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AS someone who studied Classics for my university degree, movies based on mythology and the ancient world are something of a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, being able to visualise the costumes, buildings and battles of the past is one of my favourite forms of escapism. On the other, I’m one of those really annoying people who nitpicks every anachronism or factual error (of which this genre in particular accumulates a truckload), much to the detriment of both my enjoyment and any of those unfortunate enough to join me.
However, with Dwayne Johnson ‘Rock’-ing (I’ve waited a long time to use that, don’t roll your eyes now!) the loincloth and action movie veteran Brett Ratner behind the camera, my hopes for Hercules were high.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, seeing who I consider my favourite ever entertainer continue to beat up bad guys and crack hilarious quips while doing so would make any film bearable, but thankfully the rest of the film holds its weight and is a thoroughly decent affair.
The film opens with a montage of Hercules’ childhood, before brushing over the more famous of his Twelve Labours, the seemingly impossible (Herculean) tasks he gained eternal renown for accomplishing.
The filmmakers decided to go with a revisionist approach to the character, making him straddle the line between human and immortal, never quite revealing the true extent of his power since his great deeds are exaggerated by his storytelling nephew Iolaus.
Indeed, the biggest change which sets this film apart from the dozens of other Hercules films is that the muscular protagonist does not travel alone, but instead is accompanied by five extremely capable companions.
The Hercules we meet has already finished his labours (he wears the Nemean Lion skin on his head with pride) and has seemingly nothing left to accomplish so spends his days travelling around Greece as a mercenary.
One day, Hercules and his friends are approached by a woman named Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson – thankfully not the X Factor one) who has been sent by her father, Thracian king Lord Cotys (John Hurt). He wants to enlist Hercules to help him repel the advances of the bloodthirsty warlord Rhesus by training the men of Thrace to be powerful warriors.
With the prize on offer being Hercules’ weight in gold, the band accepts with little deliberation. However, Hercules still suffers terrible nightmares from a dreadful atrocity in the past concerning his family, which causes several ramifications during the adventure.
The film’s greatest asset is no doubt its lead. Johnson owns the role with his affable-yet-serious persona, who can go from having the most infectious smile in Hollywood to vein-popping fury in the blink of an eye. He went through a rigorous training regime for almost a year just to prepare for the role, and the superhuman biceps indicates it was worth it.
Effortless screen presence and charisma seems implanted in his DNA, and while many famous musclemen can demonstrate profound physical prowess, very few can do it with such style and a way that engages the viewer.
The visuals are also stellar, with elaborate temples and decorative statues brought to life with a flourish and costumes that could have been borrowed straight out of a museum.
Most impressively, the battle scenes are clearly made almost entirely of practical effects and real actors as extras. This makes for a refreshing change from the swathes of green screen and special effects clones which are now pretty much expected. It makes intense fights much more realistic and believable, and certainly elevates the film above recent action efforts.
The film isn’t entirely without its faults though. The most criminal of all is the use of the title Hercules when that name has strictly Roman origins and was only first used over 400 years after the events of the film. My long and painful wait for a film titled Heracles lives on, even if it makes marketing sense to use the much more known name. I assure you I am wonderful fun at parties.
In more serious matters, Hercules’ companions are terribly underused. Each has their own set of skills, from pinpoint archer to spear-wielding prophet, but their personalities have very little time to shine through.
There is precious little information on their backstories and why they choose to fight with Hercules, meaning their only purpose is for some variety in the battle scenes and throwaway humour.
Furthermore, the main villain is a little weak with very questionable motivations. With the vast wealth of mythological options open for wanting to expand a kingdom, it’s disappointing that we never even get a sufficient explanation. There’s also a flimsy subplot involving Ergenia and her son that would have been best left on the cutting room floor.
Overall, this is one of the better mythological movies in a while. Certainly it’s much better than the other Hercules movie released earlier this year (if you’ve forgotten about that one, you’re lucky) and this is primarily due to having the perfect lead. Johnson completely owns the role, both in terms of his charismatic on-screen persona and his physical presence.
It’s not perfect, and the wait for something to equal the stalwarts of the genre like Ben Hur and Spartacus continues (I’ll have a beard like Socrates by the time that happens), but this is extremely watchable and I eagerly await the inevitable sequel.
* Showing in Cineco, Seef I, Seef II
