Customer Reviews

Hercules:Journeys S4

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the tradition of Hercules The Legendary Journeys, that was established after it became a regular series as opposed to a run of two-hour made-for-tv movies, humor plays the largest role in this season. Improperly done, this would have fallen horribly flat but, as it stands and taken for what it is, this is easily the wittiest and most creative season of the series as Kevin Sorbo comes into his own as a comedic straight man/action hero.
In the season opener, "Beanstalks and Bad Eggs", Hercules and Autolycus (played brilliantly by Bruce Campbell) are out to rescue Lianna, who had been kidnapped by the giant Typhoon and taken to a castle in the clouds. Upon climbing a giant beanstalk, the two unlikely partners find Lianna in Typhoon's castle, caring for three golden eggs that belonged to the Harpies. Without spoiling the rest, the high points to watch are Autolycus' explanation of the art of love and one of the classic lines of the series concerning the harpies.
The usual mixture of Pop Culture references, legend, myth and fairy tale which, though strange bedfellows are somehow a great combination, permeate this seasons episodes. In "Hero's Heart" we have a standard episode where Iolaus (Hercules' sidekick played by the very talented Michael Hurst) loses his memory and ends up fighting his best friend. Although this has been done to death in the science fiction/fantasy genres, it plays well in the Hercules universe.
There are three homages to modern cinema in this set. "...And Fancy Free" is Hercules The Legendary Journeys' answer to "Dirty Dancing." "My Fair Cupcake" is obviously based on "Pygmalion" which later became the musical "My Fair Lady" from which the title is derived and centers around the character of Autolycus and his former girlfriend. Thirdly, the high point of the season in movie rip-offs, "Men in Pink." A completely undisguised send-up of "Some Like It Hot," is worth the price of the set by itself.
In what becomes in later seasons a reoccurring event, the episode "Yes Virginia, There is a Hercules" introduces us to "reality" as some of the many regular stars of the show take on the interesting task of playing the crew and production staff of Hercules The Legendary Journeys. It seems that after an earthquake in Los Angeles, Kevin Sorbo has disappeared and chaos insues. There are in jokes we only now as casual viewers become privy to in an incredibly enlightening commentary on this one.
There are no lack of continuitous episodes and guest appearances from the sister series/spin-off Xena Warrior Princess but, at this point I felt the two series had diverged in respect to tone. Hercules, and rightly so, will always be heavily influenced by Sam Raimi and his unique sense of humor which is shared by series regular Bruce Campbell who directs a large portion of this seasons best. There are very good reasons that "cross-overs" were rare soon after these episodes though.
When all is said and done, this is money well spent and I just watched them all on a lazy summer day and have no regrets about time spent. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the series while it was on or even want a little taste of the action and humor of the Spider-man movies. This is the same creative staff.

Wow! I just got my copy today; it is wonderful!! I'm so pleased with this show, time and time again. I just can't say it enough. These actors are so great, they are fun to watch, and they are wonderful. The story writers are superb as well. The stories written for season four are the best. The writers and actors are great when it comes to drama, and when it's about the comedy! I love how versatile everyone involved in this show is; it's truly a pleasure to watch over and over. Out of season four there are numerous episodes I consider to be favorites, but I think the comedies are the best. There's nothing like seeing Bruce Campbell and Michael Hurst in drag...Salmoneous is pretty funny too! (The interviews are great too!) I'll be telling all of my friends how great this set is!

just like the packaging of xena season 4 we have 2 dvds per side one on top of each other.Many of you might find this annoying since you have to take out the top dvd to get the bottom dvd out but it's better than taking out each dvd one by one.

special features

it doesn't have alot of commentary compared to xena but maybe there be more stuff added for the last 2 seasons.

Also be sure to get the one that says "exclusive bonus" on the top front cover for even more extras!

that's it for now, look for my review on audio/video of hercules season 4 soon.

Hercules was a great show for so many reasons, but I loved it for their ability to do so many different types of stories; it never gets old! Season four is a wonderful example of their flexibility they can go from a singing and dancing episode in drag, like 'Men in Pink', to a full on drama, like 'Armageddon Now', and back to a great comedy, like 'Yes Virginia, There is a Hercules', and I'm never bored with it! The extras are also a wonderful incentive, I love to listen to the cast and crew interviews and to watch the extra features! This DVD set is definitely worth the time and money, it's a necessity for all science fiction fans!

Once again, it's time to relive the adventures of everyone's favorite hero, Hercules. As said in the title, despite a few setbacks this year, season four has its masterpiece moments.

However, the setback mentioned is the aneurysm Kevin Sorbo suffered in his left arm, which not only limited his effectiveness for half of the season, but almost killed him. As a result, TPTB decided to revolve the episodes around the surrounding cast, and ended up with some of the strangest shows ever put on television (i.e. PORKULES - just watch it, believe me).

Anyhoo, major events that happen this season (I'll try not to give away too much):
Nebula joins up, Discord comes, Strife goes, Alcmene jumps off the moral coil, Apollo makes a flashback appearance, Herc and Iolaus find a couple of strange versions of themselves, Iphicles finds out what a pre-historic Vietnam can do to an army's morale, Zeus comes to earth in a third form, and Hera's eyes actually acquire a body, not to mention a massive crossover story arc where almost everyone that had a special guest star credit at some time strut across the screen.

All-in-all, season four is a fun one to watch, and keep your eyes peeled for season five.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys had many wonderful seasons; however, season four is my favorite, and likely their best! There are just so many great episodes to enjoy in this season; far too many to name. It's enough just to have these episodes at my convenience, but added are the extras! I love the interviews; it's wonderful to hear what the people who made the show thought of their work! I highly recommend this set for all action fans!

Season four of Hercules is a great season! There is so much to love about it! My favorite aspect of this season involves the crossover episodes with Callisto and Hope, and Xena and Gabrielle. There are so many great episodes to enjoy over and over again! This is a must have for all television fans!

Season 4 is hitting American stores! Time for us British to storm your barricades! At least, as far as this store goes..! :

Season 4 of Hercules is released on 13th July... OK, so it's not UK Region, but if you have a DVD computer player or a multi-regional, (which I'm working towards!) it's worth having a look at..! The UK release'll take a thousand years - By then, Ancient Greece will be beyond pre-historic!!!

I can't be without every opportunity to see my darling Iolaus, personally... But there is always the lovely Mr. Sorbo to catch up with, 'cos thanks to Wolf, a month later, he's coming over to meet us all..!! (THANK YOU AGAIN, WOLF!!!! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX)

Read farther, into the Extended Text, it'l be worth it..!!!

I do love Kevin, but Dylan does for me what Herc doesn't - I'm too busy looking at Michael Hurst!! That having been said, I have the same problem when GMW appears next to his leading man..! I always turn to these shows for Kevin, and end up falling for his blond side-kick... (You boys'll know what I mean with your alternative, Lisa Ryder!)... Actually, Lexa had a lot to do with my tuning into Andromeda after SG4, so it's also her fault I'm here, advertising Season 4 of HTLJ, cos she led me to see what else Kevin had been up to..!!!

Oh, and another thing, this season contains episodes such as 'Reunions', and 'Top God', which guest stars Roy Dotrice, recently seen playing Wesley's father in ANGEL... He and Anthony Quinn are my equal favourites of all the Zeuses to choose from, AND, in this episode, we see one of those COOL brother on brother fights between the 2 Kevins: Sorbo, and another man I'm utterly in love with, (!) KEVIN SMITH..!!! Starring alonsgside them both, would be Meg Foster (Hera) whom is recognisable to DS9 fans, from the Season 4 Jake Sisko episode 'Muse'....

Enough reasons to part with your cash..!?? No?? Well, Scott Michaelson, (Brad from Neighbours!) the man whom once snogged Natalie Imbruglia for a living, makes his presence known as Apollo in 2/3 episodes..!!

Season 4 has EVERYTHING that makes H:TLJ GREAT...!!! It has IOLAUS, it has ARES, it has HERCULES... It has fun, fantastic fight choreography, the continual return to the HERO mythos, and morals... It also allows for the telling of some heartfelt family stories. Beginning with Twighlight, in which we see the inception of the YOUNG HERCULES series, (option: do you prefer Ian, the first, or Ryan..??? They're lovely, but personally, I prefer Dean & Chris! Don't let the teenage label put you off - These younger boys can kick ass, and in TWIGHLIGHT, they do just that!)we are told the tale of Hercules most sorrowful separation, that from his mother, played by Liddy Holloway... Alcemene whom saw him through all else that cut deep in his life, lives on in the Elysian Fields. The acting of Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, and Jeff Thomas, (esp.) when she has passed over, it is of worth in their field... TOP GOD furthers this. REUNIONS furthers it still... IOLUAS is reuntied with his flesh and blood mother, after being told by Jeff Thomas' Jason that Alcemene (Liddy, Herc's Mom/Mum!) thought of him as her son also... The only thing missing from this trilogy of stories is the on-screen appearance of a young Iphicles. I'd've liked to have seen whom they picked to be Kevin Smith (Any such pre-desposed person of that preference would at least be curious to imagine the man whom would grow to be the Iphicles we know - Would he look like Kevin Smith did in Desperate Remedies!? - Oh, please, God, I hope so!!! Beautiful!)...

This isn't about the show, or even the DVDs, this review is strickly about Anchor bay and their ever changing packaging.
It seems that as far as Hercules, Xena and Highlander are concernes, Anchor Bay can't make up it's mind how many disks to put in a set, how to put the disks in the set, or how to produce the set itself.
The last box sets in all three series were half an inch thinner than all the others, making these last packs look very odd when put next to the others. This is mostly due to a new box design that Achor Bay is now using which puts two DVDs in a single plastic case, one overlapping the other, instead of one case per DVD which had been the case up till then.
This may seem like a small gripe, but at the price these sets are going for, they should all look the same. It's particularly irksome for Highlander, because up until season five this was turning out to be one of the finest looking DVD collections ever, but with the new size for Season Five the whole thing looks like a mistake or a new series. In short, it looks like hell!
The other part of the complaint is the number of disks. It's eight, it's nine, it's ten! The seasons all have more or less the same number of episodes, why does the disk count keep changing? In one box set the tenth disk is in a thin cardboard enveloppe and tucked in the package, in another it has its own plastic tray like the DVDs!
Come on Anchor Bay, pick a system and stick to it, how hard is that?
I don't know how much money they saved making this last change to the two disk trays, but I'm sure it wasn't enough to warant the change. If you want to look at a disk that happens to be at the bottom, you have to take the other disk out. With ten disks, looking for you favorite shows can become difficult, messy, and potentially you could damage a disk.

Hercules Season 4 delivered once again with its thrilling episodes. In this season, Hercules returned with his best friend, Iolaus, to face new characters and greater obstacles. For a change, humor was a major element in the adventures of Hercules and Iolaus. The audience is taken on a journey of fun and wild adventures with the main characters. The myths and legends of Hercules also took a new twist with, "Yes Virginia, There is a Hercules" which again was a very humorous episode. The script was well written and will surely leave the audience with enough suspense to keep on watching to see how the following episodes develop. The season ended with "Reunions" as Hercules decided to accept the offer and managed to help some people before Zeus's true motivations became clear. Hera finally got to fight him head on and the results were pretty interesting and eventful. This was a good ending since the audience was brought full-circle, but is urged to continue the journey with the return of Hercules. Season 4 DVD has awesome video and audio commentaries with the cast and crew. In each case, they outlined some of the problems and some of the funnier moments shared on the set, as well as background information on the episode.There is also a CD ROM that includes Director and cast biographies, a trivia game, and a database of trivia called The Hercules Chronicles. The other extras included are a photo gallery and an interesting featurette. I definitely recommend any fan to purchase this DVD box set because of all the bonus features made it worthwhile.