new light on the mythical hero from Greek mythology or is it just another run-of-the-mill “Sword and Sandals” epic?

Told as a somewhat origin story, Hercules (Kellan Lutz), born from the loins of Zeus and a stepson to the ruthless King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins), gets sent into exile due to a forbidden love he shares with Princess of Crete, Hebe (Gaia Weiss), who’s already been betrothed to Hercules’s conniving half-brother Iphicles (Liam Garrigan) in name of unity between two kingdoms. While in exile, Hercules gets placed into slavery and is made to fight gladiatorial combat for the pleasure of others. With the help of Sotiris (Liam McIntyre), a former captain to King Amphitryon’s army, Hercules rises in the arena and hatches a plan to lead a rebellion against his mad-stepfather and win back his one true love. Yet, to do such things, Hercules must first embrace his godly heritage and become the legend he was meant to be.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

In truth, as is on paper, the film’s story is not half-bad (A tyrannical ruler, forbidden love, a hero’s rise to power, etc). The film also looks expensive, with big sets (palaces, landscapes, and arenas) and believable costume that are appropriate for the fix point of time in ancient Greece. In a sense, the movie had the potential for some form of greatness as a feature film. Sadly, however, this is not doesn’t happen. The movie follows a very similar path that many fantasy / Swords and Sandals have treaded down before. Unfortunately, rather than revinventing itself or offering up something new for viewers to enjoy, The Legend of Hercules plays to the elements, style, and narration formulas that very much commonplace to similar features. It’s just a poorly executed as a film that’s riddled with countless problems, most notably in its lead actor.

True, Kellan Lutz has the muscular physique to pull off the role of Hercules and, he does with great ease, that is until he opens his mouth and looses that same credibility. Stiff, wooden, or not classically trained, Lutz’s performance is mildly mediocre at best; proving that the young twenty eight year old actor is not quite ready to step into the role of a lead character just yet. This can also be seeing the scenes with him and Gaia Weiss as the two star-crossed lovers seem very awkward together, sharing no on-screen chemistry, and saying expressions of love towards one another that just come out as flat and dull dialogue. Speaking of flat and dull, Scott Adkins’s Amphitryon and Liam Garrigan’s Iphicles are woefully terrible as the film’s central villains, spouting cheesy and /or grating dialogue lines that’s suppose to be threating, but just comes across as cartoonish villainy. Liam McIntyre, who was previously the lead role in the hit TV Show Starz’s Spartacus , shows the most promise in acting amongst the rest of the cast (save for Kenneth Graham’s small stint) as the character of Sotiris, who has a more compelling back-story more so than Hercules himself.

Despite the fact of the Olympian gods (Zeus and Hera) and a brief appearance of the Nemean Lion, the film seems almost devoid of using Greek myths, which is a shame as the story could’ve far better with using such fantastical beings and creatures from a rich lore of mythology. The pacing for the movie is also its downfall, moving briskly from one scene to the next; offering at times a limited sense of what’s going on and accompanied with shoddy transitions that could’ve been done more elaborately. Even the film’s ending feels haphardazly rushed and ends rather abruptly, similar to TV movies found on the Scifi channel. I found myself saying “What? That’s it!” as the ending credits began roll.

Much like Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel , The Legend of Hercules takes itself very serious with little to none wiggle room for any type of humor or comic relief to appear in its narrative. As for the film’s action, though choreograph to a satisfying effect, it’s just not something to be “Wowed” over and the sporadic slowing down and speeding up the camera for dramatic effect seems overused. Finally, its special effects are dated and not really convincing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you want mythological flights of fancy; watch Clash of the Titans (Both the new and old version) or Disney’s animated musical Hercule s, if you want drama and revenge; watch Riddley Scott’s Gladiato r, and if you want stylish gladiatorial action; watch Zack Snyder’s 300 or Starz’s Spartacus Saga . The Legend of Hercules tries to be all these things, but never fully materializes such ideals; failing to produce something memorable for its genre. Fans of Kellan Lutz and/or “Sword and Sandals” flicks might give the film a glance, but a meager glance, if that at all. In truth, The Legend of Hercules will most likely be eclipsed (and forgotten by many) by this summer as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson steps into the sandals of the mighty Hercules in Brett Ratner’s Hercules.

2.0 Out of 5 (Skip It)

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Movie Review: The Legend of Hercules

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First, let’s have a little discussion about using Greek and Roman names for movie characters. In the Greek myths, our demigod hero is named Heracles and his name names “glory of Hera,” Hera being the goddess of marriage and women and Heracles’ mother Alcmene intending to honor Hera with that name; in Roman myths, his name is Hercules, and thus the name that basically everyone knows, while the Greek gods’ and goddesses’ names are also more familiar. Back to the myth. See, Hera wasn’t happy about this kid even if his name meant “glory of Hera:” her husband, Zeus , the king of the gods, had an affair with Heracles’ mother, Alcmene (Zeus was always having affairs in mythology), and Hera remained hellbent on torturing Heracles for his entire life. Alcmene, married to Amphitryon, a great warrior, gave birth to twins – one the demigod son of Zeus, the other a mortal son of Amphitryon named Iphicles. Heracles was known for his god-like strength and thwarted most of Hera’s plans to kill him, like when he strangled two serpents in his crib as a baby. When he was an adult, Hera drove him crazy and he killed his wife Megara and their children – afterwards, for penance, he had his Twelve Labors , which he completed for forgiveness. Eventually Heracles was deemed a god and went to live on Mount Olympus with daddy Zeus and was given Hebe (pron. Hee-bee), the goddess of youth, as a wife. And that, in short, is the myth of Heracles. Apparently no one who has ever read a single Greek or Roman myth about Heracles/Hercules was consulted in the making of “The Legend of Hercules.” All someone knew was that this kid was Zeus’ and Alcmene’s and he could be strong. If only someone in Hollywood owned a copy of Bulfinch’s Mythology or Edith Hamilton’s Mythology , this movie could have been decent.

Proper Sword Blocking this is not – look at the Galenus’ right hand

“The Legend of Hercules” begins with King Amphitryon of Tires fighting Galenus, the King of Argos. Amphitryon is wearing Spartan-ish gear and we’re supposed to be reminded of how strong the Spartan King Leonidas was when, really, Leonidas would have killed Amphitryon in .2 seconds . Galenus doesn’t really get how to use a sword – just look at this picture and where his hands are on the blade – and is killed pretty quickly. Amphitryon, who is a total jackass, goes to celebrate and tells his wife, Alcmene, that he won Argos for her because she’s obsessed with the gods, just like the people of Argos. He thinks the gods are stupid. Alcmene looks down at her son, Iphicles, and is not happy with Amphitryon’s warmongering ways. Quickly, with her tutor, Chiron ( why he isn’t a centaur, I do not know ), she rushes to a nearby temple of Hera’s. Alcmene prays to Hera’s statue and offers up a pomegranate, which one of Hera’s oracle’s, Kakia (a name found only through IMDb.com), accepts before Hera takes over the oracle’s body. Really, as this woman plays Hera/Hera’s oracle Kakia throughout the movie, let’s just call her Hera. The goddess begs Alcmene to have another son to end Amphitryon’s wars, but Alcmene doesn’t want another child by Amphitryon. But no! This child’s father will be Zeus, who is lusting after Alcmene. Hera graciously gives her permission for Zeus and Alcmene to have a child that Hera shall know by the name Hercules. So all that mythology about Hera hating Heracles/Hercules? Yeah, bye bye! Also – if Amphitryon is so horrible (and he really is), why doesn’t Zeus just hit him with a lightning bolt and kill him? Wait, that would make sense and take away the villain, so, nope. Alcmene does conceive with Zeus (actual line said by Alcmene to Amphitryon: “Zeus came into my bed and blasted me with his seed to spawn a son to end your reign!”) and gives birth to a boy; Amphitryon, knowing something is going on because he walked in on Zeus and Alcmene (lightning flashes, floating bedsheets, and bull snorts are how Zeus has sex, apparently), and says the child shall be called Alcides, which is actually another names for Hercules, and shall never be equal to his brother Iphicles. After King Jackass – er, Amphyitryon – leaves, she whispers that the baby’s name will be Hercules.

Meet Heracles/Hercules! Er, Alcides! Um, Emmett! I give up. -_-

Fast forward twenty years or so, until it looks appropriate for Kellan Lutz to enter as our heroic Hercules – oops, Alcides. Yep, folks, ALCIDES is Lutz’s character’s name and we don’t even get Hercules until the last half of the movie. If you don’t remember or know Kellan Lutz, he was Emmett in the “Twilight” movies. Alcides is in love with Hebe, a princess from Crete, and she loves him. (Remember Hebe? Heracles’ fourth wife and the goddess of youth? Yeah, neither did anyone else.) Iphicles appears and fusses at Alcides for taking Hebe out riding where she could have been hurt. Alcides mocks Iphicles (who is completely mock-worthy and looks like Joaquin Phoenix’ spoiled emperor Commodus from “Gladiator”) and then they meet the Namean Lion out of nowhere. When spears don’t hurt it because the lion’s skin can’t be harmed by anything, Alcides strangles it to death. And that is the lone reference we get to the Twelve Labors, when Heracles/Hercules killed the lion through strength. Maybe because Alcides likes his older brother or Iphicles is a jerk and makes him give it up, Iphicles walks into his father’s hall that night wearing the skin of the Namean lion. So much for skinning it, letting the skin dry, and then fashioning it into a cloak, right? Iphicles mocks Alcides and says he ran away when they saw the lion, then has Amphitryon announce that Iphicles will marry Hebe in four moons. Oh no! Both Alcides and Hebe run out of the hall and try to cross away into another land but are apprehended by Amphitryon’s men first. A day or so later, Alcides is sent away on a military exercise in Heliopolis and is in a company commanded by Sotiris, who ends up becoming his stalwart friend. Amphitryon set up the entire Heliopolois campaign as a ruse to kill Alcides, though, and the military company is destroyed. Only Alcides, with his insane strength, and Sotiris survive; both lie and say that Alcides died among the other men.

Costuming Department Fail

Since he can no longer us that name, the former Alcides now goes by Hercules, a name Alcmene said to him before he left. Sotiris and Alcides/Hercules are sold to a slave master – wow, “Gladiator” again! – and must fight to survive. They do, but before they can make it to a great big ol’ Battle Royale in Greece and battle for their freedom, they must defeat two other fighters who have never been defeated, named Half-Face and Humbaba (also called Skrillex’s Extended Family Members). Interestingly, the actor who played Half-Face also played King Galenus. Maybe that’s why he dies so easily. Sotiris is hurt in the face, but Hercules kills both of these poorly costumed fellows. Whoever did the costuming and makeup for this movie should be punished. So that Sotiris can be free, Hercules agrees to take on the six heroes of the Grecian Battle Royale thing. In return, Sotiris, back in Greece, begins to gather men to support Alcides/Hercules in a rebellion against Amphitryon and Iphicles. Meanwhile, time is running out on the love story for Hebe and Alcides! Alcmene and she are devastated that Alcides is “dead” and now Hebe has no chance of being saved from her marriage to Iphicles. Oh, what ever will happen?!

Sotiris is able to convince Alcides’ tutor Chiron and a couple other influential men to listen to his argument that Alcides IS alive as Hercules. They go to the Battle Royale. This is a fantastic view for them, too, as they can easily make a close facial identification as to whether or not this slave is their lost prince.

I can totally make out every single person’s face from here!

I’ll give you one guess as to who wins the big ol’ Battle Royale. Meanwhile, let’s look at another costuming fail. The woman who is one of the six unbeaten warriors in the fight has an interesting part of her costume. And what are those? Yes, they are nipples on her breastplate! Make sure to look for those, all you Clooney Batman fans. We know how useful they are in fights.

Who the heck did the casting and costumes? FAIL!

Sotiris is able to convince Chiron and the others that Hercules is Alcides, and then Hercules begins to win the people over. Amphitryon has sown many seeds of doubt among his people by having that company die in Heliopolis and his lands are guarded by mercenaries and armies for hire rather than his own men. As a result of his helping Alcides, Sotiris’ wife is killed and his son is held hostage against him. Amphitryon and Iphicles are keeping to their palace and know that something bad is going to happen soon. While Alcides remains single-minded that his only purpose in life is to love Hebe, not help the people of his country or take down a corrupt dynasty or anything remotely humanitarian like that, Sotiris has him visit a woman who escapes Argos. Lo and behold, it’s the gorgeous Hera! The gorgeous Hera, who was in a beauty contest against Aphrodite and Athena, which led to the Trojan War . She tells Hercules that there is more to him than loving a woman, but he’s not too happy about that. Still, she tells him that he is Zeus’ son, just as Alcmene said, and Hercules has to do some thinking.

Meanwhile, with his son hostage and Hebe running from the palace to find Alcides, Hercules and his companions are captured by Iphicles. Amphitryon has him brought to a public place and strung up between two pillars, a la Samson from the Bible. He’s whipped and, before his eyes, Chiron is killed. Only then does Hercules finally ask for his godlike powers from Zeus. The rest you can guess – how well will some mortals stand before the most well known Greek demigod and hero who, upon his death, rose to Olympus?

“ The Legend of Hercules ” airs Saturday, November 8th, 2014, at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central on HBO. The movie stars Kellan Lutz as Alcides/Hercules, Scott Adkins as King Amphitryon, Roxanne McKee as Queen Alcmene, Liam Garrigan as Iphicles, Liam McIntyre as Sotiris, Gaia Weiss as Hebe, and  Rade Šerbedžija as Chiron. I hope you find the movie more enjoyable than I did.

VL Vanderveer

VL Vanderveer is a graduate of East Tennessee State University's Department of Literature and Language. Aside from her blogging for hbowatch.com, she can be found in the Marketing department of InnLink Central Reservations Services. marketing work at InnLink, she can be found

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Screen Rant

Hercules movie that bombed hard gets second life on netflix 10 years later.

The Hercules movie starring Kellan Lutz that bombed hard during its initial release is getting a second life on Netflix 10 years later.

• The Legend of Hercules , once a box office flop, has found success on Netflix's Top 10 chart.
• Kellan Lutz's film struggled due to poor reviews and competition, earning just $61 million.
• Dwayne Johnson's Hercules , which released later in the same year, overshadowed Lutz's version, yet Netflix may boost its viewership.

The Legend of Hercules , which bombed hard upon its initial release, gets a second life on Netflix 10 years later. The movie, directed by Renny Harlin, depicts the Greek hero Hercules (Kellan Lutz), who finds the power to overthrow his stepfather King Amphitryon and fulfill a prophecy, while exploring his romantic feelings for Princess Hebe. Along with Lutz, the cast of The Legend of Hercules includes Scott Adkins, Liam McIntyre, Gaia Weiss, Liam Garrigan, Roxanne McKee and more. Following its 2014 premiere, the film earned largely negative reviews, and failed to profit at the box office.

Netflix shared its US Top 10 chart for the week of February 26-March 3 and on it, The Legend of Hercules managed to debut at number 7. It appeared behind Adam Sandler’s Spaceman and the 2019 science-fiction movie Code 8 , and currently ranks ahead of the popular Minions . Its first time on the Top 10 chart, The Legend of Hercules could find more of an audience through Netflix.

New On Netflix: All 92 Movies & TV Shows Arriving In April

Why the legend of hercules performed so badly.

Lutz achieved a certain level of fame after his role as Emmett Cullen in Twilight . Yet, while the vampire-romance saga performed well at the box office, other theatrical releases he starred in couldn't find similar mainstream success, and lacked support from critics. At the time, The Legend of Hercules' Rotten Tomatoes score likely influenced some moviegoers, receiving a 5%, with particular criticism directed at the screenplay and effects. Audiences seemed less than enthusiastic about the film as well, and during its run, The Legend of Hercules generated around $61 million against a reported budget of $70 million.

The Legend of Hercules audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is currently 33%.

Dwayne Johnson's Hercules premiered months after The Legend of Hercules , and although they occupied two separate halves of the year, the latter performed poorly in comparison. A different take on the hero's journey, along with more star power and a higher budget, could be why viewers considered Hercules to be the better movie . Another reason for the commercial failure of Lutz's film might have been the January release, since several box office draws debuted near the end of 2013.

As more audiences come across The Legend of Hercules , it will be interesting to see if reception changes. Given where it placed on Netflix's US Top 10 chart, it's also worth wondering if viewership will continue to grow in the weeks ahead.

Source: Netflix

The Legend of Hercules

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Starring Kellan Lutz in the title role, The Legend of Hercules is a 2014 action movie that retells the myth of Zeus' most famous demigod son. After being betrayed by his stepfather, Hercules is sold into slavery and forced to fight in gladiatorial games. With the help of a fellow slave, Sotiris (Liam McIntyre), Hercules escapes and returns to his homeland to overthrow his stepfather and reclaim his rightful place as king.

The Legend of Hercules

2014, pg-13, 99 min. directed by renny harlin. starring kellan lutz, gaia weiss, scott adkins, roxanne mckee, liam garrigan., reviewed by louis black , fri., jan. 17, 2014.

The end of this film was truly shocking. Not the climax, which was as dull and unimaginative as the rest of this remarkably flat movie. No, it was when the credits were finally displayed (they were not at the beginning of the film). The first one was for the director, Renny Harlin.

It took me aback. Admittedly, Harlin’s career is remarkably uneven, hitting rock bottom with Cutthroat Island (1995), one of the worst cast of all films that had not only Harlin’s then-wife Geena Davis playing the pirate queen but also Matthew Modine seeming completely out of place as a period swashbuckler. Prior to Cutthroat Island , Harlin directed Die Hard 2 (1990) and Cliffhanger (1993) – both interesting action films. Afterward, he helmed the much-maligned The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), which also stars Davis and has always had a warm spot in my heart. Since then, Harlin’s career has continued to spiral downward with 12 Rounds (2009) and 5 Days of War (2011).

However, even the worst of these usually had some fun action scenes, which is Harlin’s specialty. This origin story of the great hero Hercules (Lutz) of Greek mythology lacks even one semi-decent action piece. Boasting way too much unnecessary plot, it embarrassingly trips over itself telling its story.

The night after King Amphitryon (Adkins) vanquishes one of his enemies, Zeus impregnates his wife Queen Alcmene (McKee). The king guesses something is up but rests his hopes on his eldest son Iphicles (Garrigan), disdaining Hercules, the child of that liaison. Hercules loves Iphicles’ betrothed (Weiss), so he is sent off on a suicidal mission. Combining bits of Ben-Hur , and, especially Gladiator , our hero is captured, sold into slavery (where first he rows on a galley), and then becomes a killing star in the gladiator arena. Finally, having returned to Greece, he begins to lead a populist pro-democratic revolt against the king. All this in just four months.

It’s not only that the plot is ridiculous and the action scenes uninteresting but that Lutz is so damned pretty. In one scene, his beloved comes upon him swimming in a pool. Traditionally, it is the actress so featured. Can’t help but paraphrase Groucho Marx’s famous reaction to Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah : “No picture can hold my interest when the leading man’s bust is bigger than the leading lady’s.”

While watching it, I kept thinking this was like 47 Ronin , in which an unfortunate novice director was given a project way out of his or her reach. In no way was I prepared to learn it was the work of veteran Harlin.

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Marjorie Baumgarten, Sept. 9, 2011

Josh Rosenblatt, April 3, 2009

May 3, 2022

Sept. 8, 2017.

The Legend of Hercules , Renny Harlin , Kellan Lutz , Gaia Weiss , Scott Adkins , Roxanne McKee , Liam Garrigan

The Origin of Evil review – classy comedy-thriller with shades of Succession and Knives Out

Call My Agent’s Laure Calamy stars as a scheming factory worker with designs on a mega-rich fortune in this classy feast of backstabbing, double cross and venal greed

S uccession meets Knives Out in this comedy-thriller directed by Sébastien Marnier in what is an extremely French comic style: tongue-in-cheek, a little frothy, tiptoeing close to camp. It stars Call My Agent’s brilliant Laure Calamy as a scheming factory worker who wheedles her way into a dysfunctional mega-rich family. Calamy is often cast as likable, relatable women but here she does a very convincing Isabelle Huppert (circa her Claude Chabrol years); there’s something a bit off about her character from the start, possibly even unhinged.

Calamy is Stéphane – at least that’s what she calls herself. Bored of her job on the production line at a fish factory, and broke, out of the blue she calls her father, a self-made hotel and restaurant tycoon. (They’ve never met; she is the result of one of his many affairs.) This is Serge (Jacques Weber), an ageing lion of a man, with a mane of white hair, frail after a stroke but still dangerous. Some of the funniest scenes are at his villa, garishly filled with taxidermy and ghastly furniture. Serge introduces Stéphane to his wife Louise (Dominique Blanc), a frivolous compulsive shopper with a bitchy streak, and their glossy adult daughter George (Doria Tillier), who drops her mask of impassive disdain to shoot Stéphane dagger stares. In the double crossing and backstabbing that follows, no one is blameless. Serge is a monster of Logan Roy proportions. George is trying to seize control of the family business, and have her dad declared incompetent by a judge.

For a while The Origin of Evil looks like it might shake out as a feminist tale: the women uniting to topple an oppressive patriarch. But Marnier’s script, co-written by Fanny Burdino, is more cynical than that, and casting the normally likable Calamy only adds to the air of deception, keeping us guessing about her character’s motives. Without a doubt this is easy entertainment, never dull, and it has some shrewd things to say about class and money – though the satire might have been sharper and the running time shorter by a good 20 minutes.

• Comedy films
• Drama films
• World cinema
• Crime films

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