Audiences who are expecting to witness a mighty demigod battle mythical monsters in defiance of the gods are in for a disappointment. This Hercules is a completely new take on an old legend. Such reinventions are not uncommon in Hollywood nowadays, as filmmakers gamble to please an audience that has seen it all. Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand) is given the difficult task of directing a more humanistic portrayal of Hercules. The film follows Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) and his band of mercenaries comprised of a thief, a storyteller, an archer, a warrior and a prophet. They are hired by King Cotys (John Hurt) to train his army of farmers and turn around a losing war that have consumed many innocent lives. However, they soon discover a dark truth that forces them to reevaluate their roles in the war.
Ratner proves again his talent with directing complicated action sequences and battle scenes.
Dwayne Johnson as Hercules
Displaying shades of X-Men: The Last Stand, Ratner skillfully puts on screen elaborate and massive battles without compromising individual character developments. Johnson also deserves much applause for his portrayal of a haunted and very human Hercules. He shows much versatility in his acting and blends quite comfortably into his character.
But in the end, filmmakers may have lost the gamble as Ratner's Hercules turns out to be uninspired and somewhat meaningless. At 98 minutes, this film is too short and pales in comparison to the rich literature available for filmmakers to source inspiration from. The filmmakers' choice of literature adaptation was most unfortunate as the storyline felt more like a script from Game Of Thrones rather than the legend of Hercules. The film's cheesy final act, in particular, packed too much content in too short a time. Hercules' last minute feats of strength is comparable to a professional wrestler making a miraculous comeback in the last moments of a match.
Next