Hercules
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Ingrid Bolso Berdal
Directed By: Brett Ratner
Reviewed by Danielle Muir

[rating: 3/5]

Yes, it’s bloated. Yes, sometimes all you can see is dollar signs in the studios eyes. Yes, The Rock’s biceps are so huge they should have their own moon orbiting them. Despite all of its stereotypes and ‘hollywood-ness’, Hercules does actually have some redeeming qualities – and was better than the mainstream mess this reviewer was anticipating.

We meet Hercules after he’s endured the 12 labours (slaying the heads of the hydra, fighting a sizeable lion etc.), who is now working as a gun for hire with his merry band of fighters, serving anyone with a sizeable amount of gold. The kingdom of Thrace calls for his aid in defeating enemy Rhesus and his green-skinned army – but Hercules soon uncovers that something more sinister is afoot.

Dwayne Johnson was physically always going to be a good match for Hercules, but would his overly charismatic face and acting skills be up to par? The answer is yes, but the material he has to work with isn’t the best. Basically, Hercules is either laughing knowingly, frowning or screaming a battle cry. There isn’t much variation in between – still he does his best with what he has. His band of misfits are actually quite entertaining and an interesting mix – Ian McShane is definitely the highlight as larrikin ‘seer’ Lord Cotys, Sewell also has fun with knife wielding Autolycus, Tydeus is the tamed savage and Atalanta is an Amazonian woman who favours a bit of bow and arrow action. Together they work well – both in the fight sequences and in the nice bits of humour that smatter the film.

One element that stands out is the battle sequences. The first fight against Rhesus isn’t the no holds barred, messy war scene we’ve become accustomed to. It’s actually a well-choreographed, edge-of-your-seat fight that both conveys the point (the soldiers are underprepared but willing) and looks incredible. Kudos to whoever orchestrated that one.

You don’t get to the end of Hercules and feel like the time dragged, which is always a good sign that entertainment was lurking in there somewhere, but it’s certainly not intellectually stimulating content. Could have been worse, could have been better.