'Hercules' review by Jake Boyle
Deciding whether or not to see Hercules was no easy task. It was a matter of pitting my innate fondness and trust in Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson against my distaste and resentment of director Brett Ratner, the man who royally ruined the conclusion to the initial X-men trilogy. However, like he always did in the ring, The Rock won in the end, and besides, the film's fairly low concept doesn't leave that much that Ratner could screw up.
The concept in question, of Hercules actually being a simple mercenary who spreads fanciful tales of his own mythology to make himself seem more impressive, is peculiar in some regards. It shows a deliberate move towards realism, and in combination with several other elements such as Hercules' (attemptedly) moving backstory, there's clear attempts to make this version of the Hercules story a grittier affair. This is totally at odds with the rest of the tone of the film, which is an all-guns blazing (all-crossbows, maybe?) action throwdown, low on drama and high on muscles. This contrast does balance out and it all works perfectly fine, but I definitely get the impression that very few, if any, of the creatives involved had a particular idea of what they wanted to do. What they did end up doing, however, is perfectly pleasing: the action is blistering and done with both supreme confidence and glee, and there's enough variety in the methods by which our heroes dispatch their foes that it remains interesting and exciting from start to finish. This is partly down to a smart, compact running time, meaning that the film doesn't have much padding. Aside from exposition and PG-13 violence, the only other thing on display is comedic banter from Hercules' entourage of warriors. A limited range, admittedly, but all in working condition and highly enjoyable.
It's the performances that really make Hercules worth watching. Johnson is everything I hoped he'd be - charismatic, slyly funny, and punching things with as much force as humanly possible. There's strong support from Hercules' band of merry men, in particular a droll Ian McShane, the only element of this movie that shows any subtlety, and Rufus Sewell as what must surely be one of the most sarcastic characters in the history of film. John Hurt hams it up so much that it's fairly obvious he think he's above this (although to be fair he might be). A few reoccurring jokes about McShane's character trying (and failing) to embrace his death and Hercules acting humble about his totally false achievements add a sprinkling of comfortable humour to the film, the latter especially improved by Johnson's well-practised eyebrow raising technique, which would undoubtedly win Oscars if such a category existed.
Although it greatly pains me to say it, Ratner's come good on this one. Hercules, while incredibly generic and excelling at nothing in particular, is a bundle of joy and giddily entertaining. The action and the humour all work and it's all performed with confidence by Johnson and a good supporting cast. It's fun and enjoyable, and very little else, but for 90 minutes of pure satisfaction, it's worth a watch.
The concept in question, of Hercules actually being a simple mercenary who spreads fanciful tales of his own mythology to make himself seem more impressive, is peculiar in some regards. It shows a deliberate move towards realism, and in combination with several other elements such as Hercules' (attemptedly) moving backstory, there's clear attempts to make this version of the Hercules story a grittier affair. This is totally at odds with the rest of the tone of the film, which is an all-guns blazing (all-crossbows, maybe?) action throwdown, low on drama and high on muscles. This contrast does balance out and it all works perfectly fine, but I definitely get the impression that very few, if any, of the creatives involved had a particular idea of what they wanted to do. What they did end up doing, however, is perfectly pleasing: the action is blistering and done with both supreme confidence and glee, and there's enough variety in the methods by which our heroes dispatch their foes that it remains interesting and exciting from start to finish. This is partly down to a smart, compact running time, meaning that the film doesn't have much padding. Aside from exposition and PG-13 violence, the only other thing on display is comedic banter from Hercules' entourage of warriors. A limited range, admittedly, but all in working condition and highly enjoyable.
It's the performances that really make Hercules worth watching. Johnson is everything I hoped he'd be - charismatic, slyly funny, and punching things with as much force as humanly possible. There's strong support from Hercules' band of merry men, in particular a droll Ian McShane, the only element of this movie that shows any subtlety, and Rufus Sewell as what must surely be one of the most sarcastic characters in the history of film. John Hurt hams it up so much that it's fairly obvious he think he's above this (although to be fair he might be). A few reoccurring jokes about McShane's character trying (and failing) to embrace his death and Hercules acting humble about his totally false achievements add a sprinkling of comfortable humour to the film, the latter especially improved by Johnson's well-practised eyebrow raising technique, which would undoubtedly win Oscars if such a category existed.
Although it greatly pains me to say it, Ratner's come good on this one. Hercules, while incredibly generic and excelling at nothing in particular, is a bundle of joy and giddily entertaining. The action and the humour all work and it's all performed with confidence by Johnson and a good supporting cast. It's fun and enjoyable, and very little else, but for 90 minutes of pure satisfaction, it's worth a watch.
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