Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.
With Hercules, Brett Ratner and Dwayne Johnson are out to entertain you — no more, no less. And that is just what they do.
By the beard of Zeus! Brett Ratner delivers fast, fun thrills to score a sound victory over Renny Harlin’s laborious The Legend Of Hercules.
There are some rousing battle scenes, preceded by stirring addresses on the subject of going to Elysium – all cheekily borrowed from Ridley Scott's Gladiator, the 2000 film that did so much to revive the swords'n'sandals genre.
Essentially, Hercules is a fun ride while it lasts.
One secret Rattner refuses to divulge is whether this is a full-on spoof or whether he is actually making the film in deadly earnest.
Flat, muddled, low on spectacle and utterly devoid of charm.
There is nothing envelope pushing about the production. It’s basically a B-movie on a huge budget but Johnson fans and teenage boys should go home happy.
The predictable story is offset by a light post modernism and the action is virtually non-stop.
Not terrible, then, although Pompeii was funnier and had better visual effects.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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