Rated PG-13
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Aksell Hennie, Ingrid Berdal, Reese Ritchie, Tobias Santelmann, Rebecca Ferguson
Directed by Brett Ratner
The Story:
Hercules (Johnson) is now a mercenary, traveling the lands with his trusted companions (McShane, Sewell, Hennie, Berdal and Ritchie), earning their keep by giving the people what they want: the legendary Hercules. When hired to help Lord Cotys (Hurt) save Thrace from the centaur army of King Rhesus (Santelmann), Hercules and his crew are going to be able to retire from their mercenary ways and live life like the kings they have served...
Provided they live through it!
An interesting take on the legend of Hercules.
What if Hercules was simply that, a legend of Greek Mythology?
Embellishing the stories and exploits of Hercules has brought the warrior fame and recognition around Greece.
Some of his labors are shown at the beginning of the movie, but as the story unfolds, the labors are explained away as heroic deeds, to be sure, but ones that were greatly exaggerated.
Now shunned from Athens because of a horrible mistake, Hercules just wants to be able to get far away from his legend and be free.
Brett Ratner does a fine job crafting a period action yarn. The scenery is just beautiful and the massive battle scenes are very well done.
I have always loved seeing how the Greek/Roman armies fought in battle, and I wasn't disappointed.
Add in the occasional humorous moment or dialogue, especially from McShane or Sewell, and it makes for a fun 90 minute romp at the cinema.
Dwayne Johnson of course is a natural to play Hercules. He adds a layer of sadness to the son of Zeus which truly humanizes the character.
At the end of the film, whether Hercules truly was the son of Zeus is open to interpretation, but there is no doubt that he is very much a hero.
Final Grade: Solid B. I had a good time.
Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily buy this one and watch it again in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment