Hercules 3D

Theatrical Release Date: 2014 07 25 (USA)

UPC: 032429203472

Studio: Paramount

Summary: Dwayne Johnson stars as the son of Zeus in this Brett Ratner-directed adaptation of Steve Moore's Radical Comics graphic novel The Thracian Wars. As the story opens, a haunted Hercules (Johnson) travels Greece with his five loyal companions, capitalizing on his heroic reputation by selling his services for gold. When a malevolent warlord threatens to thrust the kingdom of Thrace into chaos, however, its desperate ruler and his daughter turn to Hercules to restore the peace. In order to succeed, Hercules must once again summon the strength and valor that once made him a myth among men. Joseph Fiennes, Ian McShane, and Rufus Sewell co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Adventure

Hercules 3D

Release Date: 11/04/2014

Tim Holland

No one will ever accuse Dwayne Johnson of being a great actor. Fortunately, he doesn't have to be one to portray the legendary Hercules, the half-man, half-god son of Zeus. Pretty much all he has to do is look buff, slay beasts, and engage in battles in which he kills scores of men. And the charismatic Johnson does all of that and more, with aplomb, in Brett Ratner's swift, intensely violent sword-and-sandal spectacle.
The story begins with a thrilling, brisk prologue that quickly establishes Hercules' background, his well-known 12 labors, and his growing legend. But is he really an all-powerful god or merely a man who has embraced the myth and made his fortune from it? Initially, all Hercules wants to be is a husband and a father. But when his wife and children are murdered, he becomes a mercenary for hire, with a ragtag bunch that includes a droll seer (Ian McShane), an expert archer (Ingrid Bolsř Berdal), and an animal-like mute (Aksel Hennie). Also along for the adventure are Hercules' sheltered nephew (Reece Ritchie), who can't wait to prove he is as good a soldier as he is a storyteller, and Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), our hero's cynical childhood friend, who isn't interested in glory, only gold. And plenty of gold awaits them when they are hired by Cotys (John Hurt), the lord of Thrace, to train his army and defeat a rebel faction that is slaughtering innocents far and wide. As for plot, that's about it, with a sinister, unsurprising twist thrown in.
What is most surprising about Hercules is its PG-13 rating. Hercules and his comrades kill hundreds and hundreds of men, with swords, spears, arrows, and good old-fashioned beatings. There is even a chariot equipped with protruding, razor-sharp blades that would make James Bond envious. While there isn't much gore, there is enough blood and bone-crushing mayhem to cause parents to take the rating seriously before taking young kids into the theater.
Ratner, the director of Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist, clearly isn't interested much in character development, engaging dialogue or a profound story. What he is interested in is delivering rousing action scenes that will entertain fanboys around the world, and they will find much to like here. What they may be disappointed in is the running time. The movie clocks in at just over 90 minutes and some may swear that it's shorter because Ratner rarely takes his foot off the throttle with almost endless brawls and battles. But in a time when many Hollywood tent poles run well over two-and-a-half hours, the film's brevity is a blessing.
Dwayne Johnson's Hercules isn't great cinema, but it is rock solid. It is a well-made B-movie that conjures memories of classic adventures like Captain Blood and Spartacus, and more recently the Pirates of the Caribbean films. But with a lot more deaths.
The film looks great in IMAX 3D, but it isn't necessary, like most movies in the more expensive format. Use the extra money for a soda and popcorn. After all, Hercules is, if nothing else, the definitive popcorn flick. ~ Tim Holland, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Peter Berg  Producer 
Gary Barber  Producer 
Roger Birnbaum  Producer 
Barry Levine  Producer 
Jonathan Glickman  Producer 
Beau Flynn  Producer 
Brett Ratner  Director 
Evan Spiliotopoulos  Screenwriter 
Sarah Aubrey  Producer 
Fernando Velázquez  Composer (Music Score) 
Ryan Condal  Screenwriter 
Jesse Berger  Executive Producer 
Johannes Vogel  Composer (Music Score) 
Dwayne Johnson  Actor 
Ian McShane  Actor 
John Hurt  Actor 
Rufus Sewell  Actor 
Aksel Hennie  Actor 
Ingrid Bolsř Berdal  Actor 
Reece Ritchie  Actor 
Joseph Fiennes  Actor 
Tobias Santelmann  Actor 
Peter Mullan  Actor 
Rebecca Ferguson  Actor 
Isaac Andrews  Actor 
Joe Anderson  Actor 
Stephen Peacocke  Actor 
Nick Moss  Actor 
Robert Whitelock  Actor 
Irina Shayk  Actor 
Christopher Fairbank  Actor 
Ian Whyte  Actor 
Karolina Szymczak  Actor 
Matt Devere  Actor 
Mate Haumann  Actor 
Barbara Palvin  Actor 
Tonia Sotiropoulou  Actor 
Caroline Boulton  Actor 
Robert Maillet  Actor 
Oliver Doherty  Actor 
Tom Doherty  Actor 
Panka Kovacs  Actor 
Mark Phelan  Actor 
John Cross  Actor 
Peter Ivanyi  Actor 
Erika Marozsán  Actor 
Nora Horich  Actor 
Athina Papadimitriu  Actor 
Anna Trokan  Actor 
Judit Viktor  Actor 
Csilla Baksa  Actor 
Elena V. Holovcsak  Actor 
Petra Piringer  Actor 
Erika Lajos  Actor 
Dora Kanizsa  Actor 
Sydney van den Bosch  Actor 
Lilla Bozoki  Actor 
Dalma Lorincz  Actor 
Patricia Hegedus  Actor 
Timea Palacsik  Actor 
Ben Blankenship  Actor 
Erik Orgovan  Actor 
Shay Sabag  Actor 
Anna Zsiros  Actor 
Jean Pigozzi  Actor 
Anna Skidanova  Actor 
Kristina Starostina  Actor 
Dorottya Podmaniczky  Actor 
Lilla Babos  Actor 
Aden G. Wright  Actor 

Country: USA