Let me begin by explaining that I never thought that I would ever be writing this review. Like ever. Because if I'm writing this review then I have seen a movie called Hercules starring an ex-wrestler. Granted, he's an ex-wrestler who is incredibly charismatic and charming, and he's establishing himself as an acting staple... but still. It's Hercules. And The Rock. And Brett Ratner. It should never work. Like ever. Like ever ever. Then came the trailer that played before EVERY movie I've seen this summer. And my suspicions were confirmed. Yes, it looked terrible. The Rock with a testicle-hair beard and a flowing head of hair fighting CGI monsters isn't really even a great idea in theory, honestly. However, the reviews starting coming in. Yes, I know, a reviewer who reads reviews... how meta. And they were positive. They weren't slamming the film like I assumed they were going to. In fact, the only descriptions I kept reading were of how "thrilling" and "smart" and "fun" the movie was. After that... I just had to know.
Everything you've seen in the previews... the fighting of the giant lion, the three headed dog, the serpents in the lake, etc. are all done as folklore and myth and shown in the first five minutes of the movie. Sorry. If you were looking for two hours of that... you're already going to be let down. This is about Hercules, the man. Dwayne Johnson (the actor formerly known as the wrestler The Rock) plays Hercules, a mercenary for hire who thrives off the legends told about him. In actuality, he's just a really big mofo with some skilled friends who can boast his stories to make him actually appear demi-God-like. He's not necessarily NOT a demi-God, but there's no saying if he is either. It's really left up to interpretation. So, he and his band of misfits are recruited by Lord Cotus (John Hurt) and his struggling kingdom in order to use his mythology against the rival kingdom headed by Rhesus (who may or may not be a centaur). The kingdom is compiled of inept farmers, not soldiers. So, after a few failures and some standard training montages, they're ready to fight by Hercules' side.
What separates this movie from other films like it such as Immortals, The Legend of Hercules, 300: Rise of an Empire is the personality. This film is very aware that it's got an ex-wrestler actor portraying a mythological character and it, more or less, runs with this attitude. It's silly, but not to the point of dumb. It's campy, but not to the point of unwatchable. It's funny, but on purpose. It's got good action, good adventure, and good laughs. It's a well-written film that knows it wants to be better than the aforementioned passionless films. So, it's nothing like what you'd expect from the trailer because it's actually succeeds in achieving it's aims. But, it's also exactly what you should expect from The Rock in a mythological action film. He's nothing but charming. Even when he's trying to act like a badass, you can tell he and the band of misfits have the most fun because they have a natural chemistry. And the villains... you know what... I don't need to spend two or three more paragraphs analyzing the specifics of what makes Hercules, not just simply a watchable film, but a film that most will enjoy if they're willing to let go of that judgement you know you hold inside of you after seeing the trailer. If you can release that Kraken... you WILL have a good time.
PS-- I will now watch The Rock in anything. Anything.
B
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