Hercules (2014) | Movie Review

Hercules begins with the infamous legend retold through the gravely tones of Amphiaraus (a glibly macabre Ian McShane). Hercules (Dwayne Johnson), a man birthed from the mating of a mortal woman with Greek God Zeus, has already endured his twelve labors to appease the gods and here we are only 10 minutes into the movie. That’s right, if you came to revel in Greek mythology or bask in the glory of The Rock conquering these ancient monsters, you better pay close attention to the beginning of the film because that is about the only time you are going to get it.

THIS Hercules is less about the actual legend, and rather how a man with such an insane legend would go about profiting from it. Hercules and his merry band of outlaws are traveling the ancient Greek countryside as mercenaries-for-hire, a modern day A-Team, when Lord Cotys (a wily John Hurt) approaches them with an offer: Defend his kingdom from the armies of Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann) and be paid your weight in gold. If you have seen how much muscle Johnson put on for this role, you know that means a LOT of gold.

From here on out we are treated to swords-and-sandal battles aplenty, the token damsel with child in distress combo whom Hercules must vow to save, a few double crosses filtered with dark secrets, and of course: the required slow motion close-up of our hero sashaying his coifed hair in the desert wind as he contemplates his articulated yell of ‘I Am Hercules!’.

This was definitely not the film that was plugged during the avalanche of marketing prior to release. All of those wondrous beasts you were dying to see in action launch forth primarily in those opening minutes, as if director Brett Ratner was filming Hercules on a singular mission to reach his Greek quota in record time. The remainder of the film is almost exclusively regular ole’ people in overpriced armor taking on a guy with arms bigger than Zeus’ ego. And yet despite the exquisite lack of actual mythology nor fantastical creatures, Hercules still manages to be a pretty fun chariot ride.

I have long professed that Johnson is not leading man material. He is a great supporting character, yet he may be that rare actor who actually has TOO much charisma to carry a movie. His personality consistently drowns out his performance in leading roles and it is often hard to follow a film when the lead feels more like a caricature than an actor.

Ironically, in this larger-than-life role, Johnson tones his persona down and manages to give a strong ‘performance’. This may not be his most successful film in terms of sheer entertainment or box office gross, but it will be the one I point to as an example that he can finally carry a movie on his ridiculously oversized shoulders. Seriously, those shoulders are huge. He should just go ahead and name them already.

The camaraderie of Hercules and his loyal crew is a fun dynamic for the film, as it gives Johnson a chance to rest those tired shoulders and bounce a little of that gravitas off of his friends. The aforementioned McShane brings his typical wry humor, while Rufus Sewell gets the rare opportunity to play a good guy…who stays a good guy. Sewell has played bad so often, I hinged on every line of his dialogue just waiting for the moment his words turned venomous. An archer, victim-of-war, and young nephew round out the hero circle and gives the film its much needed heart.

Brett Ratner has been given more than his share of grief over the years, and most of it is unwarranted. Is he Spielberg? No. But he is a very competent director and his action scenes here are very visceral and thrilling, even when the mythology I wanted to see is lacking. Give the guy credit, he knows how to craft a fun action ride, and that’s exactly what Hercules is.

Is Hercules the film I was expecting? Not at all. But the engaging action and Johnson’s assured performance did make me smile in a season full of muted colors, and even caused me to have a little fun at the cinema. Isn’t that what summer is all about?

If $10 is the full price of admission, Hercules is worth $6

 

Hercules (2014)
Starring Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane
Written by Ryan Condal, Evan Spiliotopoulos
Directed by Brett Ratner

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider