By SETH HYNES
Hercules
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell
Rated M for violence and infrequent coarse language
HERCULES, directed by Brett Ratner, feels like it was plucked right from the 1980s, for better and worse.
After completing his fabled Twelve Labours, Hercules (Dwayne Johnson), the son of Zeus, is contracted by the King of Thrace (John Hurt) to defend his kingdom from the ruthless Rhesus (Tobias Santelmann).
The trailer makes this movie look dumb as dishwater, but Hercules actually has a clever central idea: what if Hercules isn’t an immortal son of a god, but rather built this reputation from a combination of propaganda and an entire team of fighters working behind him?
There are some fun moments of Hercules deconstructing its own legend, but they’re mostly squandered in a poorly-written screenplay. Hercules’ ambiguous godhood, his quest for redemption and the villain’s schemes are very poorly-explained and developed clumsily.
But Johnson’s burly charisma, the breezy pace and the exciting, visceral action keep you engaged, making this a thoroughly entertaining popcorn flick. Hercules is supported by a quirky cast of fellow mercenaries who deliver amusing tongue-in-cheek humour, and Hurt hams it up wonderfully in his role.
This is the kind of movie that Arnold Schwarzenegger would have starred in during his prime, and there’s something to be said for simple, fun and bombastic throwbacks like this.
But if you want a competently-written action movie, you’d be better off catching Guardians Of The Galaxy.
