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Hercules is the enjoyable, full-length version of a truncated television miniseries starring Scots actor Paul Telfer in a revisionist telling of the mythical Greek hero's life. Reputed to be the son of Zeus and Hera-worshipping priestess Alcmene (Elizabeth Perkins), Hercules is born a fraternal twin but half-brother to Iphicles (Luke Ford), son of Amphitryon (Timothy Dalton). Though he is raised under the latter's protection and counsel, Hercules has an unrelenting streak of bad luck that finds him accused of murder, rape, and the killing of his own children. With such a black cloud hanging over him, Hercules seeks redemption through his famous Labors. Sean Astin, Leelee Sobieski, and Leeanna Walsman co-star in a complex story of intrigue, revenge, and hope, full of gleaming swords and fairly good special effects, including a passable centaur and multi-headed hydra. Written by Charles Edward Pogue (Dragonheart). --Tom Keogh
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
B-Movie that deserves an A,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hercules (DVD)
B-movie, maybe not, but this Lionsgate`s product has a two hours TV serie pilot feel to it. In this one, the film makers are steering away from the conventional Sword and Sandals cliche by presenting the human side of Hercules.The main actor delivers a Hercules closer to Kevin Sorbo than Steve Reeves or Reg Park. He is depicted more as a seasoned warrior than a half-god. I found this approach acceptable within the boundaries of the scenario. The film is very well paced. Emotionnal scenes are mixed with action ones at a steady pace. Human charactesr are as numerous as the mythological ones and nobody seems out of place. Some scenaries are breath-taking. The whole acting crew is competent enough to make the whole thing entertaining. The scenario does not always follow Heracles legend to the dot, (which I found aggravating) but the non-history buff won't mind. Special effects are OK (TV serie quality) and are spreaded evenly during the course of the film. I am sure that a bigger budget would hve help the producers in this domain. Zeus's son visit to Hell would have been more convincing. All in all, "Hercules" achieves it's goal of entertaining Sword and sandals fans. I really enjoyed it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A b-film, but okay for the genre,
By FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME)
This review is from: Hercules (DVD)
It must be a Herculean labour to put together a miniseries dealing with this subject, and like so many of the recent attempts to make major classical figures into larger-than-life Hollywood icons, this one also falls short of the mark. Films such as 'Alexander' and 'Troy' for cinematic release, or the recent made-for-television series such as 'Caesar', 'Spartacus', and 'Helen of Troy' all set out with lofty, almost Olympian ambitions, but fail to deliver divine visions. The same is true here - relative newcomer Paul Telfer (also appearing in the above-mentioned 'Spartacus') certainly has the physique of a Herculean figure, and is a reasonable actor, but the dialogue is a bit stilted - I can't be sure if they wanted 'Greek Epic' or colloquial familiarity, and I'm not sure the writers and director ever quite decided, either. The crew of actors is not bad here, so the acting is usually reasonably well done for a b-film (and so long as one keeps in mind that one is watching a b-film, expectations are held in check). Sean Astin plays much the same kind of role in this film that he plays in 'Lord of the Rings' - the ever-faithful sidekick, but without Tolkien's great character. Leeanna Walsman plays Megara, Hercules' first wife, reasonably well, without too much melodrama, despite the tragedy of her situation. Kristian Schmid as King Eurystheus is a bit flat, but again that may be the dialogue as much as the acting. Leelee Sobieski also does a good job with the role of Deianeira, the mystical figure who falls in love with Hercules and helps him in subtle ways on his labours. The one great disappointment of this film is that the the CGI special effects seem to be rather ill-constructed and stand out as obvious insertions; it reminded me of the kinds of obviously phony inserted special effects from similar Greek epic and science fiction films of the 1980s. Surely the technology has been upgraded since then in the studios where this film was finished. The labours are a bit shortened and modified somewhat from the legends, but for those unfamiliar with them, this is an introduction that will hopefully lead them to want to learn more. This is certainly far closer to the real Hercules legends than the Kevin Sorbo series of years past. There is violence, but it is fairly muted, and some sexual content, but very mild even by soap-opera standards. Telfer never misses an opportunity to take his shirt off, Sobieski hints at being unclothed in a scene or two, but rarely does it get more erotic than that. I'd give this three-and-a-half stars, given the option, but I'll grade on a Herculean curve, and give it four here. The DVD contains more footage than the original teleplay, which was cut dramatically. The science fiction channel is replaying a fuller version.
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3.5 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews) 41 of 42 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Call Him Hercules" ~ The Labors of Hercules Never Looked So Good,
By Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Hercules (DVD)
Be forewarned, I'm a big fan of 'Hercules, The Legendary Journeys' and 'Xena, Warrior Queen' so anything new on this mythical hero automatically starts off with the expectation of being a - 5 Stars - production.This Hallmark Entertainment made-for-television production presents a much darker and somber tale of the "Son of Zeus" than what the fans of Kevin Sorbo have grown familiar with. Hated by his Mother Alcmene (Elizabeth Perkins), High Priestess to Hera and twin brother Iphicles they both unsuccessfully plot to kill Hercules (Paul Telfer). They even enlist the aide of his new wife Megara and his three young sons. When their plan fails and results in the deaths of the three children Hercules is blamed and is banished from the Kingdom. In an attempt to redeem himself he agrees to be tested by his betrayers and undertakes a series of all but impossible tasks, or "Labors." That is, almost impossible for anyone but Hercules! Hallmark has certainly not given us the definitive version of the God/man but it is a good one. It has better than average special effects, a competent storyline and a strong cast of character: Timothy Dalton, Elizabeth Perkins, Sean Astin, the lovely LeeLee Sobeiski and Paul Telfer as Hercules. *Special message from my seventeen year old daughter for all the young girls out there: "Check out Paul Telfer, HOTTTTTT......!" 36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Buyer Beware: This is the cut version,
By Escapay The First - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Hercules (DVD)
This passable movie would have gotten three stars, but it lost a star due to the release version being offered.Before I get to the time issue, let me just say that this was an entertaining movie. I've read other reviews complaining about its inaccuracies, which frankly I don't care much about as it's a myth that happened thousands of years ago. If you want a night of action, adventure, and cheap CGI, pick up this DVD. BUT... NBC was originally supposed to air this as a two-night four-hour miniseries (roughly 180 minutes minus commercials), but decided instead to butcher the movie and fit it into a three-hour timeslot (roughly 135 minutes minus commercials), which is what you're given in this DVD. Sci-Fi recently aired the four-hour miniseries in its entirety, with all the cut scenes intact. If you haven't seen the miniseries and don't care mcuh for what was cut, then you might as well get this DVD. But if you were like me and actually saw the original cut, wait for LionsGate and Hallmark to release the original 177-minute version. In Australia and Europe, the film is released in its original 177-minute version, so if you have a multi-region player, I'd suggest importing from there. 21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a Powerful Message!,
By 2fiesty "I'm a redhead, what else did you exp... - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hercules (DVD)
I'm shocked at some of the reviews here; I just finished watching this on Sci-Fi, and rushed online to see if I could order the DVD. This is also the first review I have ever felt motivated to make, after years and years of purchasing at Amazon.IMO this is one of the best done Hercules movie I've ever seen, primarily because the message. The point of the movie was not the heroics, nor the political intrigue, nor the subplots, nor the eye candy (though, I have to admit Paul Telfer was certainly that! then again, I've always been partial to dark hair and blue eyes... *purr*) or about the special effects. It was about an ordinary man (the movie hints that he is not actually a demi-god) who, through his actions and determination, fought back against the prevailing beliefs of his day, to come to the ultimate self-realization: I, AND NO ONE ELSE, DETERMINE MY DESTINY. I watched this journey with my 10 year-old son, and in addition to the above, found example after example of courage and morals demonstrated. (Wish it was a little less gory in spots though.) The second biggest lesson my son took away from the movie was how Hercules, though it wasn't completely "his fault", took full, unremitting responsibility for his actions, and made every effort to make full restitution and make the wrong right. In contrast, we have the dumb-butts who took no responsibility at all for their actions. Wow! Granted, the CGI effects were, in my opinion, poor, but this was a B-grade movie. Also, it is not exactly true to the Hercules mythos, but then again, they had to take artistic license to keep this from being hours and hours long. If you can ignore those two facts and any preconceived notions, and look at it as a STORY, then you will like it I think. |
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